Current programme of talks and visits
Talks are normally held on the second Tuesday of most months starting at 7.30pm in the Hinton Hall, Tisbury.
| Tuesday 14th October
Peter Filtness: A beginner’s guide to Anglo-Saxon architecture Anglo-Saxon buildings, dating back some 1000 years and more, are rare. Most buildings were constructed in wood and have long since disappeared. However, some churches particularly in the later period were built of stone and while few complete buildings survive, a surprisingly large number of Anglo-Saxon features survive in later churches. The talk will show what features the intrepid explorer should look for, and how to tell Saxon from later architectural styles. Since retiring as a Chartered Town Planner, Peter has recorded many vernacular buildings with the Wiltshire Buildings Record, and when not doing this has developed a growing enthusiasm for church architecture, especially the idiosyncrasies, clunky awkwardness, massive dignity, and inventive vibrancy that makes Anglo-Saxon architecture so fascinating. Tuesday 11th November Nicholas Shakespeare: The life of Ian Fleming, author of James Bond Ian Fleming’s greatest creation, James Bond, has had an enormous and ongoing impact on our culture. What Bond represents about ideas of masculinity, the British national psyche and global politics has shifted over time, as has the interpretation of the life of his author. But Fleming himself was more mysterious and subtle than anything he wrote. Ian’s childhood with his gifted brother Peter and his extraordinary mother set the pattern for his ambition to be “the complete man,” and he would strive for the means to achieve this “completeness’”all his life. Only a thriller writer for his last twelve years, his dramatic personal life and impressive career in Naval Intelligence put him at the heart of critical moments in world history, while also providing rich inspiration for his fiction. Exceptionally well connected, and widely travelled, from the United States and Soviet Russia to his beloved Jamaica, Ian had access to the most powerful political figures at a time of profound change. Nicholas Shakespeare is one of the most gifted biographers working today. His talent for uncovering material that casts new light on his subjects is fully evident in this masterful, definitive biography. His unprecedented access to the Fleming archive and his nose for a story make this a fresh and eye-opening picture of the man and his famous creation. Tuesday 9th December Christmas Party More details to follow |
