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Annual Report of the BRLSI 2002-3
CHAIRMAN'S REVIEW
This year we have been celebrating the 10th anniversary of the revival of the BRLSI on 29th September 1993 as an independent charitable organization with the task of encouraging the arts and sciences in the Bath area and making available its collections for educational research and enjoyment by the public. BRLSI has made remarkable progress towards fulfilling its objectives and is becoming recognized as a cultural centre for Bath. By the time you read this report we shall have held a Members’ party, on October 4th, to celebrate the achievements and renew our determination to continue to make progress. Former Trustees and those who have striven to ensure the revival of the Institution were invited in particular. Throughout the year the Programme Committee have organized a series of 10th anniversary lectures in addition to the usual programme of lectures and discussion groups. The subjects are listed in the Report and Members will be able to read the texts in the Proceedings for 2002 and 2003, thanks to our Editor, Don Lovell. The majority of them will also be on the website in due course. As can be seen from the reports, we have tried to use our sector of the building as fully as possible. Outside organizations have been encouraged to meet at the Institution and we have hosted art exhibitions. Our programme of lunchtime talks is continuing and a series of ‘coffee talk’ discussions is now being undertaken on some Saturday mornings. A feature of this annual report is confirmation of the wide range of responsibilities facing those who look after our collections. Despite the fact that it has not yet been possible to appoint a part-time Curator, Trustee Robert Randall, and a team of volunteers have continued to catalogue and store more appropriately large parts of our collections. Their efforts were rewarded when BRLSI was granted provisional recognition as a ‘museum’ by the South-West Libraries, Museums and Art Galleries Council. They are now striving to achieve full recognition. The Library is also being catalogued and details are now partially accessible on our website. Thanks to the generosity of Members and others the ‘Adopt a book’ scheme is ensuring that our books are conserved so that they may be available for use. After an absence of some years the four Casali paintings removed from the ceiling of the first-floor room have been reinstated, after cleaning and restoration. On 13th September we arranged a Casali Study Day, which was organized by Trustee Jean Brushfield. This celebrated the restoration and enabled Members and the public to learn more about the history of the paintings, their connection with the Beckford family and how they came to be in our Queen Square building. The Conservators enlightened us as to what a delicate and painstaking task it was to restore and reinstall our four large paintings. An exhibition which illustrated the restoration process and the Beckford connection accompanied the lectures. BRLSI has also now entered a new field of activity, namely the reprinting of rare books. The reprinting of the first volume was suggested by John Lewis and John Brushfield (who then organized the reprint). In June, the 1844 ‘Memoirs of William Smith’- the ‘father’ of English geology- was published. Additional material and an index were generously provided by Professor Hugh Torrens, Emeritus Professor of Geology at the University of Keele. Professor Torrens and Dr Robert Anderson, former Director of the British Museum, lectured at the launch and people came considerable distances to attend the lectures and visit a related exhibition mounted by the Collections Committee. Other rare books from our collection may in future be reprinted, as interest in their subjects may stimulate their production. All of this activity would not have been possible without the time, energy and enthusiasm of Members and volunteers. We are also greatly indebted to our two hard-working part-time Administrators, Brenda Vicary-Finch and Angela Reichardt, for whom the major events have meant a good deal of additional work, and we thank them for their dedication. The Trustees also thank Angela Ould for her valuable support as Secretary to the Board and we regret her decision to retire from the post in December. At the A.G.M. of the Institution in October three of our current Trustees are retiring. Dr Roger Rolls is not seeking re-election. Robert Draper and Peter Ford will have served as Trustees for the maximum number of years allowed by our Constitution. We thank them all for their wise counsel over the years. Bob and Peter have made major contributions to the progress of the Institution over the last nine years. Bob, as Vice Chairman of the Institution and Chairman of our Management Committee, has played a major part in the development of BRLSI and has been involved continuously in preparing audio-visual and other vital equipment for use with lectures, discussion groups and special events. We owe him a great debt. I hope that you will enjoy reading this Annual Report and that you will feel proud of the achievements of the Institution. The next ten years should see the consolidation of the BRLSI as the cultural centre of Bath, but to achieve that we shall need more volunteers with the enterprise and dedication displayed over the last ten years by some of its Members. Nancy Catchpole
THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
This has been our tenth anniversary year since we re-opened and to celebrate we have had an exceptionally busy lecture programme. To coincide with this our data projector decided to give up and our thanks go to the University who have bailed us out while we looked for another to purchase. These are coming down in price but will still dent our finances. Use of this particular type of equipment is now running on a par with 35mm slide projection and we should be looking at obtaining a second by some means as soon as possible. The building has not given us any nasty surprises and scheduled maintenance is keeping on top of most problems. This year we had scaffolding up and the exterior paintwork done as well as some re-pointing work. Rear elevation windows and Moore Room lantern are the main points of concern. Philosophical differences arise as to whether to replace existing Critall type metal windows with the same or to do the necessary building work to put sash windows in their place. After a review conducted by Prof. David Beaugeard a glass entrance lobby was recommended, just inside the front door to our downstairs room, and this met with general approval. The various building consents have been obtained and tenders are now being sought. New carpet has been put down and the interiors of the shutters in this room have been re-painted and brighten the room up considerably. As there is a demand for more daytime meetings we have installed some extra blinds to help with blacking out for these. An under-utilised area of our building are the cellars under the road. These have largely been cleared out by volunteers. We will be searching out some grant aid for tanking these. The collections volunteers have a use and there is some requirement for storage related to the Science Fair ( for which three of our members received an award from the Institute of Physics) held annually in Green Park as part of National Science Week. To enable members and visitors to be shown our web site ( http://brlsi.bath.ac.uk ), and conduct web searches, we have purchased a PC for the front room. The Casali paintings have been re-installed in the Pink Room on the first floor and more appropriate lighting will have to be installed in this room. On the matter of lighting, we have occasional art displays on the ground floor (Artists303 being the latest) and really need to obtain additional gallery type lighting for the wall areas here. We are currently up-grading some of our audio-visual infrastructure. A new PA system is being installed in the Pink Room and an additional larger projection screen. This will be particularly beneficial to the latest Society to use the our premises - Bath Film Society – who have had to vacate their previous premises at the Octagon in Milsom Street. The
staffing has remained constant over the period but there will be an
addition in the near future, a part-time curator to be appointed. One
aspect of the success of the William Smith re-print was the extra
strain put on the office with the distribution of these. Our thanks
go to Angela Reichardt and Brenda Vicary-Finch for coping so well
under pressure. Lessons have been learnt and it will hopefully be
easier next time. BRLSI never fails to surprise - your writer came
into the office at the time of a 'phone call from Australia where a
descendant of John Phillips (William Smith's nephew who wrote the
book) had heard about the book and was ordering up a copy. The last
similar occasion was when a late member, Col. Monty Flash, turned up
on the doorstep on a Saturday with a colleague who announced: "I'm
a relative of Darwin" ! Bob Draper
There was a much improved turnout for the members’ meeting this year compared with 2002. Numbers were swelled by members who had joined the Institution since the beginning of last year, who had been individually invited to the meeting by Nancy Catchpole. After welcoming those present, and especially the newer members, Nancy began the meeting with a brief introduction which was followed by interesting presentations by Andy Pepperdine on the Programme, Rodney Tye on financial matters and John Lewis on the Collections. Bob Draper then invited those present to say what they wanted from the Institution. Two of the main themes to emerge were whether the programme could include more arts topics, and how to attract younger people to events. Newer members (who were not necessarily younger!) brought some valuable ideas to the discussion. One offered to lead some meetings on poetry, and another expressed a wish for post-theatre discussions and perhaps play-reading. Another new member suggested that the University Students Unions be invited to nominate someone to the Programme Committee. It was suggested that there should be more talks about aspects of the collections, and also that workshops for children be devised, based on artefacts from the collections, as was done in other museums and galleries. As to what had attracted them to BRLSI in the first place, several new members agreed that it was the diversity and quality of the programme, and they hoped that it would remain serious and rigorous. No-one was left in any doubt about the importance to the Institution of volunteers of all kinds, and the constant need for more. Afterwards there was a good opportunity to socialise over refreshments, develop new acquaintances and find out more about the BRLSI’s resources, past, present and future. Angela Ould SUB-COMMITTEES
COLLECTIONS
Museum Registration On 14 November 2002 we obtained Provisional Registration for 12 months under phase two of the Museum Registration Scheme. To be eligible for full registration the collections must be accessible to the public on a regular basis. This may become possible on a limited scale with the glass vestibule in place and, following refurbishment in 2005, there may eventually be scope for mounting permanent displays. Another requirement is that we institute a programme of regular inspection of the collections in store. We have begun this process by making an inspection of the collections of weapons and of the plant fossils from the Coal Measures, which in some cases require conservation. Targets submitted with our registration form: - 1. Standardisation of Location/Movement records: This has been accomplished 2. Registration of all recent acquisitions: The backlog will soon be cleared 3. All acquisitions documented on computer by end of March 2004: This is achievable, apart from acquisitions between 1939 and 1993, which were not all documented. 4. Marking and/or labelling of all boxes and loose objects by end of March 2004: We need volunteer(s) to methodically check all items. It may not be feasible to accomplish this by March. 5. Sort the library into subject order and make the catalogue accessible via the Internet: The catalogue is accessible via the Members’ PC on the ground floor, but not yet on the web-site. Preparation for sorting will begin shortly. 6. Make the Minerals catalogue accessible via the Internet: The catalogue will initially be made available via the Members’ PC on the ground floor. 7. Record on computer all material on loan or known to have been dispersed/destroyed 8. Re-negotiate
loan agreements for all material on loan at other museums: - Library Conservation More of our valuable books have benefited from the ‘Adopt-a-Book’ scheme. Donations so far amount to over £4000. This has allowed us to restore some 60 volumes. Members and others have been, and still are, very generous in supporting this good cause. A laying press has been purchased for £100 from the Society of Bookbinders to enable in-house restoration. John Lewis, Tim Gulliford and Judy Partridge have checked, cleaned and made minor repairs to 1900 volumes and rebound or restored a further 12 volumes themselves. We have received and commented on the draft Preservation Assessment Survey report produced by the National Preservation Office (a branch of the British Library). At the time of writing (August 2003) we have yet to receive the final document, but in the draft were two recommendations: - 1. House the unstable volumes such as the parliamentary papers in phase boxes. We hope to provide these volumes with extra protection shortly. 2. Produce a written disaster plan. We have agreed to do this for the collections as a whole rather than just concentrate on the library. An official policy document is being developed for the library. Rules and procedures for handling and use of books will also be developed. Similar documents will be developed for the management and use of the archives and other collections. This is being done in preparation for 2005.
Environmental Control The chemical damp course in the basement is no longer effective and the walls are beginning to be affected by rising damp. The geology store, the worst affected area, will shortly be treated, and the rest of the basement will be treated in 2005. The heat pipes in the Library have now been lagged and it is hoped this will provide some improvement until refurbishment in 2005. The number of strip-lights has been reduced to cut down on IR and UV radiation. The floor is about to be repainted. Although the heat pipes in the Strong Room are lagged, it still gets rather too hot and dry during the winter months. This situation will be resolved by changes planned for 2005. Blinds have been installed in the Ethnology Store.
Help with Documentation
Archives Most of the early photographs in our collection have now been catalogued, and number at least 900. They include work by several photographers, two of which, George Hilditch and Francis Lockey, are well known for their work. The latter photographed extensively in the Bath area. Stuart Foley, a mature architecture student is helping scan images of pen-and-ink drawings of old churches and houses in the Bath area. These would be suitable for marketing, either as prints, postcards, or in a book of views of old Bath, but first we need to identify the artist ‘JACV’. During the summer we have also had help from Andrée Peacock in cataloguing some of our historical prints. One album contains a pictorial history of the French Revolution, another album contains 18th and 19th century prints illustrating the architecture and setting of historic buildings in Britain and elsewhere. Jane Coates announced her wish to retire from the post of Archivist in 2002. A replacement is still required for this important position.
Ethnology Paul and Carol Birkeland Green have produced an image catalogue on CD-ROM of the collection of Seal impressions. Bath Heraldic Society have a copy and they have been able to identify or describe many of them. Don Lovell is building a catalogue from the data they provide. A lecture and small display is planned to publicise this part of the collections. Oceanic material has been documented by Judy Bowles. This information will be entered on the computer catalogue shortly. Ghazi Sabir Ali has helped us to interpret Arabic inscriptions on coins. Brian MacElney, proprietor of the Museum of East Asian Art, is helping to identify and describe oriental material in the collections.
Archaeology Members of Bath & Camerton Archaeological Society continue to draw and document pottery items from the collections, under the guidance of Nick Griffiths. As a result of this collaborative venture, they gain training and experience in drawing techniques and we obtain illustrations and descriptions of our collections. Nick, who is a professional illustrator, was reimbursed for travelling expenses in 2001-2 by Bath & Camerton. BRLSI will reimburse his travel expenses for 2002-3. Dawn Hodgson is writing up her work on the human remains. The results will be prepared for an item on the web-site. Dawn is also documenting the bones and teeth found on Bath & Camerton’s archaeological digs.
Geology Most of the William Lonsdale collection has been catalogued but there is also un-accessioned Lonsdale and Charles Moore material, which requires accessioning. A volunteer is required to allow cataloguing to continue.
Work experience During the summer break of 2002, Laura Saxty, a student at King Edward’s School, provided us with a short biography of Charles Moore. Rose Wilkinson, a student from the European School in Varese, Italy, spent a week with us this summer. During that time she provided us with an article for our web-site on Giovanni Costa, two of whose paintings we possess (currently at the Victoria Art Gallery). She has also helped catalogue some of our photographs and prints.
Enquiries and research In September 2002 we provided Dr. Oliver Hampe of Berlin with digital images of ‘type’ specimens of Palaeozoic sharks in the Moore collection. Although the fossils were very small, the quality of our images was perfectly adequate for his research, thanks to the image processing skills of Carol Birkeland Green. In the autumn we supplied the Time Team with a 3-D model of the landscape around Bath. This was used in their programme, which sought to discover the course of the Fosse Way in front of and behind the Royal Crescent. Jane Coates gave a talk on the BRLSI archives on 14th January. This was addressed to the Bath Historical Research Group and was followed up by a tour of the archives and library and an explanation of the cataloguing work we are undertaking. They were very impressed with the progress we have made. In March 2003 we gave permission for Katherine Clark, a PhD student at Bristol University, to take samples from the wrappings of two of our mummies currently at Bristol City Museum. She has provided a summary of her project for our web-site. Christina Strang of Erasmus Darwin House spent some time studying the works of Erasmus Darwin in our library. As a result she was inspired to republish Erasmus Darwin’s ‘Temple of Nature’ to mark the bi-centenary of its original publication. In recognition of the help we provided, Erasmus Darwin House has donated a copy of ‘The Lunar Men’ by Jenny Uglow, which details the history of the Lunar Society. We have provided details of library catalogues that we possess to Prof. Howard-Hill from South Carolina, who is compiling a bibliography of early libraries. In January we supplied Bath Chronicle with illustrations and information for an article on William Smith. This provided useful publicity for our launch of the Memoirs of William Smith in June. We also provided the chronicle with information on Leonard Jenyns and Charles Darwin for an article to coincide with the launch of the Beagle 2 mission to Mars on June 2nd. Jane Coates, Dawn Hodgson and others have been researching Hastings Elwin. purchaser of the Casali paintings and a founder member of BRLSI. Trudy Wallace has provided an account of Thomas Moore (the poet) and the Marquis of Lansdowne for our web-site. The former attended the inaugural meeting and the latter was the first president of BRLSI. The work done for the Fox Talbot Museum by Sheila Metcalf and Trudy Wallace at BRLSI has been acknowledged in the newsletter of the National Trust, and in the museum guide. Tony Holbrook, librarian, and Colin Johnson, archivist, of the Bath & West have visited us to familiarise themselves with our library and archives. We provided them with a copy of the old BRLSI library catalogue, which includes a catalogue of the Bath & West library, in exchange for two copies of the current catalogues of their library and archives.
Exhibitions and public events Book art was very much in evidence this year. In October 2002 we provided a venue for Karen MacDonald’s fascinating exhibition of book art. During the Literature Festival in March 2003, Bath Artist Printmakers exhibited their Millennium Project, a book of prints by contemporary Bath artists re-interpreting biblical stories relating to Saul and David. This important item has since been presented to BRLSI. During the winter it will be exhibited along with duplicates of the prints that it contains, at the Visual Arts Centre at Scunthorpe. Mary MacVicker has provided us with an article on Adela Breton and her family for the web-site. An exhibition of South American and Mexican material donated by Adela Breton was mounted during April and May. At the end of May another example of book art, this time created by Carol Mandeville, was on display. This very unusual structure incorporated all of the minerals that have been found in the hot springs at Bath. To complement this we provided an example of mineral deposits crystallised out of the spring waters, and an unpublished manuscript illustrating the theory (no longer accepted) that the hot springs originate in the Mendips. The exhibition mounted to coincide with the William Smith book launch on 7th June was well received. In appreciation of his complementary copy of the Memoirs, Ron Pickford has presented us with a catalogue of British Fossils, a volume which once was used as a reference by BRLSI curators, but which was sold in 1960, then re-found and re-purchased by Ron in 1961. The Casali paintings have been returned and were finally installed in the Pink Room on 8th and 9th August 2003. An exhibition to coincide with the Casali Study Day on 13th September includes material provided by the Beckford Society and by Dyrham Park who also have works by Andrea Casali.. Material to illustrate the progress of BRLSI during the last ten years will be exhibited at the 10th anniversary celebrations in October. With the help of Christina Bramble, we aim to mount an exhibition entitled Exploring India, to run during the museums open-week, October 27th-31st. This will include a competition for children and culminate in a workshop that Christina will organise for the end of open-week. Acquisitions We continue to be given, or purchase, books by visiting speakers. In addition to supporting the ‘Adopt-a-Book’ project, Prof. Geoffrey Coates has generously donated several books and papers on chemistry subjects. Ron Pickford, curator of the BRLSI collections for many years, has provided us with a useful checklist of British Fossils, see exhibitions. Bath Artist Printmakers have donated their Millennium Project, the ‘Saul and David’ book, see exhibitions. Kingswood School have decided they can no longer justify holding a museum collection. This is predominantly of archaeological material, much of it excavated under the guidance of John Gardner, who curated and catalogued their collections. Included is material selected from the BRLSI collections in 1962. They have kindly offered their collection to BRLSI, and Bath & Camerton Archaeological Society have provided temporary storage until we can make room for it at Queen Square.
Robert Randall
The day-to-day finances of the Institution have followed an established pattern and figures generally have been close to budget. We now have a second administrative secretary, working half the week, so the office is permanently staffed. On a self-employed consultancy basis, the web-site of the Institution is kept up-to-date and is well-regarded. Throughout then year the position of part-time curator has been vacant, although likely soon to be filled.; so there have been no outgoings under this heading. Both our tenants continue in occupation and rent is always received promptly. Again this year there has been expenditure on heating for the Moore Room. The monies for the legal settlement with the local authority have been received, amounting to net after epenses of approximately £600,000. A little more than half is held in specialist Charity Deposit Accounts, and the balance has been invested in Charity Common Investment Funds, and some short-dated gilts. Messrs. Rowans of Old Bond St., Bath, have been appointed Financial Advisers, and will report regularly. Rodney Tye
EXPENDITURE £109,903
WEB-SITE The BRLSI website is now becoming a truly integral part of the Institution’s programme. Now in its seventh year the website strives to provide a truly comprehensive archive of the Proceedings, Diary, and virtually all activities that take place at the Institution. Several new features have been added to the site this year. Firstly the ability to apply for Membership using the new Credit and Debit card facilities. Secondly online forms for the purchase of special items (namely the William Smith book). In addition the site has a new sophisticated menu driven navigation system, to make finding what you want much easier, and an added facility of ‘large text only’ for those with restricted vision. The Institution’s site received around 220,000 hits last year and continues to grow. Closely related to the increasing use of computers, by members, this year has seen the introduction of a ‘New Members Membership Card’ in the form of a mini CD-ROM ebusiness card. In addition to being attractive the card also contains the full 2001 Annual Proceedings vol.5 in HTML format readable by PC, MAC and LINUX formats. Further data included on the disk includes a full Powerpoint presentation on the Chronology of the Institution (produced by Jean Brushfield) and the AGM presentation (produced by Donald Lovell). The new card is available to all members via the BRLSI office (for a small charge to cover costs). It is hoped that next years card will contain much more information of interest to members. The ‘Virtual Museum’ project is also continuing. A fully illustrated CD-ROM catalogue of the ‘Seals’ collection and the ‘Adele Breton’ collection are progressing well. Additional digitisation and CD-ROM’s are under review. I am continuing to incorporate the Institution’s activities, both past and present, into the site. Virtually all post 1997 printed material is available, making it possible to find Events, Reports and Summaries with relative ease. The, Website Sub-Committee continues to monitor the site for accuracy and content. Paul Birkeland-Green THE INSTITUTION'S PROGRAMME
Ten years ago, in September 1993, the Institution was re-established after having been somewhat moribund for 50 years. To celebrate the fact that we have not only survived, but prospered and developed in the last ten years, each of the discussion groups put on special lectures from distinguished speakers within their areas. We also branched out into publishing with a facsimile copy of William Smith's memoirs from our collection of books, with additions by Prof. High Torrens. At the launch, there was a day of lectures and displays organised by Jean Brushfield. And in September we heard about Andrea Casali and his paintings that are now restored and in the ceiling of Pink Room again after 8 years' work. In summary, 2002-3 was another good year with the Institution putting on nearly 100 lectures and talks under its own name. In addition, there were 4 special demonstrations, and an external visit. Twelve more lectures were in the programme jointly with another organisation in the region. In all, the rooms in the Institution were in occupation during the year on 222 occasions, which included exhibitions of prints, paintings and sculpture, compared with 236 last year. Maintaining such a dense booking list is due mainly to the administrators who have worked hard to provide the services the conveners have come to expect.
Programme Sub-committee
LECTURES
September 12 Breaking the Lorenz Cyphers Frank Carter October 23 JOHN
WOOD LECTURE (arr. Victor
Suchar) November 7 The
German Elections Prof. G. Glaessner November 20 The
Art and Science of Ballooning November 21 Indiana
Jones & The Dipole of Doom November 29 The
Tingle Factor – The Psychology of Music December 13 CHRISTMAS
LECTURE (arr. by Victor
Suchar) January 31 The Heat of the Moment Tim Joss February 17 Saving the Scrolls Prof. Robert Fowler March 7 The
Map that Changed the World June 13 The Downland Gridshell Richard Harris
TENTH ANNIVERSARY LECTURES
In 1993, the Institution was re-formed and the tenth anniversary in 2003 was celebrated by a special series of lectures, at least one from each of the discussion groups. January 17 Ecology
– The New Imperialism March 4 Determinism
and Free Will April 25 High
Anxiety: the Struggle to Interpret Modern May 9 Baudelaire
& the Medium of Poetry May 20 Feminism May 21 The
Architecture of Landscape June 18 Scientific
Theory and Reality June 24 Transport
in Britain in the 21st Century – July 8 Transport
and Society July 11 Taking
the Temperature
PUBLIC MEETINGS
September 4 Debate (arr. Rodney Tye) chaired by Don Foster, MP July 31 Short
Debates (arr. by Rodney
Tye)
DISCUSSION GROUP MEETINGS
Economics Rodney Tye Six meetings have been held during the year, with one meeting having four different topics to debate. In the choice of speakers the aim has been to give members the chance to promote their views with influential opinion formers (eg. an MEP); or to gain useful practical guidance on how different organisations might be approached (eg. sponsors).
September 26 The
Queen's Peace December 6 Wider Wealth and the European
Union March 31 Call and Contact Centres May 29 World Trade and National
Governments
French Civilisation Martin Sturge & Anne Whitmarsh
January 16 Film:
“Le Goût des Autres” Dr. Steve Wharton
Herschel Dick Phillips The Herschel (Astronomy)
Group usually meets on the first Friday evening of the month. It is a
collaborative venture between the BRLSI and the William Herschel
Society. Anything which would interest the Herschels goes;
consequently its activities are mainly but not exclusively
astronomical. All were astronomers but, in addition, William was a
musician and scientist, John a chemist, poet, diplomat, and master of
the Royal Mint, Caroline a singer, biographer (and, presumably, cook
and housekeeper!). September 6 Was
the Landing on the Moon Faked? October 4 By Sail to the Stars Brian Robertson November 1 HAND
– The Thowaway Satellite December 6 Antique Astronomical Books Eddie Carpenter January 3 The
Metre and the Cross-channel Connection February 7 The
Atmosphere and Climate of Mars April 4 Jets in Radio Galaxies Dr. Martin Hardcastle May 2 The
Herschel Space Observatory – Exploring the June 6 Astronomical Miscellany Members
Literature & Humanities Peter Valentine The Literature and Humanities Group has continued to enlarge over the last year. Its main aims remain, as before, that is to say in line with the aims of the Society, to spread understanding of specialities laterally but preserve depth without irrelevant intellectualisation. To make the Arts more comprehensible to those with a scientific background brought up on the disciplines of reality. A recent committee meeting suggested the Arts Groups should expand generally. This included a separate Poetry group, to start in 2004, Visits to Exhibitions and a Music Group for the future. September 17 The Novels of Ian McEwan Nancy Catchpole October 15 Dancing the Impossible – A Poet's Life Leo Aylen November 19 A
Witchcraft Judge Says Sorry January 21 Cubist
Man & the American Connection February 18 Not So Oscar Wilde Prof. Brian Crossley March 18 Henry James' “Portrait of a Lady” Betty Suchar June 17 Robert
Louis Stevenson – Romantic Fiction & July 15 Favourite Poetry & Prose Members Philosophy Victor Suchar >From September '02 to July '03 we held ten regular meetings and sponsored two “Tenth Anniversary Lectures”, as shown below. The regular meetings typically consisted of a 50 to 60 minute presentation, followed by an hour discussion with 30-35 people participating. The two Lectures were attended by a wider audience. Seven of speakers were BRLSI members who agreed to research and present papers of their interest, and the others were invited. September 3 Wilhelm
Dilthey and the Philosophy of Human October 1 Physics and Metaphysics Geoffrey Catchpole November 5 The Brain & the Creation of Pattern and Illusion Tony Rawson December 3 Dreams as Truth Linda Patterson January 7 Ayn
Rand & the Concept of Authenticity February 4 Spinoza Dr. William Mander April 1 Critical
Theory – the Significance of the May 6 Reality & Justice Prof. Paul Edwards June 3 Blanchot
& the Exigencies of Literature July 1 Mapping
the Present – Heidegger, Foucault &
Science Andy Pepperdine There have been ten discussion group meetings, three lectures and one external visit organised for the Science group. One of the lectures was by Frank Carter from Bletchley Park, which led to a visit there; the other lectures were in the tenth anniversary series. On July 25, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the double helix of DNA. The standard and variety of topics has been maintained. September 27 The
International Mathematical Olympiad, 2002 October 25 Energy,
Science and Sustainability November 22 Turning Pancreas into Liver Dr. David Tosh December 20 Drugs,
Sex, and Molecular Biology January 24 Designing for Disabled People Dr. A.K. Clarke February 28 Ayurvedic Medicine Paul Cresswell March 24 When Oceans Die Dr. Richard Twitchett May 23 The
Physics of Road Accident Investigation June 27 Victorian Visions Dr. Peter Broks July 25 A Brief History of DNA Dr. James Chong
Transport Mike Wrigley If there was a theme to this year’s lectures, it was “What type of transport system do we need or want in the future?” Gareth James of Halcrow set the scene with a description of the study for BANES on “The vision for Bath”, ideas for handling transport and accessibility in the city over the next twenty years. Other speakers took specific topics within this overall theme. Hugh Barton (UWE) considered the concept of sustainability and its application to transport, Nicky Woodfield (UWE) spoke about transport and air quality, and Sandra Manley and Richard Guise, also from UWE, gave presentations on accessibility requirements and the role of urban design in dealing with transport problems. Three speakers gave presentations on different types of transport system. The author Harold Lewis spoke about the future of London’s Underground, Bob Fowler (Bristol CC) provided an insight into the problems of introducing new transport systems with a talk on the proposed rapid transit system for Bristol, and Dr. Colin Jefferson gave a lecture on the concept and application of Hybrid Vehicles. The one historical perspective this year was provided by Dr. Brenda Buchanan who spoke on “J.L.Mc.Adam and the Bath Turnpike Trust”. Even in this talk, there was a relevance to the current transport debate, particularly on the role of the private sector in transport provision and on charging for road use. Prof. Glenn Lyons completed the series for 2002-2003 with a repeat of his inaugural professorial lecture, Transport and Society, an analysis of transport’s role in our future society.
The highlight of the year was the Transport Group’s contribution to the Tenth Anniversary Lecture Series. Chris Austin, Director of Communications for the Strategic Rail Authority, provided an optimistic view of the future of the railways with his lecture “Transport in the UK in the 2!st. Century”. September 10 Traffic
Management and Urban Design October 8 J.L. McAdam & the Bath Turnpike
Trust November 12 The Vision for Bath December 10 Accessibility in Town Centres –
For Whom? January 14 Sustainable Development for
Transport February 11 Hybrid Vehicles for Clean
Cities March 11 Air Quality and Transport Nicky Woodfield April 8 London's Changing Underground Harold Lewis May 13 Light Rapid Transit System for
Bristol
World Affairs Geoff Catchpole The programme for Autumn 2002 provided discussions on earthquake relief in India, led by an involved medic, and on the post-war situation in Afghanistan, as reported by Professor Wood (Bath University), who has spoken to us before on his experience of South-East Asian developments. The keynote address for the 2003 series was given in January by Dr Malcolm McIntosh (also of Bath University), who promoted the Institute for Sustainability, an international network of professionals who seek to initiate research on sustainability issues. In his words ' The Institute is dedicated to trying to get the two cultures of natural and social science working together, to getting reductionists and system thinkers talking; and making society more scientifically and socially literate'. The following discussions reflected that concern, particularly in relation to the work of local research teams. In February we learned of 'Microfinance and global poverty' and in June of 'Poverty, inequality and the quality of life in developing countries'. Our speaker in May also illustrated the degree of self-help which the least advantaged of our world are achieving when the work of 'Action on Disability and Development' (a local organisation) was discussed. Not every discussion related solely to the Third World, however, as the discussion in July reflected on 'Children, obesity and modern life' with Dr Elizabeth Poskitt, an eminent paediatrician.
September 20 Earthquake Relief in India Dr. Bharat Pankhania October 18 Afghanistan
at the Crossroads February 21 Microfinance
& Global Poverty March 21 Yemen: Then and Now Sarah Searight May 15 Disability & Development Ruth Knagg
June 20 Poverty, Inequality & the Quality of Life in July 17 Children,
Obesity & Modern Life
OTHER BRLSI EVENTS
BRLSI Members' Meetings October 16 Annual General Meeting of the Institution January 25 New Year's Party May 17 Half-yearly Information Meeting for Members
Book Launch June 7 Memoirs
of William Smith ( arr. by
Jean Brushfield )
Competitions May 28 Through a Window (arr.
by Martin Sturge )
Demonstrations February 16 Liquid Nitrogen Show Dr. Peter Ford February 23 The Mathematical Magic of Celtic
Knots March 2 Bubbles in Bath Tony Wilde Science Fair March 7
& 8 Bath Taps into Science, in association with
DAYTIME MEETINGS Lunchtime Meetings (arranged by Jean Brushfield) October 10 Bristol
to Bath – The Midland Way December 12 REMAP
– Creating Customised Equipment for
Saturday Morning Lectures A series of lectures arranged jointly with the Herschel Society. Oct 19, Nov 2, Nov 23,
Nov 30 & Dec 4
Coffee talks led by Geoffrey Catchpole The series of Saturday morning discussions begun in 2002 under the title COFFEE TALK continued through 2003, when issues of current concern have been addressed. Some related to U.S. global policy and then to the Iraq war, both before and after that event, but also to the unification of Europe and to education in Britain today, as well as universities and career women. These discussions are reported at length, together with those under 'World Affairs', in each issue of the Institute's Proceedings and progressively on the Institute's website.
October 26 Impending War in Iraq November 9 What is Art? December 21 Who Cares? - about Global Poverty January 11 Policy on the Middle East & Education in Britain February 8 Unifying Europe March 8 Is an Iraq War Inevitable? April 12 Iraq Post-war May 10 Career Women and Government Policy June 14 Ideals and Realities of Universities
VISITS & EXCURSIONS October 24 Station X at Bletchley Park Andy Pepperdine
THE INSTITUTION'S PROCEEDINGS
The 2002 volume, Number 6, included reports on two new events in the Institution's calendar the Poetry Competition and the Coffee Morning Discussions. The prize-winning poems for first and second place in each of the three classes Junior, Senior and Veteran were printed. The Coffee Morning Discussions covered a wide range of current topics of interest, such as monarchy, Islamic fundamentalism, the impending war in Iraq, Art, and world poverty. These reports will provide future generations of readers with an interesting record of opinions at the time the topics were making news to compare, and sometimes contrast, with current newspaper articles. The lectures and discussion groups covered their usual amazingly wide range of subjects; where else could you talk about Astronomy & the Ice Ages, Modern Architecture, The Final Phase of Platonic Education, Trams vs. Buses; Women & the Future of Afghanistan, The Compensation Culture, two books and the biography of a Victorian naturalist within one month? All these reports appear on our web site; do refer to it for any meetings you missed. From July 2003, the web-site version of the Proceedings is put onto the new membership cards, which are miniature CDs for use in PCs, and from 2004, all renewals will receive these new cards. As usual the Editor thanks all the organisers of events for providing reports and the printers for producing an attractive book. Being Editor is a fascinating and informative job that this Editor will have to relinquish before long. A successor will be required from the Membership; anyone interested is invited to contact the incumbent for a talk. Don Lovell, Editor
As of 15 September 2003, there were 491 fully paid up and complimentary members of the Institution, which is an increase of about 40 over last year. More of our members are choosing to pay by direct debit, which may have contributed to a lowered rate of loss. We are continuing to benefit from the many Gift Aid declarations that allow us to collect a useful sum in addition to the subscriptions. As a trial this year all new members have been supplied with a membership card in the form of a mini-CD on which are recorded the Proceedings and other articles in a format that any Personal Computer can read and interpret. These have led to several very positive comments, and from next year, all renewals as well as new members will receive these. The Proceedings will still be available in printed format for those who ask for them. Brenda Vicary-Finch Membership Secretary
LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
see Angela Ould
TRUSTEES REPORT TO YEAR END MARCH 2002 This was a facsimile of a signed report. See Angela Ould
REPORT OF AUDITORS
This was facsimile of signed report. 11 sheets plus 2 titles etc. = 13 sheets, first on right.
See Rodney Tye.
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