Month: September 2025

Join us on Thursday, 2 October (7.30pm) as Prof Sir Ghillean Prance FRS kicks off the autumn lectures and talks series with our annual President’s Address.

Our talks series features eclipse chasing, Brunel and the Royal Albert Bridge, Saving the Royal Cinema, and a virtual photographic tour of Drake’s Island as it is now.

Our full lecture programme will be released soon, so keep an eye on our website and social media channels.

These lectures and talks are open to all and entry is free. You can register via Eventbrite HERE.

PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS

Join our annual President’s Address as Prof Sir Ghillean Prance FRS discusses The saga of the royal water lily (Victoria amazonica) on Thursday, 2 October (7.30pm).

Discover more about the Victoria water lily of the Amazon, including the early history of its collection and the disputes about the naming of it. You can also find out about the rivalry of two Dukes to cultivate it, its inspiration to architecture, pollination by beetles and changing colour of the flowers.

Sir Ghillean is a world-renowned scientist, former director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Fellow of the Royal Society.

As a botanist, Prof Prance has travelled and conducted research extensively in South America, with a focus on sustainability and management of the environment through increasing our knowledge and understanding of the plant kingdom.

Knighted in 1995, he was president of the Linnean Society from 1997-2000, having been made a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1993. His other honours include the Victoria Medal of Honour (1999), the Patron’s Medal of the Royal Geographical Society (1994).

In 2000 he was made a Commander of the Order of the Southern Cross by the President of Brazil, and in 2012 he was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays and Neck Ribbon by the Government of Japan.

Sir Ghillean is also a direct descendant of one of the Plymouth Athenaeum’s founding Presidents of 1812, William Prance.

TALKS

Our autumn talks programme launches on Tuesday, 14 October (12.30pm) with Chasing the Shadow of the Moon. It tells the story of one man’s journey chasing total eclipses from Plymouth to destinations all round the world. Find out more on our website HERE.

On Tuesday, 28 October (12.30pm) we present Spanning the divide: Brunel and the Royal Albert Bridge. Spanning the divide discusses how Brunel overcame in-fighting and controversy to the bring the railway to Plymouth and build the Royal Albert Bridge. Find out more about this talk, which is part of the Railway 200 nationwide series of events, on website HERE.

Saving The Royal on Tuesday, 4 November (12.30pm) details the history of Plymouth’s former Royal Cinema and the campaign to save it from demolition and give it a sustainable future. Find out more on our website HERE.

And on Tuesday, 25 November (12.30pm) Robert King takes us on A virtual photographic tour of Drake’s Island as it is now. Find out more on our website HERE.

Don;t forget, these lectures and talks are open to all and entry is free. You can register via Eventbrite HERE.

Tuesday, 4 November (12.30pm)

Join us as we discover more about the history and campaign to save Plymouth’s former Royal Cinema from demolition and give it a sustainable future.

Historically known as the Royal, ABC and Reel Cinema, the campaign believes the Royal isn’t just a cinema – it’s part of Plymouth’s soul, and that it should have a future that serves everyone. Recognising the need to protect this historic venue, the campaign aims to keep it alive as a cultural home for all.

The talk, by Save The Royal chair Karl Parsons, will focus on the history of the cinema in its various guises and the campaign to save it for community use.

Karl is an architectural technologist, a member of the Cinema Theatre Association and has an MA in Architectural Conservation. He is passionate about the built environment and believes that the Royal Cinema is a genuine asset to the city.

He has practical experience in the conservation of both traditional and 20th century architecture, with an understanding of the technical challenges surrounding the management of historic buildings. His MA dissertation considered the Royal Cinema, which has given him a comprehensive understanding of the building.

For more information about the campaign visit:

https://www.instagram.com/save_the_royal/

https://www.savetheroyal.com/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/627143367446193/?locale=en_GB

https://www.linkedin.com/company/plymouth-royal-cinema-community-benefit-society/

Tuesday, 28 October (12.30pm)

Join us as we discover more about the story of how Isambard Kingdom Brunel overcame in-fighting and controversy to the bring the railway to Plymouth and build the Royal Albert Bridge.

Find out more about how the heated rivalry between Plymouth and Devonport delayed the railway’s arrival into the Three Towns, petitions to Parliament and Brunel’s thwarted plans for a train ferry at Torpoint.

The talk looks at the cost-cutting measures that altered Brunel’s plans for the Royal Albert Bridge, and the wild rumours that surrounded his failure to attend the opening ceremony in May 1859.

This event is part of Railway 200, a year-long nationwide partnership-led campaign to celebrate 200 years of the modern railway and inspire a new generation of young pioneering talent to choose a career in rail.

The modern railway was a British innovation that’s continued its journey across the globe. Through a
year-long series of activities and events, Railway 200 will explore how rail shaped Britain and the world.

The Stockton & Darlington Railway opened on September 27, 1825, connecting places, people, communities and ideas and ultimately transforming the world.

The talk will be given by Owen Ryles, Chief Executive of the Plymouth Athenaeum. Owen is a Fellow of the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, the Linnean Society and the Zoological Society.

His previous talks include Education, enlightenment and entertainment: Plymouth Mechanics’ Institute 1825-1899, Walking through the storm: William Snow Harris v The Admiralty, Bitten by Barnacles: The Life of Charles Spence Bate and Charles Hamilton Smith: Writer, Illustrator, Solider, Spy.

Entry is free.

Register on Eventbrite HERE.

Tuesday, 25 November (12.30pm)

Join us as Robert King takes attendees on a virtual photographic tour of Drake’s Island as it is now.

Earning its name from Sir Francis Drake, who is famously associated with the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, it is otherwise known as St Nicholas Island, the 6.5-acre site lies in Plymouth Sound and was fortified for more than 400 years.

With a background as a 22-year veteran in the Royal Engineers, Robert spent more than a decade as a dive instructor running marine conservation sites for UK NGOs around the world.

In 2017 he became the Warden of Drake’s Island for the then owners. Part of his work was to research the history of the island.

Entry is free.

Register on Eventbrite HERE.

Tuesday, 14 October (12.30pm)

Join us as we follow the decades-long journey of an eclipse chaser from Plymouth whose passion for total eclipses has taken him from Plymouth to destinations all around the world.

Keith Lane has had a keen interest in astronomy for many years, in particular solar eclipses. In this talk he will recount some of those experiences and share images taken during his travels.

Eclipse chasing is the pursuit of observing solar eclipses when they occur around the Earth. Solar eclipses must occur at least twice and as often as five times a year across the planet. Total eclipses may occur multiple times every few years.

This talk is organised by the Plymouth Athenaeum’s Astronomy Group.

Entry is free.

Register on Eventbrite HERE.

Thursday, 2 October (7.30pm)

Join our annual President’s Address as Prof Sir Ghillean Prance FRS discusses The saga of the royal water lily (Victoria amazonica).

Sir Ghillean is a world-renowned scientist, former director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and a Fellow of the Royal Society.

As a botanist, Prof Prance has travelled and conducted research extensively in South America, with a focus on sustainability and management of the environment through increasing our knowledge and understanding of the plant kingdom.

Knighted in 1995, he was president of the Linnean Society from 1997-2000, having been made a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1993. His other honours include the Victoria Medal of Honour (1999), the Patron’s Medal of the Royal Geographical Society (1994).

In 2000 he was made a Commander of the Order of the Southern Cross by the President of Brazil, and in 2012 he was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays and Neck Ribbon by the Government of Japan.

Sir Ghillean is also a direct descendant of one of the Plymouth Athenaeum’s founding Presidents of 1812, William Prance.

Entry Free.

Register on Eventbrite HERE.