Patricia Wright qualified as a Chartered Surveyor and later studied by open learning at London University, gaining a first class honours degree in History. She has published a number of articles and books, both fiction and non-fiction, including one which won the Georgette Heyer Historical Novel prize.

For her lecture today, Patricia will tell us how for more than a century Northumbria (that is to say, north of the Humber and Mersey) and southern Scotland were at the centre of European civilisation.

Glynis and Brian Radford founded Tapestry of Music in 1978, presenting a wide range of early music from the Medieval, Tudor and Baroque periods, with frequent excursions into folk repertoire.

Using their collection of over 1,000 fascinating early and ethnic instruments, including harps, lutes, saz, oud, hurdy-gurdy, shawms, bagpipes, nykelharpa, and crumhorns amongst others, their philosophy is to present programmes in an informal manner, bringing the music truly alive.

Dr David Bostwick is an expert on the cultural history of the Medieval, Tudor and Stuart periods, and was the former Keeper of Social History Collections at Sheffield City Museums.

Christmas, as a time of celebration, has a very long pedigree. Using contemporary illustrations, the lecture today will explore the sources and significance of ancient customs and traditions.

Born in Liverpool and trained at the Birmingham School of Art, Derek has been in private practice in Liverpool for over 30 years. During this time he has worked on buildings in the education, health, residential, religious, retail and commercial sectors and his practices have won a number of national awards.

He was, in the 70s, a lecturer at the School of Architecture, Liverpool Polytechnic.

His work on historic buildings has given him an understanding of, and interest in, the wider context of architecture and the interaction between buildings and the people who shape and reshape them. It is this theme that forms the basis of the lecture.

Buildings are around us wherever we go, some we love and some we hate, but they all tell a story about the times in which they were built and the people who built them. This lecture's brief introduction sets out to demonstrate this by taking ten buildings and showing how they reflect the eras of European History that created them.

Some of the buildings you may recognise, however through understanding their origins they can gain added life and interest. The examples are by no means definitive and the hope is that you will be encouraged to look at buildings of your choice in a similar way and gain greater enjoyment from the experience.

Nirvana Romell is an experienced lecturer with a BEd in Art History and a passion for making the subject accessible and relevant. She regularly lectures for the Walker Art Gallery, and other Art groups.

The lecture today will show the viewer how to be an "Art Detective" and discover the answers to: what? why? how? when? where? and who? painted the picture.

Brian MacDonald lived and worked amongst two tribal groups in Iran in 1972 – the Afshar of Kerman Province and the Qashqa’i of Fars.

In today’s lecture Brian will illustrate the wonderful free expression of the art of the weaver prior to the 20th Century. The talk will include a brief history of the Eastern carpet; how rugs are made; the materials used and comparisons of natural and chemical dyeing.

Andrew Keir Davidson, a landscape gardener for many years, has published three books on the planning and construction of gardens and on Zen gardening: Simple Garden Construction (1980, with Daniel Roberts), Zen Gardening (1982), and Garden Planning and Construction (1983, with Daniel Roberts).

Today Mr Davidson will explain not only the designs for the Japanese Tea Ceremony but also the development of tea houses, roof gardens and tea bowls.

John Prag is Professor of Archaeological Studies and Keeper of Archaeology at Manchester Museum.

Alderley Edge has a rich, complex history of geology, archaeology, early mining and social and natural history. Parts of the Edge have been designated as RIGGS, SSSI and SAM, while the character of the village changed radically when the railway came in 1842, creating Britain's first commuter dormitory while at the same time making it accessible as a honey-pot for Manchester's city dwellers. For many people it remains a special place, and its legend of a sleeping king is still very much alive. Much of the Edge now belongs to the National Trust, while the mines are leased by the Derbyshire Caving Club.

Tim worked originally as a composer in touring theatre during the 1970s and 1980s; but his studies, researches and explorations of Medieval Britain always developed alongside.

The lecture will explore the life of John Leland, who joined Henry V111’s Royal Household. He started his travels in 1553, when he decided to write a great description of the Kingdom, its topography, history and antiquities.