The past, present and future of the Plymouth Athenaeum building

As it moves towards the next exciting stage in its history, we celebrate the 208th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone of the original Foulston-designed building with a talk celebrating the past, present and future of the Plymouth Athenaeum.

From the neo-classical inspiration of its designer, architect John Foulston, through to its destruction in World War II and post-War modernist rebirth, this talk will take a virtual tour through the museums, theatres and libraries that have made the Athenaeum one of the cultural centres of Plymouth since 1819.

Discover more about the famous visitors from princes to pop stars and world-renowned scientists to stars of stage and screen, and the next exciting stage in its history.

The talk will be given by Owen Ryles, Chief Executive of the Plymouth Athenaeum. Owen is a Fellow of the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, the Linnean Society and the Zoological Society.

His previous talks include The Romance of Architecture: The life of George Wightwick, Spanning the divide: Brunel and the Royal Albert Bridge, Education, enlightenment and entertainment: Plymouth Mechanics’ Institute 1825-1899 , Walking through the storm: William Snow Harris v The Admiralty, and Charles Hamilton Smith: Writer, Illustrator, Solider, Spy.

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Host or Publisher The Plymouth Athenaeum