When Jane Austen declared that she wrote ‘only for fame’, she was, of course, being ironic as she published anonymously;  there is no record on her gravestone that she was a writer, and her books fell out of print shortly after her death.  But now, Jane Austen is one of our best loved authors, with legions of adoring fans throughout the world.  Her novels have inspired countless stage and screen adaptations, and even provided solace to soldiers in the trenches.  She is the face of the £10 banknote, and she adorns tea towels and fridge magnets everywhere.  Jane Austen is now very famous indeed.    But how did it all happen? 

Following a career in teaching, Annalie Talent spent several years working on education programmes at museums and literary houses across the UK, including the Wordsworth Trust and Wordsworth House; Jane Austen’s House in Hampshire, and the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.  She has worked with the British Library, the Bodleian Library, and Chawton House Library in promoting Austen’s work to young people. 

The Arts and Crafts Movement was one of Britain’s most radical and far-reaching art movements. It was not just about making art and craft, but how and where you lived and how you spent your time. Many makers moved to the countryside to live a Simple Life.  Part of their ethos was the revival of forgotten crafts, customs and festivities to build a sense of community where they lived.  Arts and Crafts designers sought out wassails, mummers plays, and carolling customs, put on Christmas plays, designed exquisite Christmas cards to send to their friends.  We’ll discover how they spent their Christmases, how they told the Christmas story in church art and book illustration, and how they depicted the carols and plays they took part in.

Kirsty Hartsiostis is a Gloucestershire-based storyteller and writer who gives talks on both art history and folklore, her two passions.  She has been the curator of decorative and fine art at The Wilson Art Gallery and Museum, Cheltenham since 2008, and prior to that was the curator and manager of Swindon Museum and Art Gallery.  At Cheltenham she looks after the Designated Arts and Crafts Movement collection. She’s curated many exhibitions on the Arts and Crafts.

Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll (1848–1939) was a talented and unconventional royal artist who became a widely respected, professionally trained sculptor.  The sixth child of Queen Victoria, she broke royal protocol by attending the National Art Training School (now the Royal College of Art) and went on to produce several major public monuments.  Her most celebrated masterpiece is a large marble statue of her mother, Queen Victoria, now located directly outside Kensington Palace depicting a young Queen Victoria in her 1837 coronation robes at just 18 years old.

Lucinda Hawksley is an author, art historian, public speaker and broadcaster, specialising in literature, art, history and social history from the 19th and early 20th centuries. She is also a travel writer with a love of the environment, cetaceans being one of her passions:  she is a speaker for the Whales & Dolphins Conservation Society.  As a great great great granddaughter of Charles and Catherine Dickens, she has grown up with a keen interest in her family history. For the last decade she has been a Patron of the Charles Dickens Museum in London.

In this talk, our lecturer will explain how engaging with museum collections can shift personal perspective in a number of ways:  how art can act as a functional tool to manage modern stress and improve mental health;  by focusing on masterpieces—ranging from Johannes Vermeer's quiet domesticity to David Hockney's vibrant landscapes—which act as visual prompts to appreciate small, ordinary moments;  and drawing comparisons with different art forms such as sculpture and renowned gardens, to show how these can serve as emotional sanctuaries.

Matthew Wilson Matthew Wilson is a writer, art historian and lecturer.  He has written a number of books focusing primarily on the symbolism within art, as well as contributing to numerous publications including BBC Culture, The Economist, The Spectator, Aesthetica Magazine and Smarthistory).

Lustrous flowing red and auburn hair, full and ripe lips, sumptuous drapery, moral character studies and medieval heroines. These are the images we draw to mind when we think of the women of the Pre-Raphaelite movement. What we less often realise is that beyond being models and wives, many of these women were also exhibited artists in their own right.  With stunning art works, exquisite techniques and rarely seen pieces, this lecture explores the feminine energy and women’s voices within the Pre-Raphaelite movement. 

Anna Bianco is a freelance curator, writer, lecturer, tour guide and art historian.  She has curated exhibitions and displays at The Wallace Collection, The British Museum, The Embankment Galleries and The Southwark Art Collection.  She has been a guest lecturer for Christies Education, Durham University, London College of Communication and the Open University. She has also been a tour guide for Context Travel across London.

Image: Bird of God, 1861 Anna Boyce Wells

At long last the Grand Egyptian Museum has fully opened its doors to visitors. This fabulous new museum, in the shadow of the Great Pyramid at Giza, is the largest archaeological museum in the world. Lucia will take us through the highlights of its main galleries, chronologically arranged from the Predynastic Period through to Graeco-Roman Period. She will explore with us many of the museum’s finest pieces, illustrating Egypt’s rich history and culture.  For many, the overwhelming highlight of the new museum is the largest ever display of Tutankhamun’s treasures – well over 5000 of them - many displayed for the very first time. 

Lucia Gahlin is an Egyptologist and Honorary Research Associate at University College London’s Institute of Archaeology.  She has worked at Tell el-Amarna, Egypt, and at the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London, where she is Chair of the Friends. She has taught at several UK universities, and has led tours to Egypt for over 25 years.  Publications include Egypt: Gods, Myths, Religion. 

This lecture explores the Slade School of Fine Art as a crucial training ground for some of Britain’s most influential artists. Founded in 1871, the lecture begins by examining the school’s guiding ideals and its emphasis on disciplined drawing and critical thought. The lecture then considers the work of the Bloomsbury Group, highlighting key Slade figures such as Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant and their role in shaping modern British art and design. Moving through the twentieth century, it explores major artists including Augustus John, Stanley Spencer, Paul Nash, Paula Rego and Euan Uglow. The lecture concludes with more recent alumni such as Antony Gormley, Rachel Whiteread and Phyllida Barlow, underscoring the Slade’s enduring cultural impact.

Ian Giles studied at the Slade School of Fine Art and is a practising artist. His artworks and films have been shown internationally, including London, Amsterdam and New York.  He has been a visiting lecturer at Chelsea College of Arts, Cambridge School of Art, Camberwell College of Arts, Birmingham School of Art and the University of Cambridge Department of Architecture.  Recent press coverage includes features and reviews in The Guardian, Frieze, Artforum, and on BBC radio and television.  In 2026 he presented exhibitions and projects throughout the UK.