A day in which we take a close look at this subject with three lectures:

     1. London Transport Hubs Underground and Overground

The world’s first underground railway has a unique heritage of architecture, ingenious design, powerful advertising posters and unique calligraphy. This talk plots the early development of the Underground, examines the legacy of Frank Pick and Charles Holden, looks at some of the iconic posters, and celebrates the award-winning architecture of the modern Tube in the Jubilee Line Extension and the brilliant Elizabeth Line stations, designed by some of the world’s top architects.

     2. London Public Art and Street Art – From Bronzes to Banksy -Public Art

London has not only a world-class reputation for art in its many galleries, but also a remarkable range of art in the open air. We will tour around the capital discovering some of the most interesting works from across the centuries. They range from huge and expensive commissions to unofficial graffiti, which is sometimes audacious and often playful, but they all have a place in our society. We will look at why art is there, how it has developed over the years and we’ll discover many hidden gems.

     3. The Gleaming Spires of London from 1066 to 2066

London boasts a remarkable range of architecture and this talk reveals the evolution of the capital through its great buildings. We start with a brief look at the development of architecture in the capital and then focus on the modern. Whether we like it or not, there are currently well over 500 new buildings over twenty storeys high planned for London in the next few years, including dozens more than twice this height. This is in addition to those already completed. This talk looks at the best of these buildings including the cutting-edge designs of the latest towers such as the Shard, the Walkie-Talkie, the Cheesegrater, the Scalpel and 22 Bishopsgate.

The day will start at 10:00 with coffee and cakes and then there will be a buffet lunch with a glass of wine after lecture two. We finish with lecture three at about 3:00pm.

Cost in the hall will be £45

Cost on Zoom will be £20