The Viking raids on England during the 9th century led to the emergence of a single nation state with its own rich book culture. This illustrated lecture explores the revival of learning fostered by King Alfred the Great and his heirs which revived the literary and artistic aspirations of England before the Norman Conquest. Treasures such as St Dunstan's Classbook, the Benedictional of St Ethelwold, the Anglo-Saxon Scientific Miscellany and the Beowulf Manuscript will be explored and set in context.
THE ARTS SOCIETY ACCREDITED LECTURER
Prof Michelle Brown
Holds a BA in History and History of Art, Westfield College, and a PhD in History, UCL. Professor Emerita of Medieval Manuscript Studies, SAS, University of London, Visiting Professor at UCL and Baylor University, and Senior Researcher at the University of Oslo. Formerly a Course Tutor in History of the Book (SAS), Curator of Illuminated Manuscripts at the British Library, and lecturer at Birkbeck and Morley Colleges. Recent publications include The Book and the Transformation of Britain, c.550-1050 (2011) and Art of the Islands: Celtic, Pictish and Anglo-Saxon Visual Culture (Bodleian, 2016).
Michelle is happy to provide study days on any of her subject areas, especially making medieval illuminated manuscripts and also art of the islands.
GALLERY 
OTHER EVENTS
Society
Dr Caroline Levisse
8 Jan 2026 - 11:00
Silver Street
Lovat Hall
Lovat Hall
Online Event
How did photography affect and introduce new ideas into painting in the second half of the 19th century?
Society
Dr Aaron Hunter
12 Feb 2026 - 11:00
Silver Street
Lovat Hall
Lovat Hall
Online Event
Hear the story of Mary Anning, the young girl in Dorset whose discoveries on the Jurassic rocks unearthed ancient 'dragons'