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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260430T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260430T150000
DTSTAMP:20260817T182958
CREATED:20250824T150343Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250824T150343Z
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SUMMARY:Beaty Rubens - Listen In:  How Radio changed the Home
DESCRIPTION:Beaty Rubens was a BBC Radio producer in Arts and Documentaries for 35 years. She recently published Listen In: How Radio Changed the Home and was the curator of a major exhibition with the same title at the Weston Library in Oxford. She is currently working on a second book about early radio and also continues to produce cultural programmes for BBC Radio 3 and 4.
URL:https://www.u3aoxford.org.uk/event/beaty-rubens-listen-in-how-radio-changed-the-home/
LOCATION:Rewley House\, Department for Continuing Education University of Oxford\, Rewley House\, 1 Wellington Square\, Oxford\, Oxfordshire\, OX1 2JA\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260326T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260326T150000
DTSTAMP:20260817T182958
CREATED:20250818T191934Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250818T192040Z
UID:1925-1774533600-1774537200@www.u3aoxford.org.uk
SUMMARY:Annual General Meeting   -  followed by a talk by Mike Grillo: The Day the Music Died
DESCRIPTION:Drawing on his experience as a qualified teacher\, Mike has combined his considerable lecturing skills with his varied and extensive knowledge of the music industry – to produce an absorbing talk and presentation which is unique in its concept. Mike’s narration is accompanied by a digitally displayed presentation – including a number of interesting anecdotes about many of the songs and artists that paved the way for this sensational music phenomenon. This ‘one-of-a-kind’ talk and presentation…..covers this explosive music genre’s formative years – with excerpts from influential recordings – along with specific reference given to some of the most innovative artists that sang and performed them. So…what was the first Rock ‘n’ Roll record…?
URL:https://www.u3aoxford.org.uk/event/annual-general-meeting-followed-by-a-talk-by-mike-grillo-the-day-the-music-died/
LOCATION:Rewley House\, Department for Continuing Education University of Oxford\, Rewley House\, 1 Wellington Square\, Oxford\, Oxfordshire\, OX1 2JA\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260319T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260319T150000
DTSTAMP:20260817T182958
CREATED:20250818T191801Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250818T191801Z
UID:1923-1773928800-1773932400@www.u3aoxford.org.uk
SUMMARY:Professor Emma Smith    -  Did England have a Renaissance?
DESCRIPTION:Emma Smith is Professor of Shakespeare Studies at Hertford College\, and the author of several books including This Is Shakespeare. \nIn this talk\, based on a new history of Elizabethan culture\, due out in late 2026 from Penguin\, Professor Smith will try to persuade you that the Elizabethan painted room on Cornmarket is a worthy artistic equivalent to the Sistine Chapel. Find out why England’s Renaissance was so different in date and style from that in Italy\, and how the middle classes in England\, unlike the mega rich patrons of the Italian states\, drove a Renaissance that was more modest\, more domestic\, and more secular than its flashier predecessor.
URL:https://www.u3aoxford.org.uk/event/professor-emma-smith-did-england-have-a-renaissance/
LOCATION:Oxfordshire
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260312T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260312T150000
DTSTAMP:20260817T182958
CREATED:20250818T191622Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251217T140252Z
UID:1921-1773324000-1773327600@www.u3aoxford.org.uk
SUMMARY:Professor Philip Burrows   -  Particle Accelerators: from Making Higgs Bosons to Curing Cancer
DESCRIPTION:Philip Burrows is Professor of Physics at Oxford University\, Director of the John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science\, and Senior Research Fellow of Jesus College. \nThe talk will cover the multiple applications of subatomic particle accelerators\, ranging from producing Higgs Bosons at the gargantuan Large Hadron Collider at CERN to providing beams for cancer treatment in hospitals\, and spanning industry\, national security and art history.
URL:https://www.u3aoxford.org.uk/event/professor-philip-burrows-particle-accelerators-from-making-higgs-bosons-to-curing-cancer/
LOCATION:Rewley House\, Department for Continuing Education University of Oxford\, Rewley House\, 1 Wellington Square\, Oxford\, Oxfordshire\, OX1 2JA\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260305T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260305T150000
DTSTAMP:20260817T182958
CREATED:20250818T191444Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250818T191444Z
UID:1919-1772719200-1772722800@www.u3aoxford.org.uk
SUMMARY:Lizzy Rowe   -  The Artists of World War II
DESCRIPTION:Lizzy Rowe\, is an Oxford graduate and resident. She completed her MA at the Courtauld Institute in 1999 and\, after working at English Heritage\, now gives talks and guided tours with art historical themes. She also teaches Art History in primary schools. \nFocusing in particular on British artists and the art produced under the aegis of the War Artists’ Advisory Committee\, this talk will look at the paintings of Edward Ardizzone\, Eric Ravilious\, Laura Knight and Henry Moore\, among others. Their images tell us about the horrors of conflict but also about the moments of calm\, camaraderie and beauty amid the horror
URL:https://www.u3aoxford.org.uk/event/lizzy-rowe-the-artists-of-world-war-ii/
LOCATION:Rewley House\, Department for Continuing Education University of Oxford\, Rewley House\, 1 Wellington Square\, Oxford\, Oxfordshire\, OX1 2JA\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260226T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260226T150000
DTSTAMP:20260817T182958
CREATED:20250818T191333Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250818T191333Z
UID:1917-1772114400-1772118000@www.u3aoxford.org.uk
SUMMARY:Dr Phillipa Towler and Dr Kevin Privett   -  Unearthing the Letters of William Smith: Full Transcriptions Reveal so Much More
DESCRIPTION:Dr Philippa Towler is a hydrogeologist with a BSc from the University of Bristol and a PhD from the University of Bath. Initially she investigated the impact of landfill contamination on groundwater quality at the Water Research Centre. Subsequently\, she built a career in land quality management and decommissioning projects throughout the UK\, including Harwell. With her wealth of experience in the consulting industry\, public engagement in geosciences and family history research she has found the transcription of all William Smith’s letters reveals a modern scientist experiencing frustrations that are familiar to us. \nDr Kevin Privett is a geologist with a BSc and PhD from the University of Bristol and is currently and a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Portsmouth. He has spent his working life in engineering geology consultancy\, mostly in the civil engineering sector\, but also in the mining sector; plus some university teaching at Masters level. In 2018 he was awarded the prestigious Glossop Medal by the Geological Society of London in honour of his lifetime contribution made in the science of applied geology. His interest in William Smith\, the ‘Father of English Geology’ stems from the fact that Smith was also the first true engineering geologist\, using geological knowledge to solve practical problems for his clients. \nBorn out of the pandemic when GLAM  (Gardens\, Libraries and Museums) volunteers couldn’t come into the Museum\, the Oxford University Museum of Natural History Library and Archive online transcription saw volunteers work from home to transcribe and check the scanned letters of geologist William Smith and entomologist James Charles Dale. Two volunteers in particular\, Philippa Towler and Kevin Privett\, became interested in the Smith letters and took the role to new heights with what they uncovered. By transcribing over 750 letters to and from William Smith\, a searchable database of basic metrics and keywords was created which may be used and built upon for further research. Analysis of the keywords highlighted the importance of finding coal to both William and his clients at the start of the nineteenth century. Mapping of the locational data from the letters revealed spatial trends in Smith’s career. Some details\, such as working on Christmas Day\, show his dedication to his work\, and the lack of religious references reveals his secular approach. Reinterpretation of some of Williams notebook entries showed his approach to understanding the geology of the Bath area\, his family history and having a portrait painted.
URL:https://www.u3aoxford.org.uk/event/dr-phillipa-towler-and-dr-kevin-privett-unearthing-the-letters-of-william-smith-full-transcriptions-reveal-so-much-more/
LOCATION:Rewley House\, Department for Continuing Education University of Oxford\, Rewley House\, 1 Wellington Square\, Oxford\, Oxfordshire\, OX1 2JA\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260219T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260219T150000
DTSTAMP:20260817T182958
CREATED:20250818T191133Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250818T191133Z
UID:1915-1771509600-1771513200@www.u3aoxford.org.uk
SUMMARY:Greg Birdseye   -  A Lighthouse Dynasty
DESCRIPTION:Greg Birdseye has lived in Oxford for the last 15 years\, having moved back to the city on retirement many years after a student life in the 1960s. He might be seen as a familiar face at u3a meetings\, having spoken before about the work of Sobell House Hospice (where he chairs the charity’s Fundraising Committee)\, and later about sundials – a long-standing interest – exploring in particular those at Iffley church in the village where he now lives. \nHis interest in lighthouses is both historical and technical\, but not least in recognising them as beacons of hope and safety for mariners home from the sea. This talk will describe how\, in the space of 150 years\, from the late 18th to the early 20th century\, four generations of one Scottish family were responsible for designing and building almost 100 lighthouses around the coasts of Scotland\, dramatically improving the safety prospects of seafarers in those times. The talk will cover the tale of this remarkable family whose legacy is with us to this day.
URL:https://www.u3aoxford.org.uk/event/greg-birdseye-a-lighthouse-dynasty/
LOCATION:Rewley House\, Department for Continuing Education University of Oxford\, Rewley House\, 1 Wellington Square\, Oxford\, Oxfordshire\, OX1 2JA\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260212T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260212T150000
DTSTAMP:20260817T182958
CREATED:20250818T191016Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250818T191016Z
UID:1913-1770904800-1770908400@www.u3aoxford.org.uk
SUMMARY:Dr Mark Reilly   -  The Artificial Intelligence Revolution: How it’s Changing Our World (and What That Means for You)
DESCRIPTION:Mark Reilly is a technology investor and board member of several AI-based companies. In this talk\, he will aim to demystify the world of AI\, explore its real-life uses (and misuses)\, and show how it’s already part of your everyday life. No technical knowledge is required — just curiosity. \nArtificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer the stuff of science fiction—it’s quietly shaping everything from how we shop and travel to how doctors diagnose disease and writers craft their stories. But what exactly is AI? How does it work? And what impact might it have on our society\, our choices\, and even our conversations?
URL:https://www.u3aoxford.org.uk/event/dr-mark-reilly-the-artificial-intelligence-revolution-how-its-changing-our-world-and-what-that-means-for-you/
LOCATION:Rewley House\, Department for Continuing Education University of Oxford\, Rewley House\, 1 Wellington Square\, Oxford\, Oxfordshire\, OX1 2JA\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260205T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260205T150000
DTSTAMP:20260817T182958
CREATED:20250818T190821Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250818T190821Z
UID:1911-1770300000-1770303600@www.u3aoxford.org.uk
SUMMARY:Michael Hindley   -  ‘The Semi-Detached European’ – EU/UK Relations
DESCRIPTION:Michael Hindley was educated at London and Lancaster and the Free University of West Berlin. He has a Postgraduate Diploma in International Law from University of South Wales. He was a Member of the European Parliament for three terms and has since worked as a trade policy adviser for the EU Commission\, the European Economic and Social Committee and the International Trade Centre of the UN Geneva. He is now a freelance writer and speaker on International Politics and has been an Associate Professor at Georgetown University\, Washington DC and at Greifswald & Goettingen Universities\, Germany. He is currently the Coordinator of the European Parliament’s Guest Lecturers Programme. He writes on substack @mhindley @hindleylancs.bsky.social \n 
URL:https://www.u3aoxford.org.uk/event/michael-hindley-the-semi-detached-european-eu-uk-relations/
LOCATION:Rewley House\, Department for Continuing Education University of Oxford\, Rewley House\, 1 Wellington Square\, Oxford\, Oxfordshire\, OX1 2JA\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260129T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260129T150000
DTSTAMP:20260817T182958
CREATED:20250818T190643Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250818T190643Z
UID:1909-1769695200-1769698800@www.u3aoxford.org.uk
SUMMARY:Canon Professor Mark Chapman   -  Holy Incoherence: The Past\, Present and Future of Anglicanism
DESCRIPTION:Mark Chapman is Professor of the History of Modern Theology at the University of Oxford and Distinguished Fellow of Ripon College\, Cuddesdon. He has written widely on many aspects of church history and the history of theology. Among his many books are Anglicanism: A Very Short Introduction (OUP); Anglican Theology (T & T Clark). He is editor of the Oxford Handbook of Anglican Studies. He is a Church of England priest and Canon Theologian of Truro Cathedral. He is currently writing a book on the history of sex and the Church of England in the twentieth century. \nThis talk looks at the history of Anglicanism in the context of the British Empire and wider global history; it addresses key aspects of how it came to be the way it is and why it has been particular prone to conflicts in recent years. It asks what\, if anything\, holds it together and assesses the prospects for the future the Anglican Communion.
URL:https://www.u3aoxford.org.uk/event/canon-professor-mark-chapman-holy-incoherence-the-past-present-and-future-of-anglicanism/
LOCATION:Rewley House\, Department for Continuing Education University of Oxford\, Rewley House\, 1 Wellington Square\, Oxford\, Oxfordshire\, OX1 2JA\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260122T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260122T150000
DTSTAMP:20260817T182958
CREATED:20250818T190252Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250818T190252Z
UID:1907-1769090400-1769094000@www.u3aoxford.org.uk
SUMMARY:Simon Keable-Elliott   -  Tahiti in the 1920s
DESCRIPTION:Educated at Sherborne School and Durham University\, Simon first worked in the restaurant trade before training as a teacher and spending 25 years as Head of Politics and Director of Model United Nations at a secondary school in Croydon. He now works as a writer and speaker. He last spoke to the Oxford u3a in November 2024 about his grandfather the WW1 chaplain and author Robert Keable.
URL:https://www.u3aoxford.org.uk/event/simon-keable-elliott-tahiti-in-the-1920s/
LOCATION:Rewley House\, Department for Continuing Education University of Oxford\, Rewley House\, 1 Wellington Square\, Oxford\, Oxfordshire\, OX1 2JA\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251127T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251127T150000
DTSTAMP:20260817T182958
CREATED:20250818T105720Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250818T162447Z
UID:1899-1764252000-1764255600@www.u3aoxford.org.uk
SUMMARY:Alan Lavender MBE – All Things Christmas at Chequers
DESCRIPTION:Alan Lavender was Head Chef at Chequers\, the Prime Ministers country residence for 25 years\, and has worked for four Prime Ministers. He has a wealth of stories and anecdotes about the festive season.
URL:https://www.u3aoxford.org.uk/event/alan-lavender-mbe-all-things-christmas-at-chequers/
LOCATION:Rewley House\, Department for Continuing Education University of Oxford\, Rewley House\, 1 Wellington Square\, Oxford\, Oxfordshire\, OX1 2JA\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251120T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251120T150000
DTSTAMP:20260817T182958
CREATED:20250818T105620Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250818T162700Z
UID:1897-1763647200-1763650800@www.u3aoxford.org.uk
SUMMARY:Professor Richard Bosworth – The “Grate” Christmas Cricket match
DESCRIPTION:Richard Bosworth is Emeritus fellow of Jesus College\, and Emeritus Research Professor of the University of Western Australia. He is the author of several books about Italian Fascism. \nIn this talk\, based on his 108th ‘learned article’\, Richard Bosworth will\, for the first time\, unite his lifetime devotion to cricket and modern Italian history. He will do so by exploring the story of Lieutenant Douglas Tatham Collins\, Somalia Gendarmerie. Collins\, born in1920 at Aslockton (Notts)\, the home village of Thomas Cranmer\, hoped to convert the population of the Majertein Sultanate to civilization and cricket. But Somalia (or Puntland) are still not listed as major cricket playing nations. In fact\, the locals said they preferred the Fascist version of tyranny to cricket on Saturdays. Collins was not burned at the stake. But he was relegated to life as a not very successful Big Game Hunter. How could this have been?
URL:https://www.u3aoxford.org.uk/event/professor-richard-bosworth-the-grate-christmas-cricket-match-alula-somalia-or-puntland-the-afternoon-of-25-december-1942/
LOCATION:Rewley House\, Department for Continuing Education University of Oxford\, Rewley House\, 1 Wellington Square\, Oxford\, Oxfordshire\, OX1 2JA\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251113T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251113T150000
DTSTAMP:20260817T182958
CREATED:20250818T105139Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250818T162718Z
UID:1895-1763042400-1763046000@www.u3aoxford.org.uk
SUMMARY:Professor David Nash – Blasphemy: A Short (and surprising) History
DESCRIPTION:David Nash is Professor and Senior Research Fellow in History at Jesus College Oxford. He is an internationally acknowledged expert of the subject and has researched published and spoken about blasphemy and its history for nearly forty years. He is the author of three books and countless articles and chapters on this subject as well as a number of other monographs. He has given advice to the Australian\, British and Irish governments on the subject of blasphemy as well as the European Parliament and European Commission.
URL:https://www.u3aoxford.org.uk/event/professor-david-nash-blasphemy-a-short-and-surprising-history/
LOCATION:Rewley House\, Department for Continuing Education University of Oxford\, Rewley House\, 1 Wellington Square\, Oxford\, Oxfordshire\, OX1 2JA\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251106T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251106T150000
DTSTAMP:20260817T182958
CREATED:20250818T105044Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250818T162735Z
UID:1893-1762437600-1762441200@www.u3aoxford.org.uk
SUMMARY:Professor Sir Muir Gray – How to Live Longer Better
DESCRIPTION:Muir Gray is a public health doctor who has been very involved in work with older people since starting in the City of Oxford in 1972. He has done many jobs in the NHS \,for example\, setting up the national screening programmes\, and he was the first Chief Knowledge Officer of the NHS.Throughout his career he has maintained his interest in population and personal ageing and set up the Optimal Ageing Programme at Oxford and is now leading a national programme called Living Longer Better \n\n\nIt is now known that the normal biological process of ageing is not a cause of major problems till the 90s. The problems that occur as we live longer are due to three other processes – loss of physical and mental fitness\, disease\, often complicated by accelerated loss of fitness\, and social factors notably isolation\, deprivation and ageism. Furthermore the principal reason for loss of fitness is not laziness or lifestyle but the modern environment\, for example sitting at work surrounded by calorie rich opportunities. Unfortunately our genes are unsuited for this environment having been selected through hundreds of generations in which people had to be continuously active and in which the ability to put on fat quickly was an advantage \n\n\nFortunately we now know that at any age if we understand the science of what is happening we can \n\n\n• Regain lost mental and physical fitness\, increasing strength\, stamina\, suppleness and skill\n• Reduce the risk of most common diseases such as stroke\, type 2 diabetes and dementia\n• Adapt and respond to the onset of diseases which do occur to minimize disability\, working in partnership with NHS clinicians\n• Fight against ageism and the other social causes of disease\, disability and the need for social care \n\n\nThe result is we can live not just longer but longer better compressing that period of dependency at the end of life when we are dependent on others for even the most basic task such as getting to the toilet on time.
URL:https://www.u3aoxford.org.uk/event/professor-sir-muir-gray-how-to-live-longer-better/
LOCATION:Rewley House\, Department for Continuing Education University of Oxford\, Rewley House\, 1 Wellington Square\, Oxford\, Oxfordshire\, OX1 2JA\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251030T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251030T150000
DTSTAMP:20260817T182958
CREATED:20250818T104819Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250818T162804Z
UID:1891-1761832800-1761836400@www.u3aoxford.org.uk
SUMMARY:Dr Nina Morgan – The Geology of Oxford Gravestones
DESCRIPTION:Dr Nina Morgan is a geologist\, science writer and Honorary Associate at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History (OUMNH). She is co-author with Philip Powell\, retired curator and Honorary Associate at the OUMNH\, of The Geology of Oxford Gravestones. Copies of the book\, costing £15\, will be available for purchase after the talk. \n\n\nThe wide range of rock types use for gravestones means that cemeteries can be geological treasure troves. This illustrated talk based on examples from cemeteries in the Oxford area will demonstrate just how much geology you can explore in a graveyard. You’ll never look at cemeteries in the same way again!
URL:https://www.u3aoxford.org.uk/event/dr-nina-morgan-the-geology-of-oxford-gravestones/
LOCATION:Rewley House\, Department for Continuing Education University of Oxford\, Rewley House\, 1 Wellington Square\, Oxford\, Oxfordshire\, OX1 2JA\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251023T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251023T150000
DTSTAMP:20260817T182958
CREATED:20250818T104644Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250818T162910Z
UID:1889-1761228000-1761231600@www.u3aoxford.org.uk
SUMMARY:Professor Glen O’Hara – Britain’s Water Industry and Pollution since 1945: How Did We Get Here?
DESCRIPTION:Glen O’Hara is Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at Oxford Brookes University. A prolific commentator on current events in the press\, he is also the author of a string of books on modern public policy\, most recently The Politics of Water in Post-War Britain (2017). He is currently finishing works connected to his large-scale Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded project\, ‘In All Our Footsteps: Mapping\, Tracking and Experiencing Rights of Way in Post-War Britain’\, and a book on the domestic policies of Tony Blair’s New Labour governments between 1997 and 2007. \n\n\n‘How Did We Get Here?’ will explore some of the very deep-seated roots of present controversies over water pollution. Britain now has a very old and dilapidated system of water supply and removal\, which successive governments as well as private companies from the late 1980s onwards struggled with – often making progress\, but also constantly slipping backwards in a warming world and a more storm-prone British Isles. The origins of our present crisis\, O’Hara will argue\, are as much about rising public expectations\, better monitoring\, more leisure time and the electoral battle in southern England as they are about sewage discharge.
URL:https://www.u3aoxford.org.uk/event/professor-glen-ohara-britains-water-industry-and-pollution-since-1945/
LOCATION:Rewley House\, Department for Continuing Education University of Oxford\, Rewley House\, 1 Wellington Square\, Oxford\, Oxfordshire\, OX1 2JA\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251016T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251016T150000
DTSTAMP:20260817T182958
CREATED:20250818T104526Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250818T162904Z
UID:1887-1760623200-1760626800@www.u3aoxford.org.uk
SUMMARY:Jane Robinson – Trailblazer: the Remarkable Lives of the Victorian Artist and Activist Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon
DESCRIPTION:Jane Robinson is an acclaimed social historian\, focusing on women pioneers. Her 13 books include the best-selling Bluestockings\, the story of the first women to access higher education in Britain\, and major biographies of nurse Mary Seacole\, social reformer\, the inspirational humanitarian Josephine Butler and the artist Barbara Bodichon. She is a Fellow of both the Royal Historical and Royal Geographical Societies\, a Hawthornden Fellow\, a writing mentor\, and a Senior Associate of Somerville College\, Oxford. \n\n\nVictorian Barbara Bodichon was responsible for the development of feminism in Britain. She campaigned for equal opportunity in the workplace\, the law\, the polling booth\, at home\, and in the world beyond the kitchen or the drawing-room; she co-founded the first university college for women in Britain (Girton) and the first women’s suffrage society. She was also that rare bird\, a successful professional female artist. Cheerful\, loving and beloved\, she’s a very modern heroine.
URL:https://www.u3aoxford.org.uk/event/jane-robinson-trailblazer-the-remarkable-lives-of-the-victorian-artist-and-activist-barbara-leigh-smith-bodichon/
LOCATION:Rewley House\, Department for Continuing Education University of Oxford\, Rewley House\, 1 Wellington Square\, Oxford\, Oxfordshire\, OX1 2JA\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251009T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251009T150000
DTSTAMP:20260817T182958
CREATED:20250818T104401Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250818T162857Z
UID:1885-1760018400-1760022000@www.u3aoxford.org.uk
SUMMARY:Tom Brown – Overground Underground: How London’s Tube Network Developed in the 20th Century from a Steam-Powered ‘Terminus Shuttle’ into a Sprawling Wonder of Electric Modernity
DESCRIPTION:Tom Brown was born in London in 1956 and was so fascinated by the Tube that he had memorized the tube map at age 10 and travelled on the Victoria Line on the day it opened. He holds a degree in Modern and Medieval Languages from Jesus College\, Oxford and had a career of 34 years in international banking\, often affording him the opportunity to ride transit systems from Shanghai to New York. Apart from railways and in particular all aspects of metro/subway systems\, his many interests include classical music and opera. In 2023 he gave an illustrated talk to u3a on Britten’s operas.
URL:https://www.u3aoxford.org.uk/event/tom-brown-overground-underground-how-londons-tube-network-developed-in-the-20th-century/
LOCATION:Rewley House\, Department for Continuing Education University of Oxford\, Rewley House\, 1 Wellington Square\, Oxford\, Oxfordshire\, OX1 2JA\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251002T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251002T150000
DTSTAMP:20260817T182958
CREATED:20250818T104140Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250818T162850Z
UID:1883-1759413600-1759417200@www.u3aoxford.org.uk
SUMMARY:Professor Gary Browning – Iris Murdoch and the Quartet of Oxford Women Philosophers (Elizabeth Anscombe\, Philippa Foot\, Mary Midgley and Iris Murdoch)
DESCRIPTION:Gary Browning is Emeritus Professor of Political Thought at Oxford Brookes University\, and is involved with Think Human\, a public engagement platform\, which he established in 2017. He is the author of sixteen books\, including\, A History of Modern Political Thought – The Question of Interpretation (Oxford University Press\, 2027)\, two books on Bob Dylan and three books on Iris Murdoch\, the latest of which is Iris Murdoch and the Political (Oxford University Press\, 2024). He is currently working on three books\, including What is Living and What is Dead in Hegel and Marx (Oxford University Press\, 2027)
URL:https://www.u3aoxford.org.uk/event/professor-gary-browning-iris-murdoch-and-the-quartet-of-oxford-women-philosophers/
LOCATION:Rewley House\, Department for Continuing Education University of Oxford\, Rewley House\, 1 Wellington Square\, Oxford\, Oxfordshire\, OX1 2JA\, United Kingdom
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250925T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250925T150000
DTSTAMP:20260817T182958
CREATED:20250818T103756Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250818T162841Z
UID:1881-1758808800-1758812400@www.u3aoxford.org.uk
SUMMARY:Timothy Walker – Gardening as Fine Art
DESCRIPTION:From 1988-2014 Timothy Walker was the director of the Oxford Botanic Garden. Since 2014 he has been senior college lecturer in plant biology at Somerville College Oxford. \n\n\nIn 1882 Gertrude Jekyll wrote a short but seminal article in The Garden in which she urged the readers to ‘remember that in a garden we are painting a picture’. As an accomplished watercolour artist\, Miss Jekyll was familiar with the principles of using colours\, but she felt that in gardens these principles ‘had been greatly neglected’. This talk looks at how to apply these principles in designing a border\, but it also looks at the ways in which a border is different from a painting. However\, it goes further than this and looks at how contemporary work of the likes of Turner\, Monet\, Rothko\, Jackson Pollock evolved in parallel with ideas about what a garden or border should look like.
URL:https://www.u3aoxford.org.uk/event/timothy-walker-gardening-as-fine-art/
LOCATION:Rewley House\, Department for Continuing Education University of Oxford\, Rewley House\, 1 Wellington Square\, Oxford\, Oxfordshire\, OX1 2JA\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250626T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250626T150000
DTSTAMP:20260817T182958
CREATED:20240831T160428Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240831T160428Z
UID:1752-1750946400-1750950000@www.u3aoxford.org.uk
SUMMARY:Dr Hubert Zawadzki  - Captivity\, Military Service and Survival: My Parents' Wartime Story 1939-1945
DESCRIPTION:Dr Hubert Zawadzki was born in 1946 in Scotland to Polish parents who came to Britain with the Polish Armed Forces during the second world war. Until the age of eleven\, he lived in various Polish resettlement camps in Britain. \nDr Zawadzki read modern history at Keble College (1964-67). In 1973 he obtained a doctorate in Polish and Russian history at Wolfson College where he was also a Junior Research Fellow (1973-76). \nHe taught history for 30 years at Abingdon School while continuing with his academic work– and this he has continued since his retirement from teaching in 2006. He has retained his long association with Wolfson College. \nDr Zawadzki is author of a monograph on Adam Czartoryski as a statesman of Russia and Poland and co-author (with Prof. Jerzy Lukowski) of A Concise History of Poland which has been translated into seven languages. He has also translated and edited his mother’s memoirs: Irena Protassewicz\, A Polish Woman’s Experience in World War II: Conflict\, Deportation and Exile. \nHe a fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a Member of the Polish Society of Arts and Sciences Abroad (London).
URL:https://www.u3aoxford.org.uk/event/dr-hubert-zawadzki-captivity-military-service-and-survival-my-parents-wartime-story-1939-1945/
LOCATION:Rewley House\, Department for Continuing Education University of Oxford\, Rewley House\, 1 Wellington Square\, Oxford\, Oxfordshire\, OX1 2JA\, United Kingdom
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250619T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250619T150000
DTSTAMP:20260817T182958
CREATED:20240831T160514Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240831T160514Z
UID:1750-1750341600-1750345200@www.u3aoxford.org.uk
SUMMARY:Ross King - Leonardo’s Last Supper
DESCRIPTION:Ross King is the author of numerous books on Italian and French art and history\, including Leonardo and The Last Supper. Although the painting is one of the most famous in the history of art\, how this famous mural came to be painted is much less well-known. \nThis illustrated lecture will recount how Leonardo received the commission (for whose execution he had little experience and even less inclination) from Lodovico Sforza\, the Duke of Milan\, and how he went about creating his masterpiece through an experimental new style. While the mural is burdened with many myths – most of which have no basis in fact – the true story of its execution is even more remarkable and interesting. \n 
URL:https://www.u3aoxford.org.uk/event/ross-king-leonardos-last-supper/
LOCATION:Rewley House\, Department for Continuing Education University of Oxford\, Rewley House\, 1 Wellington Square\, Oxford\, Oxfordshire\, OX1 2JA\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250612T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250612T150000
DTSTAMP:20260817T182958
CREATED:20240831T160542Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240831T160542Z
UID:1748-1749736800-1749740400@www.u3aoxford.org.uk
SUMMARY:Professor Philip Bullock - The Politics of Russian Music: Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff
DESCRIPTION:Philip Ross Bullock is Professor of Russian Literature and Music at the University of Oxford\, and fellow and tutor in Russian at Wadham College. His short life of Tchaikovsky was published by Reaktion in 2016\, and in 2022 he edited Rachmaninoff and His World for the University of Chicago Press. He works extensively with arts organisations in the UK and abroad\, and has a particularly close relationship with the Oxford International Song Festival and Wigmore Hall\, London. \nIn this talk\, he will look at the careers of two of Russia’s most famous composers. Although both projected images of themselves as unconnected with politics and ideology and believed in the eternal power of music to transcend the everyday\, both were\, in fact\, closely involved in the main institutions of the Russian imperial administration and were called upon to use their cultural capital in the service of the state. Looking at these relationships allows us to get a better understanding of the importance of music and all the arts in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Russia – and has implications for how we talk about Russian culture today\, not least in the wake of the war in Ukraine. \n 
URL:https://www.u3aoxford.org.uk/event/professor-philip-bullock-the-politics-of-russian-music-tchaikovsky-and-rachmaninoff/
LOCATION:Rewley House\, Department for Continuing Education University of Oxford\, Rewley House\, 1 Wellington Square\, Oxford\, Oxfordshire\, OX1 2JA\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250605T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250605T150000
DTSTAMP:20260817T182958
CREATED:20240831T160601Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240831T160601Z
UID:1746-1749132000-1749135600@www.u3aoxford.org.uk
SUMMARY:Paul Walton - The Poetry of Place
DESCRIPTION:Born in Staffordshire\, Paul read history at Brasenose College\, Oxford\, wrote Bluff Your Way in Marketing and helped unleash Quorn upon an unsuspecting world. In retirement Paul combines two of his passions as The Brand Historian\, guest lectures for the Oxford English Faculty\, creates poetry anthologies (the latest on Shotover\, has just been published) and can often be found in OX2 and OX4 helping seniors with their IT hitches and glitches \nLike many writers\, Paul has found inspiration in the landscape. In this talk Paul visits some of his favourite places in Britain and beyond and explains how he and other poets have discovered creative opportunity. \n 
URL:https://www.u3aoxford.org.uk/event/paul-walton-the-poetry-of-place/
LOCATION:Rewley House\, Department for Continuing Education University of Oxford\, Rewley House\, 1 Wellington Square\, Oxford\, Oxfordshire\, OX1 2JA\, United Kingdom
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250529T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250529T150000
DTSTAMP:20260817T182958
CREATED:20240831T160627Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240831T160627Z
UID:1743-1748527200-1748530800@www.u3aoxford.org.uk
SUMMARY:Melanie King - Taking the Waters: The Rise and Fall (and Rise Again) of the English Spa
DESCRIPTION:Melanie King is a writer of historical non-fiction who has published seven books. She specialises in using archival sources to shine a light on the obscure and often bizarre episodes that run through history\, from the madcap techniques used by spies in WWI\, to the ‘fake news’ about the effects of coffee propagated by seventeenth-century tea merchants. Her eclectic subjects reflect her varied and shifting careers. After graduating with a degree in international relations from the University of Sussex she travelled alone through India\, Nepal\, South-east Asia\, North America\, Australia\, New Zealand and Europe. She worked in Bangkok as a staff writer for The Nation; with Eurocrats in Brussels; at Chatham House in London; and with refugees and victims of torture\, both at home and abroad. \nMelanie’s talk will take an informative but light-hearted look at the social and cultural history of our obsession with drinking and bathing in spa waters and the entrepreneurs who promoted these resorts—often on the basis of the most dubious scientific evidence. \n 
URL:https://www.u3aoxford.org.uk/event/melanie-king-taking-the-waters-the-rise-and-fall-and-rise-again-of-the-english-spa/
LOCATION:Rewley House\, Department for Continuing Education University of Oxford\, Rewley House\, 1 Wellington Square\, Oxford\, Oxfordshire\, OX1 2JA\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250522T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250522T150000
DTSTAMP:20260817T182958
CREATED:20240831T160647Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240831T160647Z
UID:1741-1747922400-1747926000@www.u3aoxford.org.uk
SUMMARY:Richard Rickitt - Introducing the Amazing Honey Bee
DESCRIPTION:Richard Rickitt spent 20 years in the film and television special effects industry.  He is now co-editor of BeeCraft magazine\, the UK’s best-selling beekeeping magazine. He is the author of several books including Gardening for Beekeepers. \n  \nDo you know how many eyes a bee has (it’s not two!)\, or which part of its body it uses to taste with (not its tongue!)? Or how many hundreds of miles flying it takes to make one teaspoon of honey for your toast? If the answer is no\, this talk will inform\, amaze and entertain you. \nBeekeeper and author Richard Rickitt gives a fascinating and entertaining talk about bees and beekeeping. You will find out about the extraordinary lifecycle of honey bees\, how they live\, breed\, communicate\, and\, perhaps most importantly\, make honey! This illustrated talk takes a peek inside a beehive\, explaining the complex\, finely-tuned relationship of its tens-of-thousands of inhabitants. \nThe talk will be of interest to anyone who gardens\, would like to know more about bees and beekeeping\, or who just enjoys a bit of honey on their porridge.
URL:https://www.u3aoxford.org.uk/event/richard-rickitt-introducing-the-amazing-honey-bee/
LOCATION:Rewley House\, Department for Continuing Education University of Oxford\, Rewley House\, 1 Wellington Square\, Oxford\, Oxfordshire\, OX1 2JA\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250515T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250515T150000
DTSTAMP:20260817T182958
CREATED:20240831T160705Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250428T171505Z
UID:1739-1747317600-1747321200@www.u3aoxford.org.uk
SUMMARY:Dr Jonathan Healey - The Levellers
DESCRIPTION:Dr Jonathan Healey is Associate Professor in Social History at the University of Oxford\, where he is a specialist in seventeenth century English history. His most recent book\, The Blazing World: A New History of Revolutionary England tells the story of this fascinating and tumultuous age. \n 
URL:https://www.u3aoxford.org.uk/event/dr-jonathan-healey-the-levellers/
LOCATION:Rewley House\, Department for Continuing Education University of Oxford\, Rewley House\, 1 Wellington Square\, Oxford\, Oxfordshire\, OX1 2JA\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250508T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250508T150000
DTSTAMP:20260817T182958
CREATED:20240831T160728Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240831T160728Z
UID:1735-1746712800-1746716400@www.u3aoxford.org.uk
SUMMARY:Graham Harding - A History of Champagne in Six Bottles
DESCRIPTION:Graham Harding returned to academic life in 2014 to study the history of wine after a professional career in publishing and consultancy. The book of his 2018 Oxford doctorate\, Champagne in Britain\, 1800-1914: how the British transformed a French luxury was published by Bloomsbury in late 2021. This won the 2022 Prix de l’OIV. He was history editor of the Routledge Handbook of Wine and Culture. He has around 20 articles\, book chapters / articles either published or forthcoming. These cover such issues as changing tastes in food and wine\, 19th century marketing and branding techniques\, 19th century retailing and distribution\, the gifting of champagne\, the concept of ‘cultural terroir’\, the gendering of consumption\, and ‘culture’ in history. He is an associate of the Oxford history faculty and attached to St Cross College\, Oxford\, where he is wine steward. \nThis talk will tell the history of champagne and sparkling wine from the earliest days. It is now produced all over the world but the focus of this talk will be on Europe – and particularly on the history of sparkling wine in Britain. Most of us have heard of Dom Pérignon but who was the first ‘Dom’ of sparkling wine and what role do bursting barrels play in the story? What vital discovery did a 17th century fellow of Worcester College publish? How and why did Moët & Chandon make a British ‘turn’ in the late 19th century? Who did and who did not bath in champagne (and how much might it cost to repeat the experience today)? The story will be told through six separate bottles and through the glasses and bottles that have been used over time for this drink of celebration and success. \n 
URL:https://www.u3aoxford.org.uk/event/graham-harding-a-history-of-champagne-in-six-bottles/
LOCATION:Rewley House\, Department for Continuing Education University of Oxford\, Rewley House\, 1 Wellington Square\, Oxford\, Oxfordshire\, OX1 2JA\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250501T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250501T150000
DTSTAMP:20260817T182958
CREATED:20240831T160359Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240831T160359Z
UID:1732-1746108000-1746111600@www.u3aoxford.org.uk
SUMMARY:Michael Pirie - Harry Rountree (1878–1950): an Introduction to a Popular and Prolific Animal Illustrator from New Zealand
DESCRIPTION:Michael Pirie has been head gardener at Green Templeton College since 1980 and ran a course on Oxford College gardens for many years at OUDCE. He now takes an interest in book illustration and commercial art from the first half of the 20th century. He has contributed numerous articles about Harry Rountree for the Imaginative Book Illustration Society (I.B.I.S.) and has written the entry for the artist in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. \n 
URL:https://www.u3aoxford.org.uk/event/michael-pirie-harry-rountree-1878-1950-an-introduction-to-a-popular-and-prolific-animal-illustrator-from-new-zealand/
LOCATION:Oxford Friends Meeting House\, 43 St Giles\, Oxford\, OX1 3LW
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END:VCALENDAR