A Study Day to complement The Bayeux Tapestry Exhibition - presented by Rupert Willoughby

Lecture One : The Normans: Conquest and Legacy

Step into the high-stakes upheaval of 11th-century England, a world violently remade by the Norman Conquest. Following their victory, an elite inner circle of just eleven men carved up the defeated kingdom, claiming nearly half the land for themselves. To cement their absolute dominance, these new masters unleashed a relentless wave of construction—rapidly building castles, churches and cathedrals designed to erase Saxon England and show exactly who was in charge.

This lecture shifts the focus from the battlefields to the individual patrons behind this transformation. By exploring figures like the notorious Baldwin de Redvers, lord of the Isle of Wight, we understand how their legacy still endures in stone today.  Moving from grand architectural triumphs to the gritty realities of medieval life, Rupert offers a raw portrait of the men who built an empire on the ruins of the old world.

Lecture Two : Knight Errant: The Life and Adventures of William the Marshal

Welcome to the high medieval era, a time when elite knights, distinguished by their golden spurs and coats of mail, inspired both awe and terror - aptly described by contemporaries as “the angels men complain of, who kill whatever they come upon.”  At the absolute pinnacle of this world stood William the Marshal.  Celebrated as the greatest knight who ever lived, William began his career as a landless knight errant, winning international renown and fortune on the brutal tournament circuits of northern France.

His physical prowess was matched by incredible political longevity.  William rose to become Regent of England during the minority of Henry III, a crucial role in which he united a fractured nation, defended the realm from invasion and saved the monarchy following the turbulent aftermath of the Magna Carta.

In this lecture, Rupert explores William’s extraordinary life by comparing his contemporary biography with Arthurian romances, revealing a world where history and chivalric fiction seamlessly merge.

BOOKING NOW OPEN - email tech@theartssocietywestminster.org

£54 per person - coffee/tea and buffet lunch included

The Courthouse Hotel is situated close to Oxford Street and Regent Street - opposite Liberty's department store.