The lessons of history, particularly concerning Pakistan and Afghanistan, will be the topic when Britain’s former Ambassador to the United States, Sir Christopher Meyer KCMG, launches the Museum’s Inaugural Sir Winston Churchill Memorial Lecture series. This Inaugural Lecture will take place at the American Museum on Monday 16 September.
Sir Winston, whose mother was American, delivered his first political address in 1897 at Claverton Manor, now home to the Museum. In his lecture, Sir Christopher will draw on Churchill’s despatches on the conflict raging on what is now the Pakistan/Afghanistan border in the late 19th century.
Sir Christopher is the author of DC Confidential, a chronicle of his time in Washington, and Getting Our Way: 500 Years of Adventure and Intrigue: The Inside Story of British Diplomacy, which was also a highly-acclaimed BBC TV series. He recently wrote and presented Networks of Power on Sky Atlantic.
“We are delighted Sir Christopher has agreed to deliver the Inaugural Sir Winston Churchill Memorial Lecture,” says Dr Richard Wendorf, theAmerican Museum’s Director. “He has a deep understanding of British-American history and relations as well as current world events. His intelligent and controversial views promise to make it a very stimulating evening.”
Sir Christopher Meyer says: “I am honoured to deliver the Museum’s Inaugural Sir Winston Churchill Lecture. Sir Winston, as a young journalist in the late 19th century, made perceptive comments about conflict in what used to be called the North-West Frontier of India. They are entirely relevant to today’s war in Afghanistan and are but one example of how today’s politicians ignore history’s lessons at their peril.”
The American Museum in Britain, which opened in 1961, is the only museum of American decorative and folk art outside America. It attracts some 40,000 visitors a year, the majority from the UK. The Museum aims to inform visitors about the cultural history of the United States to strengthen relations between the two countries. It contains over 15,000 items devoted to the decorative arts of America: fancy gowns and Shaker furniture, an extensive collection of native folk art, one of the largest and finest quilt collections in the entire world, and important holdings of early maps charting the discovery and exploration of the Americas.
Tickets for the Churchill and the Lessons of History on Monday 16 September, 6 to 8 pm, are £20 for Museum members (£25 for non-members). To book, please tel. 01225 823014.
Wine, soft drinks and canapés are included.
A free shuttle bus will operate from the centre of Bath, to reserve a seat please call the above number.
