THREADS OF HISTORY: THE WORLD OF THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY

A trilogy of talks about the Normans. A lively introduction to the Bayeux Tapestry, unravelling its mysteries; then the orgy of building after 1066 that changed the face of Saxon England, finally a celebration of the life of William the Marshal, a Norman knight of the Magna Carta period.

Lecture 1 THREADS OF HISTORY: THE WORLD OF THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY
In this lively introduction to the tapestry – so much more than the story of Hastings – Rupert unravels some of its mysteries, places it in the context of its age and firmly establishes it as a landmark in the history of Western art.

Lecture 2 THE NORMANS – CONQUEST AND LEGACY
An account of the orgy of building after the Conquest that all but effaced the fabric of Saxon England, with the focus on individual patrons and their lives.

Lecture 3 KNIGHT ERRANT: THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF WILLIAM THE MARSHAL
Celebrating a key figure in the age of Magna Carta, Rupert stirringly evokes a gorgeous world in which the knight was dominant. In their coats of mail like silk shirts and their golden spurs, these were ‘the angels men complain of, who kill whatever they come upon’.

See Eventbrite page for full details

How to book this event:

Time: 10:30 Registration for 10:45 start. 1530 finish.
Cost: £38
Contact by email: Studycourses97@gmail.com
Tickets from Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/threads-of-history-the-world-of-the-bayeux-tapestry-tickets-1983948831361?aff=oddtdtcreator

THE ARTS SOCIETY ACCREDITED LECTURER

Mr Rupert Willoughby

Rupert Willoughby is an historian and Classicist, a poet, a father and a wild swimmer with a passion for castles, lakes and uncovering the layers of the past. A graduate with First Class Honours in History from the University of London (where he immersed himself in the ‘Byzantine’, or medieval Greek Empire), he is the author of the best-selling Life in Medieval England for Pitkin, and of a series of popular histories of places, including Chawton: Jane Austen’s Village, and the whimsical, yet scholarly Basingstoke and its Contribution to World Culture. Rupert also contributes regular obituaries to The Daily Telegraph. Accredited by The Arts Society since 2011, he is an experienced lecturer, who is known for his light, humorous touch, his love of narrative and his vivid evocations of the past. Rupert’s forefathers were Vikings and his foremothers were Tatars.