Events
The Victorian Society runs a diverse programme of events including visits, walks, online talks and weekends away. These are publicised to members below and in the ‘Blue Sheet’ which is mailed with our membership magazine, ‘The Victorian’, in February, June and October. Members receive priority booking.
The Victorian Society is an CPD provider recognised by The Institute of Historic Building Conservation. Our recorded online talks can be found in our shop here. This is a fantastic opportunity to discover over 80 lectures on Victorian and Edwardian architecture, architects, and related themes including railways.
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October
Visit: A Walking Tour of Bournville
FULLY BOOKED. Join us on Sunday 4th October for a guided walking tour of Bournville Village Estate, led by Dr Michael Harrison, exploring the remarkable legacy of the Cadbury brothers and the work of William Alexander Harvey, the estate’s original architect. Beginning at the 1905 Friends Meeting House on Linden Road, with refreshments beforehand, the walk will take in some of Bournville’s distinctive houses, cottages and architectural details, many of which survive thanks to longstanding conservation controls, with a possible visit to St Francis of Assisi Church. The walk runs from 1.00pm to 3.30pm and costs £10 per person.
More informationTalk: Hostel, House and Chambers: Accommodating the Victorian & Edwardian Working Woman By Emily Gee
In this illustrated talk based on original research, Emily Gee will tell the story of the campaigns to house a new generation of urban working women, the specialised design of the buildings and the women whose lives were transformed by this architectural movement.
More informationVictorian Short Story Reading Group: ‘Stratagem Of Puhihuia’s Elopement With Te Ponga’
The Victorian Short Story Reading Group has regular meetings to explore some of the exciting material from the golden age of the British short story, which began during the latter part of the nineteenth century. The current theme is colonial short stories, with stories from New Zealand
More informationWalk: Chiswick – St Nicholas’ Church and Burial Ground, Led by Henry Sainty
The churchyard of the old parish church at Chiswick and the adjacent burial ground are best known for the graves of Hogarth and Whistler.
More informationAutumn Online Talks 2026 Including One In Person Lecture: New Bearings in Victorian Architecture: 7 talks for 6
Our autumn lecture series celebrates the publication of the most ambitious overview of Victorian architecture in a generation.
More informationAutumn Online Talks 2026: New Bearings in Victorian Architecture: 7 talks for 6
Our autumn lecture series celebrates the publication of the most ambitious overview of Victorian architecture in a generation.
More informationVisit: A Tour of The Hippodrome Casino and The Criterion Theatre, London
Explore the history of these two theatrical sites in the heart of London’s West End.
More informationAutumn Lecture Series 2026 1: New Bearings in Victorian Architecture: Michael Hall Interviews Prof. Alex Bremner – In-Person
The series begins with Michael Hall interviewing Professor G.A. Bremner about the ideas that underpin his book: ‘Victorian Architecture’.
More informationAutumn Online Lecture Series 2026 1: New Bearings in Victorian Architecture: Michael Hall Interviews Prof. Alex Bremner
The series begins with Michael Hall interviewing Professor G.A. Bremner about the ideas that underpin his book: ‘Victorian Architecture’.
More informationTalk: A Gothic Evening with the Victorian Society
Join the Victorian Society and friends for a ghoulish evening celebrating the architecture, literature and art of the Gothic.
More informationNovember
Autumn Online Lecture Series 2026 2: Rethinking Euston Arch: Fossil Fuels, Architecture & History
This talk looks at questions that arise when we consider the history of Victorian architecture through the lens of fossil fuel.
More informationDay School: Victorian and Edwardian Justice, Crime and Punishment in the West Midlands
Our annual Day School, Victorian and Edwardian Justice, Crime and Punishment in the West Midlands, will take place at The Birmingham & Midland Institute, on Saturday 7 November 2026, from 10.15am to 4.00pm. The day will explore crime, policing, punishment and justice across the region, with talks on Birmingham’s first coroner, rogues and villains including the Peaky Blinders, crime and punishment in the Black Country, Victorian prison labour, and the conservation and modernisation of Birmingham’s magnificent Grade I listed Victoria Law Courts. Speakers include Angela Coulter, Corrine Brazier of Birmingham Police Museum, Tracey Blundell, Dr Kiran Mehta and conservation architect Rob Firman. Tickets are £45 per person, or £30 for full-time students and Young Victorians, including tea and coffee, mid-morning refreshments and a buffet lunch. Registration begins at 9.45am, and a bookstall featuring speakers’ books and related titles will also be available.
More informationAutumn Online Lecture Series 2026 3: The Englishness of English Churches in Europe by James Bettley
By 1914 there were nearly 300 Anglican churches across mainland Europe, the
majority built since 1815. This talk looks at these buildings.
Victorian Short Story Reading Group: ‘The Revenge of her Race’, by Mary Beaumont
The Victorian Short Story Reading Group has regular meetings to explore some of the exciting material from the golden age of the British short story, which began during the latter part of the nineteenth century. The current theme is colonial short stories, with stories from New Zealand
More informationAutumn Online Lecture Series 2026 4: Women and the Re-making of Edinburgh’s Old Town in the late Victorian Era
This talk explores the way that women of all classes sought to re-make the urban environment in Edinburgh’s Old Town.
More informationAutumn Online Lecture Series 2026 5: Imperial Logistics: Victorian Architecture and Infrastructure
The lecture considers how buildings formed part of the material systems through which imperial and commercial expansion operated.
More informationDecember
Autumn Online Lecture Series 2026 6: The Crimea Memorial Church in Constantinople from Competition to Completion, by Neil Jackson
This lecture follows the course of the design’s retrogression from a large, richly ornate vision to an English parish church.
More informationVictorian Short Story Reading Group: ‘The Disappearance of Lethan Crouch’ by Chas Owen
The Victorian Short Story Reading Group has regular meetings to explore some of the exciting material from the golden age of the British short story, which began during the latter part of the nineteenth century. The current theme is colonial short stories, with stories from New Zealand
More informationAutumn Online Lecture Series 2026 7: Marble in the Making: From Quarry to Building in Victorian Ireland
This talk will discuss the use of native marble in buildings in Victorian Ireland.
More information