


PAST MONTHLY MEETINGS
On this page you can see details of
previous monthly meetings. Recent reports about the main
speakers are on the next section. For previous years
please scroll to the lower part of the page. This also
shows how to find out details about past second subjects
presented at the monthly meetings
Recently
January (1) — Andy Gardn
er: The Life and
Times of Douglas Adams. Adams lived in Islington during
many of his most productive years — a very different
Islington in the seventies! Andy is an expert on local
history; he was the Chairman of the Islington
Archaeological and Historical Society until 2019 and now
works as a Heritage and Outreach Worker at the Union
Chapel. Douglas Adams was born in West London
but lived in Islington for many years. He was always
known as a storyteller and was a pioneer
environmentalist. He became an author, scriptwriter and
editor for Radio and TV, most famously writing The
Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. Andy hopes to get at
least a green plaque put up outside the flat where
Douglas Adams lived behind Screen On the Green. Douglas
Adams was also a script writer for the Dr Who series. He
lived from 1952-2001 and is buried in Highgate Cemetery.
To see the recording of Andy's presentation click here.
December — Bob Gilbert, known
to many of our members as the
author of a regular column in the Ham & High, to
others for his years as Borough Ecology officer, and to
yet more as a prolific author, took us on a fascinating
exploration of three of Islington’s street trees. In
other hands this would have been overkill, but Bob’s
enthusiasm for their life story and how it intertwines
with London’s economic and social history is infectious.
Did you know that the bountifully fragrant flowers of a
lime tree were administered for shell shock in World War
One, or that they give rise to London’s standing as a
producer of some of the nation’s most tasty honey? Next
time you view the Bosch painting of a pickpocket,
observe that the crowd is absorbed in watching a Linde
dance under a lime tree. And what about London’s most
prolific tree — the Plane? Did you know how radical
Bethnal Green Council was being when they planted planes
along their local streets? How previously they were
found only in the private squares of the wealthy? Would
you have guessed the role of the conker in both winning
WW1 and prompting the Balfour Declaration about the
founding of the State of Israel? Bob has been writing a
book with his son about the Biodiverse City, so we hope
to invite him back later in the year for another
fascinating talk. To hear a recording of Bob's talk
click here: trees
November (2) — Professor Vassilika took us on a fasci
nating journey from
1906, when Kha's tomb was discovered, to the present
day. Kha was an overseer and builder of royal tombs and
was educated and literate. His wife Merit unexpectedly
died young and was buried in the tomb which Kha was
building for himself. He eventually died in 1350 BC. In
1906 the artefacts were taken to Turin but were not
properly curated and cared for. Professor Vassilika as a
more recent Director of the Turin Museum oversaw the
reorganisation of the exhibition which is now on display
and widely admired. No recording available due
to copyright restrictions.
November (1) — Redisc
overing James
Mason. In this very enjoyable talk retired film
historian Nick Scudamore gave us an engaging and erudite
presentation to suggest that James Mason was more of a
character actor than a star. Mason’s particular acting
skills were well suited to this often overlooked but
essential part of film casting. Drawing on clips from
five films spanning Mason’s long and busy career (his
last film was released after his death) Nick gave us an
insight into movie-making mores as well as Mason’s
ability to convince and charm. Did you know, for
example, that in films of the post-war years, suicide
was only allowed to be referred to discreetly, very
rarely shown? So in the final scene of Odd Man Out
Kathleen Ryan has to shoot at the advancing police to
allow her and Mason to be killed by their return fire.
To view the recording of the presentation, click on this link.
October (2) — Princess Charlotte: The First People'
s Princess. This was a
fascinating lecture from Anne Stott on Princess
Charlotte: no doubt her life story was new to many of
us. She was the only child of the Prince of Wales (later
King George IV) and Caroline of Brunswick. Their
marriage was a disaster and Charlotte was not brought up
by them. She was a headstrong child and only calmed down
when she eventually fell in love with Leopold of
Saxe-Coburg. They married and Charlotte died in
childbirth along with her infant son. If she had lived
she and Leopold would have reigned and we would not have
had Victoria on the throne. A very touching biography
enhanced by some beautiful portraits. To see the
materials connected with this presentation click on this link. To view the recording
of the presentation, click on this link.
October (1) — Rosemary dr
ew on facts and
figures from international organisations and her own
frontline work with refugees and asylum seekers in
Greece, Ireland and here in Islington. We were
given insight into one of the world's worst humanitarian
crises, at a time when mainstream media show little
understanding of the complex circumstances of people
seeking asylum in the UK. Rosemary is a journalist and
avid traveller who specialises in human rights,
migration and homelessness. She reminded us about a new
iU3A group which will be helping to teach English to
refugees. We were asked to support campaigns to honour
people's rights, to push for a safe passage to the UK,
to support local groups and to volunteer locally. To see
the materials connected with this presentation click on
this link. To view the
presentation, click on this link.
September (2) — Pioneers of Ph
otography: "Drawing with
light" developed out of the drive to look at images in
other ways than with our eyes. Roger Mead took us
through the history of the inventors and pioneers of
photography from the early nineteenth century to the
present day and the invention of the digital camera. The
first photo was taken in 1827 by Niépce in France and
needed an exposure time of eight hours! We really
enjoyed Roger's slides and his knowledge and enthusiasm
for his fascinating subject.
September (1) — The Colourfu
l History of Watercolours: Mark
Lewis took us chronologically through the most
distinguished of the watercolour painters during the
18th and 19th centuries. He explained the sublime versus
picturesque movements which dominated the period and
showed how individual styles eventually became more
dominant. Watercolours are now a popular art form in
their own right but at first were used as studies for
oil paintings. Their translucence enables white paper to
show through and to become part of the work.
Watercolours are widely admired for their luminosity,
delicacy and freshness. The slides were varied and
beautiful and Mark brought them to life for us. To view
the presentation, click on this link.
August (2) — Dr Alexandra Wood and Anna Byrne
brought us up to date with the
current developments in Alzheimers research. We learned
how our brains have billions of neurons and how synapses
are crucial for transmitting messages. The formation of
plaques and tangles inhibit this transmission and brain
scans show that Alzheimers patients’ brains have these
deposits. There is no cure yet but the research
indicates that healthy lifestyles can aid prevention.
Trials are ongoing for drug therapy and the hope is for
a vaccine eventually. To view the materials connected
with this presentation click on this link.
Researchers need patients and healthy volunteers so if anyone wishes to help in the research here are two contacts: www.joindementiaresearch.nihr.ac.uk, email imperial.memory.research@nhs.net
August (1) — Jo Livingston gave
us a fascinating
insight into this condition, which many of us had
probably never even heard of. Its medical name is
prosopagnosia and it has been identified and diagnosed
in people of all ages and in all walks of life. Jo
shared with us how hard it was sometimes to even
recognise her own husband! She now visits groups and
organisations all over the world and campaigns to raise
awareness of this debilitating condition, for which
there is as yet no cure.
July (2) — Martin Plaut to
ok us from
Ethiopia's distant past in Biblical times to the present
day. Its relationship with other countries in the
region, especially Eritrea, remains crucial today. We
learned about the involvement of Italy, Cuba, UK and
Russia in the past: now many countries have military
bases in the area. There is much internal unrest and a
lot of people are internally displaced. We see the
effects of this as asylum seekers arrive on our shores.
This was a fascinating glimpse of a historic and
interesting country. To view the presentation, click on
this link.
July (1) — Philip Leech: The Sutton Hoo Da
ne Burial Ship was
discovered in 1939 in Woodbridge, Suffolk. It contained
several items of treasure, although many had already
been stolen. None of the wood remains, but a "shadow" of
the ship was found at the mound site which has enabled a
team of professional craftspeople and volunteers to
embark on the biggest experimental archaeological
project in Europe. They are building a replica ship
using only traditional tools, many of which have had to
be made specially, and traditional methods. The project
is run by a charitable trust and further information can
be found on their website. To view the presentation,
click on this link.
June (2) — Gill Hopkins: Over a period of 20 yea
rs and before
countries like China and Iran started opening up to mass
tourism a group of a dozen Canonbury residents came
together to explore them. They called themselves
CanTravel. Developing an M.O. to ensure the success of
an early trip exploring the Camino de Santiago, they
nominated a daily Duty Pilgrim to ‘manage’ the complex
logistics of the day, and write up the day’s adventures
in a colourful journal of the trip. Every evening
another member entertained the group with a pre-prepared
‘CanTravel Tale’ on any topic of their own choosing. So
these journeys offered multifaceted enjoyment. Their
destinations included much of the Silk Route, South
America, and many European destinations. Along the way
they were reminded on several occasions of Britain’s
Imperial history, discovering a ship on Lake Titicaca
that had been built by a British shipyard in kit form
for use by British explorers, and unearthing the story
of the arduous journey and lifestyle of a 21 year old
English gentlewoman accompanying her new husband to
China, with only three weeks’ notice.
At a time when travel is impossible this was both a charming reminder of journeys before mass tourism and an inspiration for journeys of the future. To view the presentation, click on this link.
June (1) — Professor Erik Millston
e gave us a
fascinating summary of present day food production and
consumption. He described how laissez-faire economics
has favoured vested interests and led to minimal state
involvement in food safety. Food is underpriced and
price competition has undermined food security by
harming its sustainability as well as making products
unsafe and nutritionally unhealthy. Local authorities
have the task of monitoring standards but have had their
budgets cut repeatedly over recent years. The science
about what is safe and what is harmful does not speak
with one voice, so policy can never “follow the
science”. Current policies favour the food industry to
the detriment of consumers. Brexit, he believes, affects
sufficiency, sustainability, safety, health and equity.
To view the materials connected with this presentation,
click on this link.
May — Mary Balfour gave us
an account of
matchmaking and dating over the past 100 years. The
First World War having taken the lives of many young
men, people rushed into hasty and unsuitable
relationships. Also the problem of sexually transmitted
diseases being brought home from overseas exacerbated
the situation. In 1922 Marie Stopes' "Married Love"
opened up the whole debate around relationships,
marriage and of course sex. The 1920s were a time of
liberation and rebellion but the country remained short
of men until well into the 1930s. The famous Heather
Jenner Marriage Bureau was a great success and was
patronised by those from all walks of life including
soldiers and debutantes. Everything was changed by the
first computer matchmaking scheme in 1964 and also by
the advent of the pill. Mary ran her own business for
many years and shared some of her tips with us, for
example, how important it is to be realistic when
looking for love and to tailor our expectations — both
men and women seek someone more attractive than
themselves! Now there is an explosion of dating websites
and apps but Mary still advocates caution, proceeding
slowly and always being prepared to give someone a
second date! To view the presentation, click on this link.
Archive
Recently
January (1) — Andy Gardn

December — Bob Gilbert, known

November (2) — Professor Vassilika took us on a fasci

November (1) — Redisc

October (2) — Princess Charlotte: The First People'

October (1) — Rosemary dr

September (2) — Pioneers of Ph

September (1) — The Colourfu

August (2) — Dr Alexandra Wood and Anna Byrne


Researchers need patients and healthy volunteers so if anyone wishes to help in the research here are two contacts: www.joindementiaresearch.nihr.ac.uk, email imperial.memory.research@nhs.net
August (1) — Jo Livingston gave

July (2) — Martin Plaut to

July (1) — Philip Leech: The Sutton Hoo Da

June (2) — Gill Hopkins: Over a period of 20 yea

At a time when travel is impossible this was both a charming reminder of journeys before mass tourism and an inspiration for journeys of the future. To view the presentation, click on this link.
June (1) — Professor Erik Millston

May — Mary Balfour gave us

Archive
For our complete register of previous main speakers click here.
For summary notes of previous speakers see the records as below —
For 2019-20, click here.
For 2018-19, click here.
For 2017-18, click here.
For 2016-17, click here.
For 2015-16, click here.
For 2014-15, click here.
For 2013-14, click here.
For 2016-17, click here.
For 2015-16, click here.
For 2014-15, click here.
For 2013-14, click here.
To view some of the actual presentations
previously given use the register (above) to determine the
presentation number, then click on the relevant link
below. The figures in brackets mean thee is no recording
for this meeting:
16 18 19 26 30 31 35 37 38 42 44 46 47 48 49 50 51 53 54 55 56 (57) 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 (70) 71 72 (73) 74.1 74.2 75.1 75.2 76 (77) 78 79 80 81
Regarding No. 65: Copyright acknowledgement to Pathe News.
Not all the second subjects at our Monthly Meetings have presentation material but where they do and we have a copy then it will be posted here:
Jan2020.1
Jan2020.2
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