Online Autumn Lecture Series 2026
New Bearings in Victorian Architecture
Our autumn lecture series celebrates the publication of the most ambitious overview of Victorian architecture in a generation.
In his new volume for the Oxford History of Art, Victorian Architecture, G.A. Bremner, Professor of Architectural History at the University of Edinburgh, has broken with the tradition of surveys based on building typologies or style. Instead, he has approached this protean subject in a series of thematic chapters that highlight the way architecture is key to understanding Victorian debates about such issues as technology, urbanism, modernity, government, empire, faith, domesticity and consumerism. A fundamental aspect of his analysis is its consistent emphasis on the global nature of Victorian architecture and its place in the greater Britain forged by the country’s colonial expansion.
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Online Autumn Lecture: 3
The Englishness of English Churches in Europe
Tuesday 10th November 2026, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
By 1914 there were nearly 300 Anglican churches across mainland Europe, the vast majority built since 1815. They were primarily erected to meet the needs of British residents, tourists and workers, but in many cases, and depending on their location, they also promoted Protestantism, the Church of England, Great Britain, British architecture and design, and the British way of life. Generally welcomed, in certain places and at certain times they were also targets of political and religious hostility. This talk explores the diverse nature of this often overlooked body of churches.
James Bettley is the author of English Churches in Europe: An Architectural and Social History, published by John Hudson this year.
Each lecture is recorded and sent out within a week after the talk. This recording can be accessed at any time.
The Victorian Society is an IHBC recognised CPD provider.
Image: St Andrew’s Biarritz France