Would you like a speaker at your event? I have many years of experience talking to Rotary Clubs, Women's Institutes, history groups etc. Talks can be tailored to your own requirements although they generally last for around 45 minutes, allowing time for questions from the audience. Many of the talks are illustrated with slides. Please contact me if you would like me to speak to your group, or if you would like a list of all my talks. My current list of talks includes the following:
Talks about Shropshire
2,000 years of Shropshire history
2,000 years of history in one lecture - impossible! That's quite true of course but, with this lecture, I aim to give a general picture of the county's history from the arrival of the Romans, the Saxons and the Normans to the birth of the Industrial Revolution and the introduction of the modern age.
If you are organising a group to visit Shropshire and would like a general talk about the county, perhaps on the first night of your stay, I would be delighted to prepare a talk to suit your individual needs.
Shropshire's oddities
An 'oddity' can be anything that strikes you as 'odd' or is in any way unusual. It could be an ancient relic or a folly on a grand estate, an amusing gravestone or a unique survival from the Industrial Revolution. I have been 'collecting' Shropshire oddities for some years now and this is a selection of a few of my favourites.
Charles Darwin - the origin of a naturalist
Darwin was born in Shrewsbury; as a young boy he was the despair of his father and school teachers. In this talk I describe how he grew up to become one of the finest scientists of his age.
Thomas Telford's Shropshire legacy
Telford was one of the finest engineers that this country has ever produced. In Shropshire he built roads and bridges, canals and aqueducts, churches and even Shrewsbury's prison.
A house in Shropshire - the story of Attingham Hall
Home to the Noel-Hill family, Attingham Hall is now looked after by the National Trust. Built in 1785, it is a particularly fine mansion and houses a superb collection of paintings, furniture, china and silver. But the story of a house is also the story of the people who lived there.
Shropshire's country churches
The county has a wealth of wonderful churches, some of which have changed little over the centuries.
The Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403
Perhaps best known through Shakespeare's play, Henry IV Part I, this talk explains why the battle took place and describes the events on that day.
Brother Cadfael - the fact behind the fiction
For many people who have read the novels, Cadfael seems like a real person. But he was fictional, the creation of the local writer, Ellis Peters. But the genuine history is just as fascinating as the fiction...
Don't you know there's a war on? - Shropshire in the Second World War
Although miles from any front line the war came to Shropshire too. I also give a talk on Shropshire in the Great War
The Bloody History of Shrewsbury
I give talks on the general history of Shrewsbury and Ludlow. This talk, however, concentrates on the more bloodthirsty stories of the town.
2,000 years of Shropshire history
2,000 years of history in one lecture - impossible! That's quite true of course but, with this lecture, I aim to give a general picture of the county's history from the arrival of the Romans, the Saxons and the Normans to the birth of the Industrial Revolution and the introduction of the modern age.
If you are organising a group to visit Shropshire and would like a general talk about the county, perhaps on the first night of your stay, I would be delighted to prepare a talk to suit your individual needs.
Shropshire's oddities
An 'oddity' can be anything that strikes you as 'odd' or is in any way unusual. It could be an ancient relic or a folly on a grand estate, an amusing gravestone or a unique survival from the Industrial Revolution. I have been 'collecting' Shropshire oddities for some years now and this is a selection of a few of my favourites.
Charles Darwin - the origin of a naturalist
Darwin was born in Shrewsbury; as a young boy he was the despair of his father and school teachers. In this talk I describe how he grew up to become one of the finest scientists of his age.
Thomas Telford's Shropshire legacy
Telford was one of the finest engineers that this country has ever produced. In Shropshire he built roads and bridges, canals and aqueducts, churches and even Shrewsbury's prison.
A house in Shropshire - the story of Attingham Hall
Home to the Noel-Hill family, Attingham Hall is now looked after by the National Trust. Built in 1785, it is a particularly fine mansion and houses a superb collection of paintings, furniture, china and silver. But the story of a house is also the story of the people who lived there.
Shropshire's country churches
The county has a wealth of wonderful churches, some of which have changed little over the centuries.
The Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403
Perhaps best known through Shakespeare's play, Henry IV Part I, this talk explains why the battle took place and describes the events on that day.
Brother Cadfael - the fact behind the fiction
For many people who have read the novels, Cadfael seems like a real person. But he was fictional, the creation of the local writer, Ellis Peters. But the genuine history is just as fascinating as the fiction...
Don't you know there's a war on? - Shropshire in the Second World War
Although miles from any front line the war came to Shropshire too. I also give a talk on Shropshire in the Great War
The Bloody History of Shrewsbury
I give talks on the general history of Shrewsbury and Ludlow. This talk, however, concentrates on the more bloodthirsty stories of the town.
Talks on general subjects
The story of English pub signs
This talk is about the history of many of our favourite signs and also explores the important part that pubs have played in our history generally.
Nursery rhyme stories
Many of those rhymes that we sing to our children go back hundreds of years. Some recall historic events, some were political lampoons of their day, some were simply quite scurrilous...
All about Christmas
Why do we celebrate Christmas on the 25th December? Who was Father Christmas? Discover the history behind the myths and traditions of the Christmas season.
Words, words, words - a look at our language
It's no wonder the greatest writer of all time, William Shakespeare, wrote in English. With more than 600,000 words it is the richest language of them all with many words stolen from other tongues.
Francis Frith - a Victorian photographer
Frith was one of the great British pioneer photographers, working from the 1850s. His collection of photographs is now the largest privately owned such archive in the country.
The good, the bad and the interesting - people immortalised on pub signs
Politicians, murderers, royalty, inventors, actors and writers - start searching and sooner or later you will find just about anyone depicted on a pub sign.
My Writing Life
Although I've always enjoyed writing personal letters, I came into writing books quite by chance and one thing led to another... I've tried my hand at local and general histories but these days I'm writing for my children - I'm writing a memoir. It's a whole new adventure and, perhaps, if I tell you how I'm going about it, it might encourage you to do the same.
The story of English pub signs
This talk is about the history of many of our favourite signs and also explores the important part that pubs have played in our history generally.
Nursery rhyme stories
Many of those rhymes that we sing to our children go back hundreds of years. Some recall historic events, some were political lampoons of their day, some were simply quite scurrilous...
All about Christmas
Why do we celebrate Christmas on the 25th December? Who was Father Christmas? Discover the history behind the myths and traditions of the Christmas season.
Words, words, words - a look at our language
It's no wonder the greatest writer of all time, William Shakespeare, wrote in English. With more than 600,000 words it is the richest language of them all with many words stolen from other tongues.
Francis Frith - a Victorian photographer
Frith was one of the great British pioneer photographers, working from the 1850s. His collection of photographs is now the largest privately owned such archive in the country.
The good, the bad and the interesting - people immortalised on pub signs
Politicians, murderers, royalty, inventors, actors and writers - start searching and sooner or later you will find just about anyone depicted on a pub sign.
My Writing Life
Although I've always enjoyed writing personal letters, I came into writing books quite by chance and one thing led to another... I've tried my hand at local and general histories but these days I'm writing for my children - I'm writing a memoir. It's a whole new adventure and, perhaps, if I tell you how I'm going about it, it might encourage you to do the same.