My sincere apologies for the last-minute cancellation on Friday of the scheduled talk. Quite unexpectedly, the church had not set up the hall for the talk and additionally the electronic key safe failed to open, despite several attempts. This prevented us from retrieving the key to access the screen legs, projector and microphones and from setting up the hall for Simon Ward’s presentation.
No alternative equipment was available at such short notice so under the circumstances, being the last talk of the summer, with no contingency talk planned we felt a quick cancellation was the only option, allowing members to do something else on the warm, summer evening – although we did give a planning update to those who stayed a little longer.
Simon was extremely accommodating and has not held it against us, agreeing to give his lecture on Gothic Revival Architecture in the 18th and 19th Centuries as the keynote speaker for our AGM in October instead.
We are mid-stream organising some great talks for the coming year and will put details on the website as they are confirmed – so keep an eye on that.
And, for those of you who missed having the historical ‘fix’ promised by the talk, a little quiz (answers at the next meeting).
Q1. Isabella of France, sometimes described as the She-Wolf of France, was married to which English king?
Q2. Who was the only one of Henry VIIIs six wives to receive a queen’s funeral?
Q3. Which British historian, born in 1795, claimed “the history of the world is but the biography of great men”?
Q4. Name the last pitched battle to be fought on British soil?
Q5. There were riots in England in 1752 because Britain lost 11 what?
Q6. What did Sir Cecil Chubb donate to the British government in 1918 with the condition that the public should have are access to it?
Q7. Who was the first monarch to live in Buckingham, Palace?
Q8. Which country ruled the Isle of Man before 1266?
Q9. Which town in NE England is associated with being the home of the Venerable Bead?
Q10 Which conflict between Britain and Spain lasting from 1739-1748 had its name coined by British historian Thomas Carlyle in 1858?
Our next public meeting will be on Friday, September 15th, at the usual time of 7.30pm. Until then, have a great summer.
Christine
We look forward to seeing you at one of our events.
Civic Society of St Ives