Past Events
April 2025
Lunar lecture on zoom-The Rediscovery of Lucy Hardcastle by Prof Jonathan Powers
The late Desmond King-Hele's final biography of Erasmus Darwin bequeathed an intriguing puzzle. In 1864 Charles Darwin wrote to his friend Joseph Hooker that he suspected the widow of their former colleague Dr Francis Boott (Vice-President of the Linnean Society) was an illegitimate granddaughter of Erasmus'. Hooker confirmed he had heard there had been a close association and helped to fuel the suspicion by describing the old lady's features in quasi-Darwinian terms. Desmond was intrigued but judiciously unconvinced, bequeathing the…
Find out more »The Americans are Coming!
To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the start of the American War of Independence, local historian and author Jono Oates tells the story of how the war started, with the 'shot heard round the world'. Jono also explains Lichfield's links to the war, including a noted surgeon in the British Army, and how a famous Lichfield poet shamed the first President of the United States into writing a letter of apology. This illustrated talk lasts an hour with the opportunity…
Find out more »Children’s Spring Crafts
Free children's craft session. No need to book just drop in! Admission children free. Adults £5.
Find out more »Origins of Pub Names.
The local has long been the focal point of the community. A home from home where we gather to socialise, to play, to celebrate and to feats. Yet how many of us ever stop to think of the name of the sign hanging outside? Where do they come from, why were they chosen and do they have any significance? Discover how pub names are almost a dialect of their own. Learn the origins and thus the meaning of some of…
Find out more »May 2025
The Great Lichfield Bank Crash.
Lichfield historian and author Jono Oates tells the story of one of the most dramatic events in Lichfield's history, the crash of the Lichfield Bank in 1855, which led to widespread panic in the city and to the ruination of the bank's owner, Richard Greene, who lived at Stowe House by the side of Stowe Pool. This illustrated talk includes a look at a rare £5 Bank of Lichfield bank note, dated 1853.
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