National Monuments and Building Record Lecture series

Each year Historic Environment Division (HED) organises a series of lectures by professional archaeologists, architects and historians to highlight various aspects of our local heritage.

Starting off the series of lectures we have, ‘John Nash and the Regency in Irelands’ lecture which will take place at the Ulster Museum on Friday 8 September. Terence Reeves-Smyth, HED Architect, will be present this lecture and gives us a taste of what to expect.

As architect to the Prince Regent, John Nash (1752-1835) was responsible for some of the most memorable buildings of the early 19th century, such as the Royal Pavilion, Brighton. His architecture came to epitomise the Regency era itself; he was one of the few architects of the 19th century to fully appreciate the importance of marrying building with landscapes. As the most prolific architect of his generation, he travelled widely, including Ireland, where from 1803 he designed many country houses, churches and other buildings - a legacy that will be explored in this lecture.

On Friday 13 October the lecture is ‘Fifty Years Discovered, the underwater archaeology of the Girona shipwreck (1588)’ and will take place at the Linen Hall Library.

In this illustrated talk, underwater Archaeologist Rory McNeary, a Senior Marine Archaeologist from DAERA, will outline the story of the Girona, from its ill-fated involvement with the Spanish Armada, culminating in its wrecking, to its rediscovery in 1967 and the recovery of the incredible artefacts that now make up the Ulster Museum’s Armada Collection. His talk will also look at the Girona site in the context of its protected status as a designated wreck under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973, and outline what we know of the present site in terms of potential surviving archaeological evidence on the seabed.

The lectures are free to attend and everyone is welcome. Lectures will take place on a number of Friday afternoons between 1pm – 2pm. If you are interested in attending any of the lectures a full list is available.

• National Monuments and Buildings Record for Northern Ireland Lecture Series 2017-18

If you have any queries about the lectures then email mbr-enquiries@communities-ni.gov.uk.

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