Events - Autumn 2026
We have two contrasting talks for you this Autumn.
To book, email info@friendsofguildfordmuseum.org.uk
Tuesday 29 September 2026
“The Enduring Legacy of Gertrude Jekyll” by Dr Judy Hill
Portrait of Gertrude Jekyll (1920) by William Nicholson (National Portrait Gallery)
Gertrude Jekyll (1843-1932) one of the most influential of all English garden designers of the early twentieth century. This talk will explore her fascinating life as an artist, gardener and writer. Her important partnership with Edwin Lutyens, the creation of her house and nursery at Munstead Wood and her own writings and legacy. Today over 90 years after her death, her books are read widely and she is an inspiration to gardeners throughout the world with her practical and artistic approach to life and gardening.
Guildhall, High Street, Guildford, GU1 3AA at 2.30 pm Entry £8
Wednesday 4 November 2026
“Surrey and the New Space Revolution” by Professor Craig Underwood
In 1979, a young academic at the University of Surrey, Martin Sweeting, thought of building a new kind of spacecraft applying the latest developments in microelectronics. The satellite would be small, affordable, yet be capable of carrying out sophisticated space missions. The result was UoSAT-1, launched in 1981 by NASA. What Surrey started more than 40 years ago; the world now calls Space 2.0. This is the story of how Surrey pioneered the “New Space” revolution. Craig Underwood is Emeritus Professor of Spacecraft Engineering at the University of Surrey. He retired in 2019 to expand his work on the public understanding of science and engineering.