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.