This lecture provides a colourful introduction to the secret world of our 2000-mile inland waterway network and looks at all aspects of its exceptional artistic, architectural and engineering vernacular.

Much of Gainsborough's early life is shrouded in mystery. How did this boy, the son of a bankrupt Sudbury weaver become a national treasure and one of the greatest painters of his age? This lecture explores how Gainsborough became an artist and reveals the recently discovered story of the family murders that shook the family and ended with the young Gainsborough moving to London to become an artist.

Gainsborough transformed British art. Portraiture and landscape painting were different things at the outset of his career in the 1740s to what they were at his death in 1788. He took both genres to new heights and remains one of the most beloved figures of British Art. This lecture explores the development of this very British genius through his paintings and his own words and looks forward to the new developments at Gainsborough's House as it creates a national centre for the artist.

Investigating the collaborative process of A A Milne and E H Shepard in creating the iconic images for one of the world's most beloved children's books.

The Huguenots came to England in huge numbers in the late 17th century, bringing with them a wide range of skills - as silk weavers, silversmiths, clock makers, opticians, bankers, gilders, ironworkers, etc. In today's lecture we explore their lasting legacy.

Jacqueline Hyman's personal experience in conserving these tapestries enables her to give us a rare insight into their design and construction and the artistic skill with which they were made.