Chinese Intermediate
This course is for those who have a good basic knowledge of spoken Mandarin and Chinese characters. We will be following a textbook and lots of videos for conversation and vocabulary building. We will also be having fun practising more Chinese characters (excellent for mindfulness), reading simple Chinese books and news headlines, and following the […]
Chinese Beginners Plus
This course is for those who have a basic understanding of Mandarin Chinese, including Pinyin. We’ll be extending your vocabulary, learning from everyday conversations, having fun practising Chinese characters (good for mindfulness), reading simple Chinese books, and finding out about Chinese culture and customs. By the end of the course, you should be able to […]
Life Drawing with Collette
This is an excellent opportunity to work in a friendly and diverse group. Working directly with a different model each week, you will be able to develop and explore your own unique style. From beginners to professional artists and illustrators, these sessions are structured to enable you to practice and experiment, allowing you to broaden […]
Life Drawing with Collette
This is an excellent opportunity to work in a friendly and diverse group. Working directly with a different model each week, you will be able to develop and explore your own unique style. From beginners to professional artists and illustrators, these sessions are structured to enable you to practice and experiment, allowing you to broaden […]
The Art of Architecture – Ancient to the 16th Century
The Art of Architecture - Ancient to the 16th Century Come and explore the history of architecture from its beginnings in the ancient world to the present time. This three lecture overview with James Willis will take you to ancient Egypt and Rome, the French Cathedrals, English Country gardens, modern New York and so much […]
Persian Empires Since the Achaemenids
The philosopher Georg Hegel trumpeted the Achaemenids as launching the historical process by creating the earliest empire in the modern sense of rule over a number of peoples. Cyrus established this great empire, from the Indus to the Aegean Sea, before the unification of China or the expansion of Rome. The Arabs might have conquered […]
Chinese Brush Painting: Flower and Bird
Suitable for beginners and improvers. We will be looking at the Chinese approach to painting flowers and birds which aims to capture the spirit of the subject rather than an exact likeness.
The Roman Empire
The Roman Empire of Augustus and Marcus Aurelius might have collapsed more than fifteen hundred years ago but it has persisted in the imaginations of Europeans around the world as the very archetype of empire. Recently we’re told (who knows on what basis) that the average European or American male thinks about the Roman Empire […]
Whose Wine is it Anyway?
Do you fancy yourself a wine connoisseur? If so then join us for a fun evening of wine tasting coupled with a quiz. Our three experts will tell you all about the wine you are tasting, but which one of them is telling the truth? With 7 to 8 different wines to taste, your guesses […]
Albums Classiques – Spécial Français A talk on Édith Piaf’s Récital 1961 & Serge Gainsbourg’s Histoire De Melody Nelson
In a new edition of our Classic Albums series, a Spécial Français, we take a deep dive into two LPs that neatly bracket the 1960s and illustrate the diversity of French popular music in this most tumultuous of decades. Édith Piaf’s Recital 1961 was a live recording made at the Paris Olympia the previous December […]
Greek Mythology Introduction
Come and join us for a Free lunch time talk on Greek Mythology with New Settlement Tutor Paul Drew. Monday 21st October 12.15pm - 12.45pm in the Brunt Room. No Booking necessary.
The Art of Architecture – 17th Century
Come and explore the history of architecture from its beginnings in the ancient world to the present time. This three lecture overview with James Willis will take you to ancient Egypt and Rome, the French Cathedrals, English Country gardens, modern New York and so much more! The renaissance began an exploration of ideas which influenced […]
Macramé Wall Hanging Workshop
You will make a small wall-hanging, with simple macrame knots, to brighten up spaces around your home. You will learn how to: • Start the macrame on a wooden rod • Tie simple knots first, then various more • Make a design on paper • Choose a colour and create the wall hanging • Use […]
Viv Lucas and Friends
A fundraising evening for the Letchworth Settlement. Local singer songwriter Viv Lucas will play material from his albums Edgelands and the recently released, Nowhere in Between. He will be accompanied by Mike Burke on Keyboards and Tony McDermott on Guitar. Viv and Friends will also play songs by Neil Young, The Eagles and other West […]
A Friday Night Literary Q&A evening
The Settlement is pleased to bring together three writers to discuss the writing craft and answer questions about their work. Jane Wilson-Howarth has practised medicine in the most remote places. Her writing has travel at its heart, whether a book offering advice on staying healthy abroad or her children’s fiction set in the Himalayas and […]
Tye & Dye Workshop
Interested in upcycling your wardrobe? Or ever wondered how you can turn a plain white T-shirt into a piece of art? Come and check out the Tie and Dye workshop!
Five Remarkable Women – Sylvia Plath
A talk by Margaret Norwich on Sylvia Plath. Sylvia Plath is more famous in popular culture for her life than for her work. The story of the beautiful young American poetess, brilliant but tortured, abandoned by her husband, the future poet laureate Ted Hughes, alone in London with two small children, writing "dawn poems in […]
