A wine bottle at the Royal Institution and a letter in the archive of the Society of Arts hinted at a centuries long war you have never read about. The Royal Navy had a battle on its hands just to keep its vessels afloat. The enemy was timber rot. Many lives were lost and many solutions were tried. Dramatic experiments were performed. This is an entertaining story that you never knew you wanted to hear.
Views: 471 | Enquiries: 2I am a specialist speaker, guide and writer on the colourful 350+ year history of science, technology and medicine - particularly in London.
My talks are aimed at anyone with an enquiring mind. The history of science and technology has been somewhat neglected by speakers despite its compelling richness and combination of curious characters, global significance and unexpected twists and turns. I pride myself on offering entertaining talks which can be enjoyed whether my audience is scientifically minded or not. I like to bring my talks to life with the words of participants or eye witnesses to the subjects I am talking about.
I have given talks for London Historians, at the Geological Society of London, Salon for the City, the City of London Historical Society, U3A groups, Westbury Festival, and the University of North Carolina in London. I have led tours based on my researches for individuals, school, corporate and university groups.
I don’t speak for them but I am a volunteer in the archive at the Royal Institution of Great Britain (founded 1799) for which I have also written numerous blogs - and I also volunteer at the archives of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts Manufactures and Commerce (founded 1754) which, despite the name, has been a force in the advancement of technology or 'practical arts'.
I have been spending much of my time for the last 15 years+ on researching curious things that I think you will find interesting too. So, if it's technological and historical, there is a very good chance that I can talk about it! Please do contact me to discuss the possibilities. (By clicking on any of my talks you will be able to send a message to me.)
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