Mark Lewis

Speaker Topics

Other

Locations Covered

- South East

Fees

<£75

Availability

Short Notice, 3 Month Minimum

Profile Bio

Mark is a freelance artist, designer-silversmith, semi-retired university lecturer and public speaker. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Horners with a wide range of interests in the visual arts. Mark is also a folklorist and has been a member of the Folklore Society since 1987, speaking regularly at their conferences around the UK. He has a particular interest in unusual local customs and rituals and in 2013 he published a book on the folklore and popular customs of the church. Furthermore, Mark is passionate about lighthouses, being an active member of the Association of Lighthouse Keepers and he is currently their Education Officer.

Talk Description

The Sentinels of the Sea – The Amazing History of Lighthouses

A general introduction to “pharology” - the study of lighthouses and other navigational aids, giving an outline from the prototype - the Pharos of Alexandria, through the evolving history of their remarkable construction, methods of illumination and operation, including the extraordinary lives of the keepers and heroic stories associated with them.

Other Talks

Other talks:

The Girl with the Windswept Hair – The Grace Darling Story
Smuggling Days and Smuggling Ways
The Tidal Thames – its Folklore and Traditions
The Customs and Traditions of the City of London
Cups and their Customs – The Folklore of Drinking Vessels
The Folklore of Houses
Cribs, Cards and Christingles - The Origins of Christmas Traditions and Customs
Beating the Bounds
Making an Entrance: The Folklore and Symbolism of Doors
A Social History of Cutlery

Art talks:
William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Movement
The World of Art Nouveau
The World of Art Deco
The Bauhaus
London through Artists’ Eyes