Saturday 24th October 3.00pm

‘The Public House in Victorian Society’

By Deborah Woodman

Dr Deborah Woodman is a researcher, writer and local historian who has spent 25 years working in the Higher Education Sector in a professional services and teaching capacity. She was in research development for many years, and has taught history at the Universities of Huddersfield, Salford, and Manchester Metropolitan University. Dr Woodman now enjoys researching.

The talk takes us on a journey through the history of the Victorian pub, looking at the many functions of pubs in daily life and the effects of drinking habits on society. Pubs and drink culture underwent significant change over the course of the nineteenth century, and the talk explores the factors, such as increased legislation, the rise of the big breweries, and the tied house system, that had a radical impact on the drink trade and how alcohol was concerned.

The presentation also looks at the different types of hostelries that existed and the ornate architecture that became a feature of Victorian pubs.

Saturday 14th November at 3.00pm

‘Art and the Second World War’

By Ann-Marie Michel

Ann-Marie Michel is an American journalist but has lived in Lancashire for twenty years. She has written for the New York-based art magazine ART news and has given radio broadcasts in the Netherlands and Switzerland as well as talks closer to home.

Some 80 years since the end of the Second World War, this richly illustrated talk takes a look at some of the important artists who were active during the war years 1939-1945 and explores their experiences. It also examines the role of the War Artists; Advisory Committee (WAAC), responsible for commissioning some of the greatest works to come out of that era, many of which can be seen today in the Imperial War Museums. Featuring British artists Paul Nash, Stanley Spencer, Henry Moore, Lee Miller and others.