RSPB Talk: Kent is the Only Place for Happiness by Dr Andre Farrar

Name: RSPB Talk: Kent is the Only Place for Happiness by Dr Andre Farrar
Start: 2025-09-04T19:30:00+01:00
Location: Hyde Room, York House, Twickenham TW1 3DD

Schedule

Thu, 04 Sep, 2025 at 07:30 pm

UTC+01:00

Location

Hyde Room, York House, Twickenham TW1 3DD | Twickenham, EN

THURSDAY 4th September, 7.30pm York House, Hyde Room PLEASE NOTE DATE!
Andre Farrar – ‘Kent is the only place for happiness’
Jane Austen was a regular visitor to Godmersham Park in Kent which is featured in the background of
her portrait on the back of the £10 note. In 2025 we've been celebrating the 250th anniversary of her
birth. She loved Kent and found happiness there. Sadly, Jane didn't have much of an eye for the natural
world - but her nephew Charles Knight was an accomplished naturalist and through his journal we have
a description of the landscape and wildlife from two centuries ago. In this talk Andre will chart the
changes and natural history of the North Downs and find the stories that link our times with a
landscape that would still be familiar to Jane and her family.
Dr Andre Farrar is chair of Kent Ornithological Society. Before retirement he held many roles within the
RSPB including conservation delivery, planning and policy, as well as campaigning, communications and
public affairs.