Report on The Friends of St Anne’s Virtual Zoom Webinar Talk
‘The Great Exhibition of 1851 & the Establishment of the V&A Museum’
Wednesday 14th October 2020
by Anna Warrillow
We were delighted to welcome Anna Warrillow – Anna is a very renowned Blue- Badge Guide, University Art History Lecturer & Ex- Curator at the V&A & well known to members of the Arts Society Richmond – as she is a regular Art Society Lecturer. Anna was originally booked to give her talk live in May 2020 but due to lockdown we had to postpone it. We were so delighted to reschedule her Talk for October.
Having watched the fascinating BBC Two six- part Documentary ‘Secrets of The Museum’ last Spring – we enjoyed hearing Anna talk about how in 1851, in London’s Hyde Park, the world’s first international exhibition was held, to display the ‘works of industry of all nations.’ This was the high watermark of British economic power and might, as Britain in the mid-nineteenth century was the largest global manufacture, quite literally became the ‘workshop of the world.’
Anna explained how the Great Exhibition transformed people’s views on design, manufacturing and technology and how the profits of the Exhibition went on to create one of the most famous cultural quarters in London, including the foundation of the South Kensington Museum, today called the Victoria & Albert Museum,
Anna delivered a captivating, inspiring and interesting lecture – very beautifully illustrated giving us such a ‘tour’ and insight into the building and contents of the V&A. We could not wait to get back to visit.
Anna is an excellent and accomplished speaker in virtual lectures that we are now becoming so familiar with now in 2020. We received positive feedback from many members of the audience.
Anna is the founder of Canvas & Stone Tours. She is open to all but she particularly specialises in couples, families, and multi-generational groups.
