Talking about the Art

The Forbidden City – Review

On Wednesday 30th October, 2024, Anne Haworth gave a talk to on the Forbidden City, Beijing, to a full house at Les Cotils. The Forbidden City is the Imperial Palace complex in the centre of Beijing, that has been the home and centre of government for 24 emperors of China,...

Brave New World – The Festival of Britain – Review

Lecturer:  Marc Allum The 1951 Festival Of Britain was established to celebrate the centenary of the 1851 Great Exhibition but also to give post-war Britain a morale-boost. It was ‘a tonic to the nation’, showing its abilities in design, architecture, construction, etc, but was also a showcase to the world....

It isn’t a game for idiots

REVIEW Click here to read the full review as a pdf

The Home Beautiful: Pre-Raphaelite Interiors

REVIEW Lecturer: Joanna Banham The Victorian period witnessed massive changes in the manufacture and utilisation of wallpaper: a product that had previously been a luxury item became available to all but the very poorest of homes. Joanne discussed and shared photos of how William Morris (the Father of the Arts...

The Marquesses of Bute: Patrons of Opulence

REVIEW Lecturer: Matthew Williams The Marquesses of Bute are an ancient Scottish family who rose to prominence during the eighteenth century. Wise marriages brought wealth and by 1860 industrial enterprise had made them one of the richest families in the...