Beguiling Beguiling talks 1 to 4

Martin Attridge


Region:
South East
Notice Period:
Short (maybe less than one month's notice)
Type:
Hobby
Fee:
Paid: £50 for each group session, plus travel at cost over 10 miles.
Category:
History
Updated:
20th June 2024
Tagged:
Antiques | Fun
  • Ideal for audiences who are interested in collecting or researching antiques and collectables.
  • These educational and fun sessions are intended for smaller groups, or perhaps u3A specialist sub-groups, of between 12 and 24 people.
  • Conducted as one hour quizzes, each talk covers 12 commonplace objects from the 1700s to the early 1900s, found in the home or the workplace. *The audience is divided into four teams and each team is invited to handle and examine three objects in turn, before passing their items to another team. By the end, the teams will all have looked at the set of 12 objects. *For each item the teams seek to identify the following characteristics:
  • its approximate age and function
  • its name
  • its type of user
  • whether something similar exists today.
  • At the end we discuss each object in turn and consider the teams' answers. A light-hearted comparison of team scores produces a 'winner', but no prize is given!
  • Finally, each participant is given a copy of the illustrated objects and a summary of their descriptions to take home.
  • As well as adding to individual's knowledge and understanding of past social life, these talks have proven very useful for encouraging interaction and bonding within a group. They have also helped with the induction of new members in a lively but non-threatening way.
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About Martin Attridge

I have lived with my wife in Harpenden, Hertfordshire for the past 40 years. At school, I hated history; it was boring, populated by nasty people, and didn’t seem to have any bearing on growing up in the 1960s! I dropped the subject at 14 and opted to study science instead. Following a career spent mainly in commercial training roles, I looked for other subjects in retirement to occupy my time outside the house. I researched and developed a wide range of short, historical talks and offered them to local groups in and around Harpenden. More recently, I have focused on London-based history and art topics as they are of specific interest to me. I aim to make all my sessions fun and informative; I am regularly praised for my lack of formality and inclusion of audience members, inviting questions at all times. I always give a short handout to participants as a takeaway from my sessions. I hope you are attracted by my talks and look forward to hearing from you.


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