Public Lectures

From September to March the Society organises a programme of public lectures on cultural, scientific and antiquarian subjects. These have been held almost continuously since 1889 and are considered one of the most important aspects of the Society’s work.

The lectures are held on Friday evenings commencing 7.30 p.m. The lectures running through the autumn of 2021 will be held at Spalding Methodist Church in Broad Street, directly opposite our museum. Admission will be £3.00 per person. We ask that only people who are fully vaccinated or have passed a recent clear Covid test should attend in person. We plan to live stream the lectures using the Microsoft Teams platform for the benefit of those unwilling or unable to attend at the venue. Booking will required to access the stream at the same cost, £3.00.

 

Lecture Programme 2021-22

September  10th 2021

This particular lecture has been cancelled. We will advise of a new title when a replacement lecturer is found

 

 

September 24th 2021

An 18th Century Lincolnshire Gentleman’s Library now in Norfolk

Presented by John Gandy, previously Senior Librarian at Blickling Hall, the National Trust’s largest library of printed books

Sir Richard Ellys of Nocton Hall was an early SGS member with a celebrated library

October 8th 2021

Egyptologist Notebooks

Presented by Dr Chris Naunton,  Egyptologist, writer and TV broadcaster

Rediscovering ancient Egypt through sketches, paintings and maps of past explorers and Egyptologists

 

October 22nd 2021

Creating an Impression: the stories below the surface

Presented by Jasper Jennings, dealer, author and lecturer

The surprising and intriguing stories to be found behind antiquarian prints

 

November 5th 2021

The Landscape History of the Lincolnshire Coast

Presented by Dr Caitlin Green, lecturer

Up to date research on the settlement of the county’s coastline

 

November 19th 2021

Explosives: The Past, Present and Future

Presented by Professor Jackie Akhavan FRSC, Head of the Centre for Defence Chemistry

From Chinese black powder in 220BC to smart polymers: explosive power for fireworks, ejector seats and spacecraft

January 7th 2022

Deep History ‘Down Under’

Presented by Dr Simon Sleight, Kings College London (Ex Spalding grammar School)

An introduction to Australian history from Pangaea to Federation

 

January 21st 2022

The Legendary Medieval English Longbow

Presented by Angie Clay, historian and lecturer Lincoln Castle garrison

Describing the bowmaker’s craft and bowman skills. Men in armour were no match for the murderous longbow

 

February 4th 2022

Waste Vitrification: Cleaning up the Legacy of the Nuclear Age

Presented by Professor Russel Hand, Head of Glass Science and Engineering Sheffield University

Transforming contaminated radioactive liquids into stable glass

 

February 18th 2022

The Voyage of HMS Beagle

Presented by Emeritus Professor Peter Worsley, lecturer

The historic circumnavigation updating Admiralty charts with world changing naturalist Charles Darwin on board

 

March 4th 2022

The Hunt for Dark Matter

Presented by Ed Daw, Professor of Gravitational Waves and Dark Matter Physics Sheffield University

The universe is dominated by a mysterious substance that neither emits light nor obscures luminous objects

 

March 18th 2022

Standing on Uncertainty

Presented by DR Philip Collins, Vice Dean ( Education) Brunel University London, specialist in Geomorphology

The challenge of discovering what is really beneath the ground we live on and the engineering science at hand