Welcome to the IanVisits Calendar of lectures, talks, heritage events, organised walks and other random miscellany which Ian thinks would be of interest.


Disclaimer: I do my best to keep the information up to date and accurate, but caveat emptor applies and you are advised to check with the venue before travelling.


Include recurring events

= Event is free of charge (sometimes a donation is appreciated)
= Pre-Booking required.
Tue, 9 Feb, 2010
01:00 PM Trains and Boats and Planes (Barbican)
  A look at the mathematics of energy efficiency in transport systems.
01:15 PM Wet dreams: making urban water systems sustainable (Bloomsbury)
  Understanding the reliatinship between society and technology in managing water supplies.
05:00 PM Engineering the Olympics (South Kensington)
A lecture on the challenges faced by engineers in delivering the major infrastructure and stadia necessary to ensure a successful Olympics.
06:00 PM How many women does it take to make a difference? (Green Park)
A Hansard Society Democracy Forum to discuss how many women it takes to make a difference to politics, business and society.
06:30 PM 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1916) on the Big Screen (Bloomsbury)
  Occasional showing of old movie followed by wine in the museum.
06:30 PM 500 years of lesbian and gay related material in the British Library (Camden)
  An illustrated talk by Bart Smith of the Library’s Humanities Reference Service.
06:30 PM Egypt: the moment of change (Bloomsbury)
Book launch by Philip Marfleet on the politics and (lack of) civil rights in Egypt.
07:00 PM Alan Bennett - Talking Theatre (South Kensington)
  An evening in conversation with playwright, Alan Bennett
07:00 PM Think tank Clash (Southwark)
  Rory Bremner hosts a debate featuring leaders from some of the UK's top political think tanks
Wed, 10 Feb, 2010
10:00 AM A return to Coppicing
  Volunteer to help re-coppice the Hazel and Ash.
05:15 PM Out of the Bretton Woods: Building a World Bank for the 21st Century (Holborn)
  Douglas Alexander MP will assess the importance of the World Bank in the fight against poverty.
05:30 PM The secret mathematicians
  TV's Professor du Sautoy will explore the hidden mathematical ideas that influenced artists.
06:30 PM David Dimbleby: The Seven Ages of Britain (Camden)
  Join Question Time host David Dimbleby as he discusses the works of art explored in his BBC series The Seven Ages of Britain.
06:30 PM Sweeney Agonistes - How London Changed T S Eliot (Holborn)
  A discussion followed by short theatre on the life of the leading poet of his age.
07:00 PM South Africa twenty years after Mandela walked to freedom (Bayswater)
  On the anniversary of his release, looking at the South Africa of today and discussing how it compares with the hopes and dreams of 20 years ago.
Thu, 11 Feb, 2010
01:00 PM Christianity and Public Life: Law and Morality (Barbican)
  Can an increasingly secular legal system recover its moral vision for rule of law?
01:00 PM The Rule of Law (Charing Cross)
Lord Bingham, Britain's former senior law lord debates with Shami Chakrabarti, director, Liberty.
01:15 PM Jeremy Bentham and UCL: corpse and corpus (Bloomsbury)
  Learn why there is a corpse in a box in UCL's South Cloisters
02:00 PM Is biodiversity really under pressure? (Picadilly)
  A debate to look at whether the UK can meet its biodiversity targets, and what to do about that.
02:00 PM Is biodiversity really under pressure? (Picadilly)
Is it correct that biodiversity is under pressure, and what should we do about it if it is?
02:00 PM Underground Roman fort tour (Barbican)
  Chance to visit the underground remains of a Roman Fort under the City of London
06:00 PM Darwin Day Lecture 2010: Darwin and Human Evolution (Holborn)
  Professor Chris Stringer will speak on this theme as the 2010 Darwin Day Lecturer.
06:30 PM The Oracular Sanctuary of Apollo at Abai (Bloomsbury)
A talk about new excavations at one of the most important sanctuaries of ancient Greece.
07:00 PM A Tale Of Two Cities - The German Onslaught On Moscow And Leningrad 1941-1942 (Bloomsbury)
  A talk on Hitler's Operation Barbarossa - the invasion of the Soviet Union.
07:00 PM Geared to the Stars - Victorian Astronomy through the Magic Lantern
   Recreation of a Victorian lecture on astronomy assisted with a 19th century 'magic lantern'.
07:00 PM How Would a Robot Read a Novel? (Holborn)
  Would it be possible, or even desirable to be able to read and review a book purely objectively?
07:00 PM Pattern in Kimono
  Demonstration of the traditional way of Kimono dress.
07:30 PM Ground Control: Fear and Happiness in the 21st Century City
  Britons are increasingly aware of living in a society plagued by fear and unhappiness. Could our towns and cities be the cause?
08:00 PM How To taste Port - An Introduction to Port (Homerton)
  An evening with a guided tour of port wines and tastings.
08:15 PM Scientific Measurement of Time (Hampstead)
  In this talk special emphasis will be placed on the history of the definition of the second and the measurement of time.
Fri, 12 Feb, 2010
01:00 PM Guided Walk - Winter Birds (Kensington)
This walk will look at the many birds that stay behind and see others which fly to London for the relatively mild weather.
02:00 PM Medieval trade (Barbican)
  Find out about medieval trade links and sought after products of the times in this gallery tour with curator Jackie Keily.
Sat, 13 Feb, 2010
10:00 AM How to write a novel - an introduction for beginners with Justine Mann (Holborn)
Does the task of writing a novel both excite and daunt you?
10:30 AM Saturday morning Soho
  A guided tour of Soho before the tourists wake up.
11:00 AM Jekyll & Hyde: Law, Science, Psychology (Holborn)
A discussion panel looks at this iconic 19th century novel
01:00 PM Reading London (Holborn)
Can art, architecture and literature help us to 'read' this complex city?
02:00 PM Guided Walk - History of Medicine (Barbican)
   Two hour walking tour around the area of St Bart's Hospital focused on its medical history.
02:00 PM Love in the Archives and afternoon tea (Greenwich)
A chance to see rarly displayed love letters over tea and music in Greenwich's Queen's House
02:00 PM Old Limehouse to Chinatown
  Aided by vintage photographs and his personal experiences, Brian Grover leads a tour through the streets of Limehouse.
TBA Steam Train (34067 Tangmere) in WestLondon
   A note about a steam train running through West London
TBA Steam Train (35028 Clan Line) in South London
  A note about a steam train running through South London in the evening
Sun, 14 Feb, 2010
11:00 AM Guided walk - Heart of the City of London (St Paul's Cathedral)
   A walk through the heart of the City of London which will show you some of its most famous places as well as some of its hidden treasures.
TBA Steam Train (60163 Tornado) in WestLondon
   A note about a steam train running through West London
Mon, 15 Feb, 2010
12:00 PM Guided tour of Goldsmith's Hall (Cheapside, City of London)
Occasional tours of the grand surroundings of Goldsmiths Hall in the City of London.
01:00 PM Guided Walk - St James's Park on Screen (Green Park)
Take a tour through the locations of famous movies made in St James's Park.
06:00 PM The Thames Under Fire: On the Frontline of the London Blitz (Islington)
  Seminar on the archaeology of the Thames at war by Gabriel Moshenska.
Tue, 16 Feb, 2010
12:00 PM Pancake Races in the City of London (Clerkenwell)
  Two pancakes races - one at Guildhall and the other at the Tower of London
12:30 PM A Unity of Form: Robert Grant's Museum of Victorian Zoology (Fleet Street)
  A lunchtime talk on the history of, and to introduce the collection at the Grant Museum
06:00 PM The Boyle Lecture: The Legacy of Robert Boyle - then and now (Cheapside, City of London)
  A lecture that looks at the man most famous for 'Boyles Law', but had a more complex understanding of nature.
06:15 PM The cult of St Zita of Lucca in London and Southern England (Barbican)
  Join the London and Middlesex Archaeological Society (LAMAS) for a monthly lecture detailing recent research on London's archaeology and history
06:30 PM How rich are the baby boomers and how poor are their children? (Holborn)
  David Willetts MP will analyse the distribution of income and wealth between different generations in Britain.
06:30 PM A Different View of Darwin: Why it Pays to be Nice (Bloomsbury)
  In this lecture, biologist and author Colin Tudge argues that Darwin's ideas have been corrupted by the 'survival of the fittest' doctrine.
06:30 PM Lecture: Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor (South Kensington)
  BBC presenter Kate Humble describes her journey into Afghanistan’s far northeast with Wild Frontiers.
07:00 PM On the media: Digital election 2010 (Bayswater)
  A panel discussion that will examine the impact that social media will have on the election in 2010.
07:00 PM Silk Road Tours - visit Uzbekistan, Bukhara, Samarkand and Khiva (Bloomsbury)
A presentation on the holiday options along the ancient Silk Route
07:00 PM The music instinct (Mayfair)
  explore how the latest research in music psychology and brain science is piecing together the puzzle of how our minds understand and respond to music.
07:30 PM Print Journalism in 19th Century London
  A talk looking at both the journalism of 19th century newspapers but also at London's 'hub' effect

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