Going to talks can broaden your horizons, encourage empathy, and ultimately leave you a smarter, wiser and kinder human being than you were when you went in.
But we don’t want to lecture you.
Instead we’ll leave that to the many guest speakers, research professors, illustrious poets, artists, and social activists who regularly take to the stage in London to share their insights with the masses. Whatever you want to brush up on – whether it’s the history of London cults or the neuroscience behind music – there’s a lecture, candlelit evening, or mind-broadening salon to suit you.
And so to buoy you forwards on your quest for intellectual enlightenment, we’ve picked out the most interesting talks taking place this month, as well as the places that put on regular talks in London so you can look ahead:
TALKS & LECTURES IN LONDON THIS MONTH
Fashion and the Floating World
Part of the V&A’s free lunchtime lecture series, this talk will explore how Japan’s beautiful ukiyo-e woodblock prints of the 18th & 19th century often doubled as the glossy fashion mags of their day, advertising kimono makers and make-up brands as well as depicting famous actors and courtesans in stylish, highly covetable get-ups.
Details: 7th November, 1-1.55pm | V&A Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 2RL | Free, just turn up
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Making Sense of Conspiracy Theories
Everyone seems to think that the internet’s to blame for the recent explosion in conspiracy theories. But isn’t that just what they want you to think? Debunking the myths around conspiracies is Professor Peter Knight, who’ll be looking at claims made around everything from American elections to Covid, and trying to unpick why we’re living in an age of mass distrust and confusion.
Details: 14th November, 6pm | Gresham College, Barnard’s Inn Hall, EC1N 2HH | Free
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Remembering & Forgetting
The Royal Institute of Philosophy holds regular talks on a particular theme, with the current season tackling the concept of memory. Upcoming talks are set to explore the way personal memories shape our individual identities; whether we actually need forgiveness; and how social media and the internet has impacted the way we collectively remember and forget.
Details: 14th, 21st & 28th November | Malet St, London, WC1E 7HU | Free/£8 to guarantee entry
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Body of Law: Burkers, Resurrection Men, and the Murderous History of the Anatomy Act
A morbidly fascinating talk about the strange but true history of the 19th century body-snatchers, who dug up corpses to sell to anatomists hoping to advance medical science… and the people who cut out the middlemen, and just murdered people to sell on directly. It’s a grisly history which still has implications for how body tissue is used and preserved today – and of all the creepy places to hear about it, a formerly abandoned Victorian operating theatre has to be one of the best…
Details: 19th November, 6-8.30pm | Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret, 9a St Thomas Street, SE1 9RY | £12
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How Inequality Affects Mental Health
Genetics, substance use and traumatic life events are all major factors affecting mental health – but research suggests that rates of mental illness are also higher for marginalised and minority groups. President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists Dr Lade Smith will lay out the facts in this free lecture, as well as discussing how we can use an understanding of these factors to better treat those in disadvantaged communities.
Details: 21st November, 6pm | Gresham College, Barnard’s Inn Hall, EC1N 2HH | Free
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POPULAR LONDON VENUES FOR TALKS & LECTURES
V&A Museum
Tucked away from the museum’s busier rooms is the V&A’s princely lecture hall, lined with some of history’s great thinkers (which, very shortly, will also include you). They offer free lunchtime lectures as well as ticketed evening talks, variously inspired by current exhibitions; prized objects; and even the process of collecting itself.
Details: Cromwell Road, SW7 2RL | What’s On | Listen to previous lectures
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Nicer Tuesdays
A regular evening curated by It’s Nice That, during which speakers from creative industries discuss their most seminal projects to date, and reveal the processes behind them in short, snappy presentations. They also sell out quicker than hotcakes, so subscribe to their mailing list to stay updated on ticket releases.
Details: EartH, 11-17 Stoke Newington Rd, London N16 8BH | Monthly | What’s on
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How To Academy
Striking the tricky balance between talks that aren’t overly broad and vague, but aren’t university-level specific either, the How To Academy hosts lectures across London with a range of speakers. You can listen to in-depth discussions from historians, professors and researchers; learn life skills from some of the world’s most experienced consultants and coaches; and hear from famous figures from Alain de Botton to Al Gore.
Details: Across London | What’s On
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National Gallery
The National Gallery is essentially moonlighting as an art school, with free lunchtime talks on various paintings; longer lectures on broader themes; ‘Talk and Draw’ workshops, where you’ll hear from an expert on a particular painting before creating your own take on the piece; and gallery talks every Friday night when the NG stays open after-hours.
Details: Trafalgar Square, WC2N 5DN | What’s On
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The British Museum
Curators, historians and archaeologists take to the stand at the British Museum, where you can dip into everything from free gallery talks to Latin classes. There are regular free lectures linked to current exhibitions, as well as study days on weekends that combine talks, tours and screenings for an intensive introduction to some of the world’s most fascinating places, people and eras.
Details: Great Russell Street, WC1B 3DG | What’s On
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Royal Academy of Arts
The Royal Academy has been training and promoting artists since the reign of George III. Now, it’s promoting art appreciation, too, thanks to both the 15 minute mini-talks that take place around its galleries, and the more in-depth discussions covering both the history and future of art.
Details: Burlington House, Piccadilly, W1J 0BD | What’s On
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The Last Tuesday Society
The Last Tuesday Society is not your average bar. And the Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities is not your average museum. So the events held amongst the stuffed two-headed animals and voodoo dolls are just a touch unusual too; from absinthe tastings to taxidermy classes; and gothic storytelling to séances round the sarcophagus.
Details: 11 Mare Street, E8 4RP | What’s On
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The British Academy
Set in the grandiose surroundings of William Gladstone’s former mansion, the British Academy is a century-old society dedicated to tackling the big questions in the humanities and social sciences. Drop by for discussions on loneliness or the future of romance, while taking a peek at one of London’s most opulent buildings.
Details: 10-11 Carlton House Terrace, SW1Y 5AH | What’s On
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Conway Hall
The Conway Hall Ethical Society has roots going as far back as 1793, and is now the only remaining ethical society in the UK.
Essentially, it’s there for moral support.
And it’s achieving this not only through courses, photography workshops, film screenings, free concerts, comedy nights and language classes, but also by lining up a roster of esteemed activists, writers and academics who speak on topics like the societal impact of big data and the technocracy, political extremism, and the significance of corridors.
Details: 25 Red Lion Square, WC1R 4RL | What’s On
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Gresham College
Gresham College has been hosting free lectures for Londoners for over four centuries, so it’s fair to say they’ve got the formula down. They host around 130 lectures throughout the year on topics across the arts and sciences, while the 2,000+ lectures that have been recorded there since the ’80s can be found on their website, too. Ideal for a classic evening of “How To Be A Shakespearean Atheist” ‘n’ chill.
Details: Barnard’s Inn Hall, EC1N 2HH | What’s On
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The Old Operating Theatre Museum
Mike Peel
Tucked away in a church attic, The Old Operating Theatre Museum was once the venue for surgery performed on female patients from the neighbouring St. Thomas hospital. Now, it’s home to film screenings, secret concerts, quirky historical talks and the occasional after-hours Victorian surgical demonstration.
Details: Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret, 9a St Thomas Street, SE1 9RY | What’s On
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University College London
UCL has over 100 different academic departments, which together make for an insanely varied calendar of both free talks and ticketed lectures, on topics as wide as artificial intelligence to Latin American street art. Held in the University’s own lecture rooms, it’s all the useful bits of uni (broadening your mind) without any of the bad bits (essays, exams, jägerbombs).
Details: Across the UCL Campus | What’s On
Thirst for knowledge still not quenched? Pay a visit to the most unusual museums in London