Past Events | Winchester Catholic History Society

Past Talks

June 2026

PROFESSOR MICHAEL WHEELER

'William Ewart Gladstone: The Heart and Soul of a Statesman'

Professor Michael Wheeler is a leading historian of the nineteenth century and currently a Visiting Professor of English at the University of Southampton. William Gladstone was one of the most important statesmen of the Victorian Age. This new book explores the spiritual dimension of his complex inner life.

‘His longest crusade was the enemy within’.

Wednesday 17th June 2026 - Starts at 6.30pm

MAY 2026

CHARLES HARRIS

'Art & Design on the London Underground'

Screenshot 2026-04-22 at 12.54.32 copy.jpg

Wednesday 20th May 2026 - Starts at 6.30pm

APRIL 2026

THE REVD PROFESSOR DIARMAID MACCULLOCH

Kt, MA PhD Camb, MA DD Oxf, FBA

'Smashing Images during The Reformation: why did they do it, and why did they stop?'

Professor MacCulloch is Emeritus Professor of the History of the Church at Oxford and a prize winning Author who has written extensively on the sixteenth century. The Reformation was the seismic event in European history which tore the medieval world apart. The Reformation is where the modern world began.

To be held at: Winchester College on Friday 24th April 2026

and starts at 7.30pm

PAST TALKS

Please look below to see the talks we have enjoyed recently.

March 2026

ANNA WITHERS

'Medieval Monastic Gardens'

Monastic Gardens were prominent in the Medieval period. They were carefully planned to serve as a source of food, medicine and a place of peace and spiritual reflection.

Wednesday 18th March 2026

February 2026

PROFESSOR ANNA

WHITELOCK

'The Sun Rising: James 1

& The Dawn of a Global Britain'

Professor Whitelock is a historian, author and a well known broadcaster. Her latest book is an extraordinary account of the arrival of the Stuarts and the foundation of a Global Empire.

To be held at: Winchester College on Thursday 5th February 2026 at 7pm

January 2026

CARDINAL TIMOTHY RADCLIFFE

'An evening with Cardinal Radcliffe'

He was ordained in 1971 as a Dominican and was created Cardinal by Pope Francis in December 2024. He is a Honorary Doctor of Divinity at the University of Oxford he has 12 other doctorates including Georgetown, Fribourg and the Angelicum.

To be held at:

Winchester College on Thursday 29th January 2026 at 7pm

December 2025

Dr FRANCES SANDS

Curator of Drawings and Books, The Sir John Soane Museum

'Architecture in the Age of Elegance:

An Introduction to Robert Adam'

Robert Adam (1728 - 1792) was one of the most important British Architects working in the Neoclassical style.

A movement in the Decorative and Visual Arts that drew inspiration from the classical arts and cultural of Ancient Greece and Rome

Wednesday 10th December 2025

November 2025

LORD PATTEN of Barnes

'What Ever Happened to the Global Order?'

The former Chancellor of the University of Oxford 2003 - 2024

Chair of BBC Trust 2011 - 2014

European Commissioner for External Affairs 1999 - 2014

Chair of The Independent Commission on Policing in Northern Ireland 1998 - 1999

Governor of Hong Kong 1992 - 1997

Member of Parliament for Bath 1979 - 1992

To be held at: Winchester College on Friday November 28th 2025

October 2025

MGR PHILIP WHITMORE

'I Have Come to Set the World on Fire:

The Founding of the Venerable English College in Rome'

The English College was founded as a Seminary in 1579 to prepare priests to serve on The English Mission after the Reformation. After the Acts of Uniformity in 1549 and 1559 to be a Catholic was to be a traitor. Over the next 100 years 44 priests died a martyr’s death.

Wednesday 15th October 2025

September 2025

Dr JAMES ROSS

University of Winchester

'Henry VII - A Reassessment'

Despite his tenuous claim to the throne Henry was the first king of the Tudor Dynasty. He united the warring factions of the Wars of the Roses.

Wednesday 17th September 2025

June 2025

Dr JOANNE PAUL

'Thomas More: Life and Death'

A remarkable book about the life and philosophy of Thomas More. It is a revelatory introduction to this most complex of figures.

Wednesday 18th June 2025

May 2025

Professor

JOHN McALEER

'The East India Company:

The Corporation that Changed the World'

The East India Company is the story of wealth, power and the pursuit of fortune.

Wednesday 21st May 2025

April 2025

The Rt Revd

Dr CHRISTOPHER HERBERT

'Baroque Around the Clock: Understanding Baroque Art'

Christopher Herbert was the Bishop of St Albans from 1996 to 2009. He has had a life long interest in Art History and has lectured at the National Gallery and the Courtauld Institute. He has published extensively on Art History and Spirituality..

Wednesday 23rd April 2025

March 2025

RUFUS BIRD

LVO FSA

'Royal Collection'

Rufus Bird is the former Surveyor of the late Queen's Works of Art.

Friday 7th March 2025 at Winchester College

February 2025

COLIN COOK

'Faith in the City - a Secret History of St Peter Street'

Learn more about how religion has played a large part in the City’s heritage from a Winchester Green Badge Guide.

Tuesday 18th February 2025

January 2025

CHARLES HARRIS

'Posters of the Belle Epoque, the Great Age of the Poster'

Hear how the poster became the world’s first effective method of mass communication.

From Manet to Cheret to Mucha, Steinlen and Toulouse-Lautrec. You will see inspirational work

by great artists who made the poster great.

Wednesday 15th January 2025

December 2024

Dr SIMON ROFFEY

'Suffering & Sanctity: The Excavations of St Mary Magdalen Leprosy Hospital, Winchester'

The archaeology and history of an English Leprosarium and Almshouse.

Wednesday 11th December 2024

The Excavation of St Mary Magdalen Leprosy Hospital.jpg

November 2024

The Revd Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch Kt FBA

'Thomas Cromwell, post Wolf Hall'

Thomas Cromwell is one of the most famous, or notorious figures in English Tudor history. A 16th Century fixer to Henry VIII, loathed by the nobility, who was intent on revolutionising the Church.

Wednesday 27th November 2024

at Winchester College