Upcoming Events › Erasmus Darwin House Events
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…
Find out more »November 2026
Tales from the Coroner’s Casebook – A Talk by Quintin Watt
Tales from the Coroner’s Casebook – Life and Death in Georgian South Staffordshire and the Black Country. Part One: 1801-1826. This illustrated presentation examines cases of sudden or unexplained deaths, presided over by Henry Smith Esq. - Coroner of the County of Stafford - between 1801 and 1842. These include: domestic and industrial accidents, manslaughter, murders, suicides and ‘visitations of God.’ Who was this coroner, and what do his inquest reports tells us about life, as well as death, in…
Find out more »Thomas Beddoes: Poetry, Medicine, Disease and Drugs in the Early Nineteenth Century: a Symposium
A series of lectures including refreshments and buffet lunch "O! Excellent Air Bag”: Thomas Beddoes and the Pneumatic Institution by Mike Jay This paper tells the story of Erasmus Darwin’s protégé Thomas Beddoes and his experiments with medical gases at the Pneumatic Institution in Bristol, in which he collaborated with a remarkable circle of scientists and poets that included Humphry Davy, James Watt, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert Southey. Mike Jay is an author and historian who has written widely…
Find out more »December 2026
Christmas Past with Sheelagh James
Did Oliver Cromwell ban Christmas? Was Queen Victoria the first queen to have a Christmas tree in a royal residence? Which king first ate turkey at Christmas? And how have other cultures and empires left their mark on Christmas today? These and many more questions are answered in 'Christmas Past', a festive look at the development of Christmas throughout the ages.
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