Thursday Morning Talks - Multiple Dates

Thursday Morning Talks

12 September - 19 December 2024

10.30 - 12 midday

Northampton Museum & Art Gallery

Thursday 12 September

The Ship of Dreams

Speaker: Steve Dimmer

375 miles south of Newfoundland, two and a half miles beneath the Atlantic Ocean lies the wreck of the most famous ship ever, RMS Titanic. This talk will examine its journey through conception, manufacture, triumphant launch and catastrophic maiden voyage, showing the many mistakes that were made and the lessons that were learned too late.

Thursday 26 September

Alan Turing and the Real Imitation Game

Speaker: Michael Kushner

During WW2 at Bletchley Park, he broke the most complex German Enigma ciphers. Post-war he worked on many new scientific innovations at Manchester University. This real-life story of an amazing mathematician and codebreaker, who had the foresight of computers and the benefits and dangers of Artificial Intelligence. This scientific hero was prosecuted over his sexuality and treated callously by British Justice.

Thursday 10 October

Ikebana, living with flowers

Speaker: Laura Malpas

Discover the long history of flower arrangement in Japan, from when it was an occupation of men, monks and samurai and its evolution into the important and respected cultural practice seen throughout Japan today. The talk is illustrated with images from historic woodcut prints and photos of modern arrangements in Japan.
This session also includes some basic principles of modern Ikebana, with a 'how to' demonstration of a simple style using seasonal flowers and branches.

Thursday 24 October

Silverstone – The village and the circuit

Speaker: Gerald Lovell

The story of a village dominated over centuries by the forestry and the wood trade with its 22 woodyards; yet having a parallel history of a Benedictine Abbey, a royal hunting lodge, a WW2 Wellington Bomber Training Station that was transformed into a motor racing circuit, the birthplace of Formula One and home of British Motor Racing.

Thursday 7 November

The wonderful world of the pipe organ

Speaker: Paul Hale

Ever wondered how long pipe organs have been around or how they work? All will be revealed by Paul Hale, one of the UK’s leading organ specialists.

Thursday 21 November

All the King's Horses and all the King's Men

Speaker: Keith Baldwin

In this talk Keith will share with us lots of little-known detail about His Majesty’s Household Cavalry. Delivered in a light-hearted way it is guaranteed to entertain as well as to inform.

Thursday 5 December

No way home – The making of a memoir

Speaker: Lis Ainsworth

Intimate diaries of separation and survival in 1945 Germany; the physical and emotional journeys, made separately by two sisters and their serendipitous family reunion. With themes of faith, philosophy and continuance, forced from their destroyed childhood home as girls, they became women in a new world order, their lives forever changed.

Thursday 19 December

A Christmas Talk of Magic gone wrong, with magic show

Speaker: John Constantine

This is an illustrated talk on magicians past and present where the act has gone fatally wrong. There's also, by total contrast, an entertaining magic show featuring nothing dangerous at all - just pure sleight of hand, misdirection and mind reading!

Single Ticket £3.50 (+ Eventbrite booking fee).

Includes tea/coffee and biscuits

Booking recommended - these events are popular. We allocate a small number of tickets to purchase from the museum direct. If Eventbrite is showing as sold out try calling the museum direct on 01604 526322 during our opening hours Tuesday to Saturday 10am - 5pm and Sundays 12-5pm

Host or Publisher Northampton Museums & Art Gallery