DEVELOPMENT OF BRIGHTON & HOVE, 1840-1914: THE BUILDING OF THE VICTORIAN AND EDWARDIAN CITY, by Sue Berry Between 1840 and 1914 a series of suburbs were built in Brighton & Hove which transformed the entire city. Sue will describe how this happened, what influenced the design and layout of the suburbs, and who moved in. Read more

FROM 'OKLAHOMA' TO 'PHANTOM OF THE OPERA' - THE MODERN MUSICAL, by Ian Gledhill This illustrated Talk will look at the development of the modern musical after World War II, beginning with the ground-breaking 'Oklahoma' of 1943 through to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s long-running 'Phantom of the Opera', one of the most successful shows in theatre history. Ian Gledhill spent Read more

DECKCHAIRS, PIERS AND SOUVENIRS: THE HISTORY OF THE BRITISH SEASIDE IN 100 OBJECTS, by Kathryn Ferry Sandcastles, donkeys, piers and sticks of rock... Beach huts, paddle steamers, promenade shelters and ice cream cones... Our modern seaside is the sum of its parts and all those parts have their history. Based on Kathryn’s book Seaside 100 Read more

THE WILDLIFE OF SUSSEX, by Michael Blencowe The diverse habitats of this southern county of ours support a wide range of amazing species. Michael will take us on a guided tour, from the rockpools through the woodlands and up onto the South Downs, meeting a wide range of wildlife along the way.  Michael Blencowe is Read more

THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY, by James Dickinson The Bayeux Tapestry is a medieval embroidery depicting the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. It is remarkable both as a work of art and important as a source for 11th century history. This talk will tell the story of the tapestry and will explain most of the important Read more

This meeting is part of our regular monthly series of Zoom Talks on aspects of Science, Medicine & Technology but is organised this month through the national office so that members of other u3as can attend. For this reason you'll need to register in advance in order to get the Zoom link, but it's still Read more

Wednesday 19th February 2025 - arrive from 2pm onwards for a 2.30pm start The MARY ROSE and her Men, by Michael Shaw In July 1545 Henry VIII’s favourite ship, the Mary Rose, sank near Portsmouth during a battle against a French invasion fleet. Rediscovered in 1971 and raised from the seabed in 1982, she now Read more

THE MAKING OF ‘CASABLANCA’ by David Allen This will be a glimpse behind the scenes of one of the world’s most romantic films, a classic from the golden age of Hollywood that is forever remembered for its incredible cast, including Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, and of course the song ’As Time Goes By’.  David’s Read more

'‘THE CANCER REVOLUTION' , by Professor Timothy Humphrey Tim Humphrey is Professor of Translational Research and Genome Stability at the School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex. Prof Humphrey will present an overview of the remarkable advances in cancer research and treatments that have become available over the last 25 years.  He will discuss his own Read more

‘SEX, DNA AND CHEMISTRY IN MICROSCOPIC ANIMALS: THE STRANGE TALE OF ROTIFERS', by Dr Chris Wilson, BA, DPhil (Oxon) This event is hosted by the u3a Science Network. Bdelloid rotifers are tiny filter-feeding animals that live in freshwater habitats worldwide: in ponds, streams and lakes, even where the water sometimes dries up or freezes, like Read more