16 September: Great Engineering Leaps – Archimedes to Brunel and Beyond
About this Event
What has engineering ever done for us...? A lot more than most of us realise, it turns out.
In the 3,000 or so years between Ancient Egypt and the Victorian age of steam, technology took some staggering leaps forward yet, sadly, most of us are barely aware just how groundbreaking those advances were and even fewer of us could name more than a handful of the people who made them possible.
Luckily, scientific tour guide Laurence Scales is here to take us on a whistle-stop tour through the history of engineering, from the days when an engineer was essentially a builder to the time when it was finally no longer possible for any one person to know everything.
On Wednesday 16th September, PubSci is delighted to welcome Laurence to the Old King's Head to guide us through that incredible timeline with insight and humour, highlighting along the way some hugely significant names and their achievements.
Some of those names and their engineering leaps will be household names while others will make you stop and wonder why on earth nobody ever told you about them before.
Perhaps you'd discover your own heroes of engineering history!
Don't miss this chance to join PubSci and Laurence Scales on Wednesday 16th September to discover the great engineering leaps that made the modern world possible.
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The venue is PubSci's regular home, The Old King's Head near Borough Market, which offers a great range of drinks, has a happy hour before 7pm, and opens the kitchen serving classic pub grub especially for us.
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See below for important booking details – please also check the FAQ.
Is PubSci for me...?
PubSci presents accessible science talks in the comfort of a pub meeting room so you can enjoy top quality talks with a drink in your hand. No specialist knowledge is needed.
Why you should come to this event
As a tour guide as well as a public speaker, Laurence is the ideal person to take us through the highlights from 3,000 years of engineering history. Whether your interest lies in history, engineering, technology or the development ideas, this talk will surprise, entertain and inform you.
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PubSci talks run for around 45 minutes, followed by a short break and a Q&A session. We aim to finish by 9pm. The Old King's Head has a happy hour before 7 and the kitchen serves traditional pub grub. The nearest tube is London Bridge (Borough High Street exit). See FAQs for more.
Reserve you place by booking with Eventbrite today. See below for ticketing options, to read about this month's speakers, and learn more about PubSci.
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Tickets
Booking is on a pay-what-you-can-afford basis.
Unfortunately Eventbrite doesn't make this easy, so please read on to understand how booking works.
There are two ticket options:
Each ticket type has a separate allocation – please check both for availability.
- Book without donating (max 4 tickets) if you prefer to put cash in the pot on the night.
- Book for one + Support PubSci (max 1 ticket) if you'd like to contribute with your booking. You don't input a number of tickets, just the amount you wish to contribute which automatically reserves you one spot at the event.
If Book without donating is sold out, scroll to check Book for one + Support PubSci.
Multiple tickets
If you need multiple tickets, you could get one Support PubSci ticket for whatever amount you're comfortable with contributing for your group, then add the rest of your tickets for free as Book without donating. You can do this in one transaction, but how you book is up to you.
We normally also take a cash collection on the night for those who prefer to support PubSci that way but for January, we’ll be donating all cash to St. Mungo’s instead.
How much are tickets...?
There's no set 'price' – we trust you to contribute what you think is fair for an evening of great science. The precise amount is up to you, but the price of a pub drink is probably a good measure.
PubSci receives no other income. More information at the bottom of this page.
About our speaker
Laurence Scales is a London guide, writer and speaker specialising in the history of science, engineering, invention and medicine. He originally trained as an engineer and worked across the technology sector before dedicating himself to science communication.
Laurence has presented at the Royal Institution of Great Britain (RIGB), even dressing up on occasion as scientific luminary Michael Faraday for added authenticity. His renowned London walking tours cover everything from Bazalgette's Victorian sewers to a tennis-free science tour of Wimbledon.
His corporate and institutional clients have included Imperial College, Ove Arup & Associates, King's College London, and the European Society for the History of Science.
He has conducted extensive research at the Science Museum, the RIGB (where he volunteered for several years with the Heritage and Collections team and kept a blog about his discoveries), and the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) to uncover obscure facts and and unusual stories from the history of science.
Laurence has given talks for numerous groups and at learned institutions including the Geological Society of London, the RSA, the City of London Historical Society, Thames Shipbuilding Symposium, and the University of North Carolina in London along with salons, schools, festivals and special interest societies.
PubSci is delighted to welcome Laurence as our speaker for September 2026.
You can view a list of Laurences talks at Speakernet and a list of walking tours on Laurence's website.
About PubSci
PubSci presents accessible science talks in the comfort of a pub meeting room so you can enjoy top quality science talks with a drink in your hand.
It is an independent initiative run by volunteers, is not-for-profit, and receives no funding other than attendee contributions.
We believe science is for everyone and we want everybody to be able to afford our events, so we run PubSci on a Pay-What-You-Can basis. To contribute via Eventbrite choose "Book for one + support PubSci". To contribute on the night, please bring cash.
By making a donation, you make it possible for PubSci to put on events like this. If you're not sure what's a reasonable amount, we suggest the same as you'd pay for a drink at the pub. If you want to support somebody attending who can't afford it, consider putting in the price of two drinks.
Note: We aim to keep PubSci accessible for all, but it is unsuitable for under 18s as we meet in the upstairs room of a pub. Regrettably, there is no wheelchair access.
Check out our Future Events page where you can also subscribe to our Google Calendar. PubSci events will then automatically appear in your own iCal compatible calendar.
You can learn more about PubSci via our LinkTree and download our events programme here.
Please see the below for all your FAQs
Agenda
🕑: 06:30 PM
Doors open to the public
Info: Order drinks and food at the downstairs bar, then join us upstairs.
🕑: 07:00 PM
Event begins
Info: Introduction followed by the main talk.
🕑: 08:00 PM - 08:20 PM
Break
Info: Stretch your legs, refill your glass, then come back for part 2. Timing is approximate.
🕑: 08:20 PM - 09:00 PM
Q&A
🕑: 09:00 PM
Event ends
Info: We aim to wrap up by 9pm.
🕑: 09:00 PM - 09:45 PM
Optional socialising
Info: Carry on the conversation upstairs until 9.45 (or stay to help us pack the chairs away).
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
GBP 0.00
