Upcoming Events
September 2026
“The Queen Britain Feared”
Lichfield Cathedral houses a war memorial to the soldiers who defeated Punjab's Sikh Empire in the 1840s. But on the losing side of the Anglo-Sikh Wars stood a woman: Maharani (Queen) Jind Kaur - Queen Regent, separated from her only child, imprisoned, and exiled - leaving her ten-year-old son, Maharaja Duleep Singh, to surrender the Koh-i-Noor diamond to the Queen of England - and the Sikh Kingdom of Punjab with it. If Queen Jind Kaur of Punjab was defeated, then…
Find out more »10 week history course – THE SUPERNATURAL MIDDLE AGES by Charlotte Ball
If you are intrigued by the stranger side of medieval history, this ten-week lecture course might be for you! The Middle Ages were a dark age, filled with superstition and wild beliefs in supernatural things…weren’t they? In this exploratory and fun course, we can expect to meet readers of omens and practitioners of magic; saints and heretics; miracles and monsters. But we will also dive into what people at the time actually believed about the nature of their world, and…
Find out more »Chimney Sweeps’ climbing boys in Staffordshire.
A talk by Steve Booth This talk looks at the nationwide problems caused by the use of climbing children to sweep chimneys and how well-intentioned individuals in Staffordshire worked hard to eliminate their use, ably led by Francis Wedgwood – grandson of the great Josiah and the family connection to the Darwin’s.
Find out more »October 2026
Lunar Lecture – William Strutt FRS: A tradesman of some eminence by Dr Ian Jackson
As William Strutt left no journals or diary, we need to look at contemporary, third party, accounts of his work and legacies, to understand why he was so respected by his peers, including his appointment as a Fellow of the Royal Society. This talk traces his life, both personal and work, with the progression of his more famous improvements, such as fire-proof mills and the stove heating system, and other less well-known activities. Whilst William Strutt was recognised widely during…
Find out more »Devils and demons and ghouls!
A deliciously dark set of traditional tales from around the world. From the hideous flesh-eating Wendigo of Native American folklore to the sinister and seductive slit mouthed woman of Japan, join us, if you dare, for an evening of dark deeds… Professional storyteller Maria Credali returns with a pocket full of brand new (and at the same time, very old) tales to terrify and tickle you. Some of these stories are legends, some are folklore, but some are true… Fabulously…
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