Member Exclusive Lectures
Our Members can enjoy exclusive Lectures from leading experts on a wide range of topics connected with churches and heritage.
These lectures take place on the second Monday of the month and begin at 6pm in the evening.
If you are a member, then keep an eye out for the members' e-newsletters every month for details of upcoming lectures and information on how to join these exclusive lectures. You can also contact the Membership team at supporters@thecct.org.uk or by calling 0800 206 1463.
These lectures are only accessible to Members of the Churches Conservation Trust and run in addition to our monthly "An Evening with CCT" Lectures that remain 100% free of charge and are accessible to all.
If you wish to become a Member to access these lectures, you can do so from as little as £3.50 a month. More information about our membership offer, and the many benefits, can be found here.
Upcoming Members' Exclusive Lectures
All of our Member's Exclusive Lectures are available to watch on CCTdigital.com by logging in with your membership details. Please email the Membership team at supporters@thecct.org.uk if you encounter any technical difficulties with accessing these lectures.
We look forward to welcoming our CCT Members live from 5:50pm to hear about these fascinating topics. Instructions on how to join us will be sent in the Members' E-newsletter.
On Monday, 16 Deccember 2024 from 17:50, we will welcome Dr Michelle Aroney to talk about, Stars, Signs, and Secrets: Prediction Across European History.
The Christmas season is a time for reflection, celebration, and anticipation – a time when themes of prophecy resonate deeply. Inspired by the Bodleian Libraries’ new exhibition Oracles, Omens, & Answers, this lecture delves into the rich history of prediction and forecasting, from the Magi who followed a star to Bethlehem to medieval Europe’s fascination with divination.
For millennia, people have sought to understand the present and prepare for the future by uncovering patterns in nature. Whether through celestial globes, palm readings, special calendars or even thunderclaps, these signs were believed to reveal hidden truths about the past, present, and future. They promised to offer guidance in times of uncertainty and help people navigate important decisions.
This shared human desire to find answers and reassurance in uncertain times is at the heart of the lecture. Through extraordinary artifacts and fascinating case studies, it will explore how communities across European history have sought answers to timeless questions: What is the right path forward? How will events unfold? Will my hopes – or fears – come true? Highlights include:
- Fragments of papyri from ancient oracles of Greece and Rome
- Gorgeous 14th-century English forecasting manuscripts
- Illuminated divinatory lot books compiled by monks
- 16th-century paper computers or ‘volvelles’, illustrated with dragons
- A sketch of Oscar Wilde’s palm, reflecting Victorian fascination with prophecy and personality
Join us as we explore the place of divination in European history, uncovering how the timeless search for answers has shaped cultures, guided communities, and connected us to life's mysteries.
Dr Michelle Aroney is a historian at Magdalen College, Oxford, specialising in early modern science, medicine, and religion. She is currently writing a book on the history of forecasting.
Lecture cover image: Oracles, Omens and Answers Exhibition. Image: The Original Fortune Teller, or, Chinese Wheel of Fortune by A. Park. Courtesy of the Bodleian Libraries
On Monday, 13 January 2025 from 17:50, we will welcome Sasha Handley to talk about, Spirits and Shadows: Women's Voices and the Haunting of Epworth Rectory in the 18th Century.
During this lecture, Sasha Handley will delve into a richly detailed 18th-century haunting at Epworth rectory, home of Methodist founder John Wesley and his family. The project, at heart, thinks about the reasons why women were such avid reporters of ghostly phenomena, and what these reports tell us about their social lives.
Sasha specialises in early modern social and cultural history in the British Isles, with a particular interest in histories of everyday healthcare (especially sleep practices), material culture, supernatural belief (especially relating to women's histories) and the history of emotions.
On Monday, 10 February 2025 from 17:50, we will welcome Dr Jo Esra to talk about, Anchors of Faith: Cornwall's Maritime Churches.
Cornwall’s history is deeply intertwined with the sea. For centuries, the Duchy’s rugged coastline and maritime industries have shaped the lives of its people. Amid this maritime culture, churches stood as spiritual havens—anchoring faith in communities that depended on the unpredictable ocean for their livelihood. Through a selection of coastal churches, this lecture will explore the significance of Cornwall’s maritime churches and their deep-rooted connection with the sea, through history, architecture, and community heritage.
Dr Jo Esra is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Exeter, specialising in 16th-18th century maritime history, literature and culture, particularly that of Cornwall.
On Monday, 10 March 2025 from 17:50, we will welcome Dr Chris Wingfield to talk about, Christianity, Commerce and Colonisation: Traders, Missionaries (and their Servants) at the Moffat Mission, Kuruman in South Africa.
This lecture draws on research from the Re-collecting the Missionary Road project (2017-2018) to explore the tensions between missionary, commercial, colonial, and racial forces at the Kuruman Moffat Mission. While missionaries projected Kuruman as an exemplary model of "Godly domesticity," traders also lived there from its establishment in 1824. By the twentieth century, however, the trading compound had been demolished and excluded from the site's heritage narrative. The lecture argues that acknowledging both commercial and religious forces offers a fuller understanding of the site's cultural and racial dynamics.
Dr Chris Wingfield is Senior Lecturer in the Arts of Africa at the Sainsbury Research Unit, University of East Anglia
On Monday, 14 April 2025 from 17:50, we will welcome Dr Jim Harris to talk about, St Olave Hart Street: A Church of Battles, Fires, and Restoration.
This lecture explores the rich history of St Olave Hart Street in the City of London, founded in the 11th century on the site of a battle. It became Samuel Pepys' church, survived the Great Fire, was nearly destroyed in the Blitz, and was eventually restored to use. Filled with remarkable monuments and fascinating stories, the church also holds secrets within its sculpture, including painted surfaces—an area of ongoing research. This talk will uncover the layers of history, art, and resilience that define this iconic church.
Dr Jim Harris is the Teaching Curator at the Ashmolean Museum, and an art historian specialising in late-medieval and early-Renaissance sculpture.
On Monday, 12 May 2025 from 17:50, we will welcome Anna Keay to talk about, The Restless Public: Britain without a crown.
Join historian Anna Keay for an exploration of Britain’s unique republican era, a time when the monarchy was abolished, and the people were told their will was sovereign. Through the eyes of those who lived it, Keay delves into the character and contradictions of this remarkable period, offering a fresh look at how the spirit of the season endured through a time of political upheaval. From feasts to festivities, this lecture brings the 17th century to life.
Anna Keay is a writer, historian and curator, with a special interest in 17th-century British history. Since 2012 she has been Director of the Landmark Trust.
December 2025, we are delighted to be welcoming Tracey Borman. Date and lecture detail to be announced soon.
Tracey Borman studied and taught history at the University of Hull and was awarded a PHD in 1997. Tracy went on to a successful career in heritage and has worked for a range of historic properties and national heritage organisations, including the Heritage Lottery Fund, The National Archives and English Heritage. Tracy is currently Chief Executive of the Heritage Education Trust, a charity that encourages children to visit and learn from historic properties through the Sandford Award scheme. Tracy is also joint Chief Curator for Historic Royal Palaces.
Keep an eye on this page for further updates about upcoming lectures. Our programme for the coming months will soon be announced.