Monday 16 April 2018 at 6.30 pm
David Winpenny
From Inverness to Cornwall, from Pembrokeshire to Norfolk, from the Antrim Coast to County Cork, the pyramids of Britain and Ireland are little-known but of great variety and interest. This talk, which will include local examples, sets the pyramids of Britain and Ireland in their historical perspective and tells the story of the mausoleums, memorials, garden ornaments, pumps, wellheads, boat houses, beacons, sculptures, churches, offices, shops, sports halls, swimming pools, cinemas, navigation marks and general pyramidal oddities that turn up in the most unexpected places. Their builders range from eccentrics to engineers, via martyrs, philanthropists, ghosts, kings, musicians, heroes and villains. The talk uncovers forgotten corners of history and highlights unusual discoveries, like Britain’s only cast iron pyramid, a Scottish Formica pyramid, an Irish pyramid that sheltered the IRA and a Welsh one made of road signs.