Lectures
I have lectured for twenty years and enjoy talking to a variety of different audiences, from museums to local history groups. This is my current lecture list. If you’d like to book a talk, either in person or a digital lecture, then do please get in touch. ([email protected])
WHERE’S WORZEL? THE SCARECROW AS HERALD OF RURAL CHANGE
Scarecrow festivals have become a ubiquitous presence in many rural communities across England. The movement of the scarecrow from field to village green has created new forms and new types of encounters with folk traditions and rural cultural heritage. In this illustrated talk Paul reveals the history of the scarecrow from classical times to present day. He details the importance of scarecrows to rural lives and livelihoods and how the scarecrow we all know and love from children’s literature and television is now disappearing from rural landscapes, replaced with an army of robots and drones as the forces of economic efficiency through agricultural engineering grip the countryside. Paul asks: ‘Is the scarecrow a herald of rural change’?
BARGE DAY ON THE TYNE: BRITAIN’S FORGOTTEN RIVER SPECTACLE
This illustrated talk looks at the Barge Day event on the River Tyne in the North East of England, which was the most spectacular aquatic civic ritual outside of London until its demise in 1901. This lecture, based on Paul’s extensive research in Tyneside archives, describes the evolution of the ritual and the oddities that entertained vast crowds both on and along the river. It details the political, cultural and social significance of the event, looking at the visual record of Barge Day, the legal importance of the event to Newcastle’s prosperity, and the macabre history of accidental deaths amongst all the revelry.
CONQUERING THE CLIFFS: THE STRANGE HISTORY OF CLIMBING BEACHY HEAD
Britain’s infamous suicide spot carries a hidden history: the story of climbers who have taken on the challenge of scaling the imposing chalk cliffs. This lecture introduces the early adventurers of Beachy Head – author and artist Edward Lear, mountaineer Edward Whymper and occultist Aleister Crowley. Paul reveals the cultural processes that turned Beachy Head from a sublime landscape to sporting prospect. This is a story that will change perceptions of how we think about mortal terror, bodily risk and the folly of adventure.
THE LIFE AND WORKS OF ROBERT GILCHRIST, BARD OF TYNESIDE
The sailmaker Robert Gilchrist is one of Tyneside’s forgotten poets and singers. Yet in his lifetime he produced 150 original compositions that spanned from the Romantic age to the dawn of music hall. Robert’s fascinating life includes the development of cricket in the North East, pedestrian tours of the North of England and Scotland, involvement in the construction of the Newcastle Workhouse, and even meeting the heroic lifeboatwoman Grace Darling. Paul has undertaken extensive research into his direct ancestor Robert Gilchrist to celebrate the 225th anniversary of his birth in 1797 which he plans to turn into the first book on his life and works.
WHERE’S WORZEL? THE SCARECROW AS HERALD OF RURAL CHANGE
Scarecrow festivals have become a ubiquitous presence in many rural communities across England. The movement of the scarecrow from field to village green has created new forms and new types of encounters with folk traditions and rural cultural heritage. In this illustrated talk Paul reveals the history of the scarecrow from classical times to present day. He details the importance of scarecrows to rural lives and livelihoods and how the scarecrow we all know and love from children’s literature and television is now disappearing from rural landscapes, replaced with an army of robots and drones as the forces of economic efficiency through agricultural engineering grip the countryside. Paul asks: ‘Is the scarecrow a herald of rural change’?
BARGE DAY ON THE TYNE: BRITAIN’S FORGOTTEN RIVER SPECTACLE
This illustrated talk looks at the Barge Day event on the River Tyne in the North East of England, which was the most spectacular aquatic civic ritual outside of London until its demise in 1901. This lecture, based on Paul’s extensive research in Tyneside archives, describes the evolution of the ritual and the oddities that entertained vast crowds both on and along the river. It details the political, cultural and social significance of the event, looking at the visual record of Barge Day, the legal importance of the event to Newcastle’s prosperity, and the macabre history of accidental deaths amongst all the revelry.
CONQUERING THE CLIFFS: THE STRANGE HISTORY OF CLIMBING BEACHY HEAD
Britain’s infamous suicide spot carries a hidden history: the story of climbers who have taken on the challenge of scaling the imposing chalk cliffs. This lecture introduces the early adventurers of Beachy Head – author and artist Edward Lear, mountaineer Edward Whymper and occultist Aleister Crowley. Paul reveals the cultural processes that turned Beachy Head from a sublime landscape to sporting prospect. This is a story that will change perceptions of how we think about mortal terror, bodily risk and the folly of adventure.
THE LIFE AND WORKS OF ROBERT GILCHRIST, BARD OF TYNESIDE
The sailmaker Robert Gilchrist is one of Tyneside’s forgotten poets and singers. Yet in his lifetime he produced 150 original compositions that spanned from the Romantic age to the dawn of music hall. Robert’s fascinating life includes the development of cricket in the North East, pedestrian tours of the North of England and Scotland, involvement in the construction of the Newcastle Workhouse, and even meeting the heroic lifeboatwoman Grace Darling. Paul has undertaken extensive research into his direct ancestor Robert Gilchrist to celebrate the 225th anniversary of his birth in 1797 which he plans to turn into the first book on his life and works.
