Bath Royal Literary & Scientific Institution

👻 Explore Halloween with a twist at #BRLSI with free drop-in activities!
Academy of Imagination: Bones, Beasts and Broomsticks brings two days of free, hands-on fun for children 🍂 from broomstick design to ghost stories and autumn leaf art.

Free drop-in activities

🌍 Faultlines 3: The Path to Net Zero – Are We Doing Enough?
Join experts at BRLSI Fri 17 Oct, 10–4, for debate on carbon capture, renewables, nuclear & more. Lunch included!

www.brlsi.org/whatso...

#NetZero #ClimateAction #Sustainability #UKEvents

Professor Jerry Brotton explores how the Tudors positioned England within the wider 16th-century world.

Part of BRLSI’s Renaissance: Journeys of Discovery series, this event explores the people, ideas, and discoveries that still shape our world today.

www.brlsi.org/whatso...

Sir Robert Dudley explorer cartographer inventor bigamist

Discover Dudley 1574–1649 with Marie-Louise Luxemburg. His Alcano del mare atlas belongs to the same Renaissance mapmaking tradition as the BRLSI’s 1513 hand-coloured map of Europe

Mon 13 Oct 7:30–9 pm £4–£8 brlsi.org/renaissance

Stanza 25: poetry workshop – Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution A series of poetry workshops throughout 2025

🌿✨ Celebrate #NationalPoetryDay with Stanza 25! ✨🌿
Join poet Sue Boyle for a collaborative Poetry Workshop on Sat 11 Oct, 2–4pm. All poetry lovers welcome!

👉 www.brlsi.org/whatson/stan...

Black History Month at BRLSI ✊🏽

📅 6 Oct - Roger Griffith MBE: How the 1963 Bristol Bus Boycott Changed Britain
📅 20 Oct -Dr Tim Moore @nationaltrust.org.uk, People of Colour in Georgian Bath

👉 More talks & events: www.brlsi.org/whatso...

#BlackHistoryMonth2025 #BHM

Two BRLSI speakers have been nominated for the Wolfson History Prize! 🏆

📖 Dr Eleanor Barraclough – past talk on hidden lives of Viking Age women
🌍 Kieran Connell – upcoming talk on Britain’s multicultural history

#WolfsonPrize #HistoryMatters

Dr Emma Perkins on Tycho Brahe and the restoration of Astronomy – Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution

Five Questions With… Dr Emma Perkins on Tycho Brahe and the Restoration of Astronomy 🔭

Ahead of her talk on Fri 3 Oct, Dr Perkins shares insights on Tycho, his classical influences, and his role in shaping Renaissance astronomy.

🎟️ www.brlsi.org/76422-2/

#Renaissance #Astronomy #BRLSI #tycho

How the 1963 Bristol Bus Boycott changed Britain – Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution What made the 1963 Bristol Bus Boycott such a momentous occasion in British legal and civil rights history? Find out with Roger Griffith MBE.

As part of #BlackHistoryMonth, Roger Griffith MBE will discuss the 1963 Bristol Bus Boycott-a landmark challenge to racial discrimination that helped end the “colour bar” & shaped UK equality law.
📅

From the BRLSI collection
In 1501 Aldus Manutius pioneered the pocket book. Small, light & affordable, perfect for a scholar’s saddlebag. Explore more: www.brlsi.org/exhibi...


Plus!
📅 Mon Dec 1: Gutenberg & the European Invention of Printing
👉 www.brlsi.org/whatso...

Black History Month at BRLSI ✊🏽

📅 6 Oct - Roger Griffith MBE: How the 1963 Bristol Bus Boycott Changed Britain
📅 20 Oct -Dr Tim Moore @nationaltrust.org.uk, People of Colour in Georgian Bath

👉 More talks & events: www.brlsi.org/whatso...

#BlackHistoryMonth2025 #BHM

🌍 BRLSI Sustainability Programme continues with two talks in our Faultlines series
youtu.be/qxuUiiX0S1E?...

📅 17 Oct: Path to Net Zero – renewables vs nuclear and geoengineering
📅 31 Oct: Lifestyle Change & Regulation – do individuals or governments hold the key?

👉 www.brlsi.org

Bath History Festival 2025 arrives at #BRLSI on Saturday 1 November for a full day of stories from the past.

From a Leicester car park that revealed Richard III to 1000 years of burials beneath Bath Abbey, and the secrets uncovered in Tudor royal portraits.

www.brlsi.org/bathhi...

Kulturnacht at Bath’s twin city of Braunschweig – Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution Local ukelele band, Uke Can’t Be Serious were greatly honoured to represent Bath at the wonderful Kulturnacht in Brunswick (Braunschweig) in June. The band spent three days as guests of Braunschweig, along with acts from seven other twinned cities. In this celebratory evening, band members will recount their trip and play some of their music. Judy Spencer, who chairs the Bath Braunschweig Twinning Association, will provide an introduction to Bath's German twin city.

Bath’s ukulele band Uke Can’t Be Serious share music & stories from their trip to our twin city Braunschweig’s Kulturnacht.
www.brlsi.org/whatso...
📅 Thu 25 Sept, 7:30–9pm
🍷 Refreshments available

Is Consciousness everywhere? – Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution Panpsychism is the view that consciousness goes all the way down to the fundamental building blocks of physical reality. Panpsychists believe that fundamental particles such as electrons and quarks have incredibly simple forms of experiences, and that the very complex experience of the human or animal brain is built up from these more rudimentary forms of conscious experience. It sounds a bit odd, but a growing number of philosophers, and even some neuroscientists, take panpsychism seriously as the best solution to the mystery of consciousness. Join Professor Goff to find out why. Dr Philip Goff, Professor of Philosophy, Durham University

Is Consciousness Everywhere?

Dr Philip Goff, Professor of Philosophy at @durham-university.bsky.socialexplores #panpsychism, the idea that consciousness exists at the most fundamental level of reality.
www.brlsi.org/whatso...

#Philosophy #Consciousness #Panpsychism #BRLSI #MindAndMatter

Were Machiavelli’s views on war misguided, as some 20th-century scholars argued, or do they reflect a deeper connection to his political thought? Dr Christopher Lynch, author of Machiavelli on War, will explore this question on Monday night at BRLSI

www.brlsi.org/whatso...

#BRLSI are delighted to be taking part in the #norland #nannies #volunteer fair in #Bath today. If you are there do be sure to come and meet our learning and engagement officer Becky Thoburn and learn about some of the amazing opportunities with #academyofimagination that we have coming up!

I’m ready for my ‘Murder Most Austen talk at @brlsi.bsky.social today at 12.30pm at the #janeaustenfestival. Tickets still available on the door or here for the livestream: janeausten.co.uk/pages/jane-a...

Dr Peter Ford will give a talk this evening using an old-school 35mm slide projector.
His talk will guide us through Faraday’s work on electromagnetism, chemistry and optics that changed the way we live.

🔗https://www.brlsi.org/whatson/the-life-science-of-michael-faraday/

#MichaelFaraday

What was the Renaissance, and how should we understand it today? Jonathan Jones, @theguardian.com art critic, examines the artists, ideas, and cultural changes that shaped Europe between the 15th and 16th centuries.
🗓 Tue 23 September, 7:30–9:00 pm BST
📍 BRLSI (@brlsi)

Lost in Illyria – a Twelfth Night drama workshop – Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution Delve into the mischief of Shakespeare's greatest comedy! Ever wondered what really drives Malvolio? This is your chance to dive into the world of Illyria through a fun, hands-on drama workshop. No experience needed – just bring your curiosity and energy. Your day will include: - Staged scene work: we’ll explore key scenes in guided groups (scripts provided!) - Create the backstory: Who were these characters before the play began? Work with others to develop backstories for Viola, Feste and more - Decode the drama: short talks will unpack the world of the play - Meet fellow Shakespeare fans and theatre lovers in a relaxed and creative environment. This workshop is perfect for students, aspiring actors, English Lit fans and anyone looking for a uniquely creative Saturday! You must be aged 18+ - spaces are limited to keep the groups interactive. Book your place now! Tickets include tea, coffee & light sandwich lunch. Led by: David Skidmore, Hilary Strong (Theatre Producer), and Dr Chris Ivic (Bath Spa University)

Love #Shakespeare? A full-day practical workshop explores the themes, characters, and performance possibilities of #TwelfthNight. Bring your curiosity & energy to #BRLSI’s all-day drama workshop. Ages 18+.

Tonight: Dr Carlotta Paltrinieri on how Renaissance academies shaped art, science & society. 7:30pm BST | £4–8 🎟️ www.brlsi.org/renais...

#PaulSimon & #BobDylan both reworked a 17th-century ballad into Scarborough Fair and Girl From the North Country.
Matthew Zuckerman explores its 400-year journey this Friday.

🔗 www.brlsi.org/whatso...

✨ The Renaissance series begins at BRLSI! ✨

Our opening talks explore archives, politics, art and ideas of the age:

🔗 www.brlsi.org/renais...

#PaulSimon & #BobDylan are two of the most respected #songwriters of the #1960s but what does a #ballad dating from the 1600s have to do with them? Discover what makes #ScarboroughFair eternal.
Fri 19 Sept 7:30 PM
www.brlsi.org/whatson/when...
#music #brlsi #bath #musicinbath #onlinetalks #folk

📚Shakespeare, Cervantes, More- a golden age of literature and imagination. Come explore the texts that continue to inspire us. ✍️
Join BRLSI for Renaissance talks, readings, and more this autumn.

#RenaissanceLiterature #BathReads #BookLoversBath #Shakespeare #DonQuixote #Chaucer #BathBookClub

BRLSI – inspiring minds since 1824 – Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution The legacy, relevance & destiny of this distinguished establishment!

🎉 Free Talk: BRLSI – Inspiring Minds Since 1824

Join us for a free Heritage Week talk exploring the history of the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution. From its founding in 1824, royal patronage, and pioneering museums, to its current home in Queen Square

Public Space for All – Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution Have you ever entered a space, a room, a building and felt that you don’t belong there, or that you’re not safe there? For some people, this is a daily occurrence. Too much public space marginalises rather than includes, whilst safety features are often designed more to protect property than people. The existence of campaigning organisations such as “Make Space for Girls” indicates how much public spaces have not always been designed for all. So, what makes a space “public”’? And how can such places be made accessible, safe and welcoming? Using Bath and Bristol (among others) as examples, Professor Pippa Catterall will explore the nature and history of public space and the kind of interventions which might help to make public spaces work for everyone. Pippa Catterall is Professor of History and Policy at the University of Westminster. She is a trustee of the Heritage of London Trust, a member of the Valuation Tribunal for England and the founding editor of National Identities. Her current research focuses on heritage, representation and inclusion in public space and recent publications include her co-authored report on Queer Perspectives on Public Space (2024).

🌍✨ Ever walked into a space and felt like you didn’t belong? You’re not alone! Join Professor Pippa Catterall this evening as she unpacks the hidden truths of public spaces. www.brlsi.org/whatso...
#InclusionMatters #PippaCatterall

🎉 Free Talk: BRLSI – Inspiring Minds Since 1824

Join us for a free Heritage Week talk exploring the history of the #BRLSI
Reserve your place:
www.brlsi.org/whatso...

✨ The new Renaissance: Journeys of Discovery series of talks kicks off on 16th September! ✨
If you’re around Queen Square, keep an eye out for our shiny new banner 📚

Over the year, we’ll explore the art, literature, science, politics, and philosophy of the Renaissance...

www.brlsi.org/renaissance/