Plymouth Proprietary Library

Wednesday 25th March 2026 at 2pm.

£5 for members. £8 for non-members.

We tend to think of gardens as somewhere to relax, perhaps to socialise in, to grow flowers and perhaps some vegetables. However, in the Middle Ages, for many gardening was more closely related to agriculture, it was a neccessity not a luxury and was an essential part of survival. While for the wealthy it was a status symbol, because only the very wealthy could afford to put aside a piece of valuable land and use it purely for display and enjoyment.

This talk by Dr Lynda Pidgeon will look at a variety of gardens and their uses from the 12th to the 15th century, and along the way we will have a tour of some re-created gardens in England and Wales.

To guarantee a seat, contact the library at least 24 hours before the event. Otherwise, simply turn up on the day.

Wednesday 8th April 2026 at 2pm.

£5 for members. £8 for non-members.

Holbeton church out in the South Hams is proud of its nineteenth century pews and screens decorated with Arts and Crafts carvings.  They blend in with those of 1480 -1520 thanks to a group of Holbeton volunteers and they have been recently restored.  

Following the restoration project Janet Sellick tells the tale of how and why these treasures came to be here.  Their inspiration goes back millennia to early illuminated manuscripts.  Discover dragons and wyverns alongside elephants  and of course Devon’s flora and fauna.

To guarantee a seat, contact the library at least 24 hours before the event. Otherwise, simply turn up on the day.

Wednesday 22nd April 2026 at 2pm.

£5 for members. £8 for non-members.

Following Robert King's talk on Drake's Island last year, this new talk uses recent images to provide a virtual walk around the island to discover what remains of the Island's defences, barracks and underground tunnels.

To guarantee a seat, contact the library at least 24 hours before the event. Otherwise, simply turn up on the day.

Wednesday 13th May 2026 at 2pm.

£5 for members. £8 for non-members.

In 2023, Professor Angela K. Smith (Emeritus Professor of Modern Literature at the University of Plymouth) spoke at the PPL about her first novel, The Solace of the Common People. 

Her second novel, Where No Shadow Awaits is now out. It has a First World War focus and draws on much of the research work undertaken whilst a lecturer in English and Creative Writing at the University of Plymouth. This talk will explore how her research has influenced her fiction. 

To guarantee a seat, contact the library at least 24 hours before the event. Otherwise, simply turn up on the day.

Wednesday 27th May 2026 at 2pm.

£5 for members. £8 for non-members.

Dr Helen Wilson returns to the PPL following her sellout talk in 2025 on these professional woodcarvers.

This talk is based on stories the speaker has come across on her research on the Pinwill sisters including those who met or worked for Violet Pinwill, or owned pieces of her work. Their recollections and insights contributed enormously to the research and their stories add a further perspective.  

To guarantee a seat, contact the library at least 24 hours before the event. Otherwise, simply turn up on the day.

Wednesday 10th June 2026 at 2pm.

£5 for members. £8 for non-members.

In the 1860s a new type of novel exploded onto the sedate Victorian literary scene, the 'sensation' novel. Tales of desertion, kidnap, bigamy, fraud, arson and even murder amongst the middle and upper classes captivated millions of readers - from the kitchen maid to the Prince of Wales himself.

Join us as we discover more about this all-but-forgotten literary phenomenon and enjoy an afternoon of 'tea and scandal'! A talk by Elaine Henderson.

To guarantee a seat, contact the library at least 24 hours before the event. Otherwise, simply turn up on the day.

Wednesday 24th June 2026 at 2pm.

£5 for members. £8 for non-members.

Devon's Home Front Diaries 1937 to 1945 reveals for the first time the intimate reflections and views of scores of people living in the county who took part in the anthropological project, Mass Observation.

Dr Todd Gray MBE will bring together stories of Devon life during the Second World War, including those told by people who had been evacuated to the country.

To guarantee a seat, contact the library at least 24 hours before the event. Otherwise, simply turn up on the day.

Wednesday 8th July 2026 at 2pm.

£5 for members. £8 for non-members.

From the initial surveying and Royal permission for the dockyard and its' location, this talk will give a description of each of three periods of development leading to the current status. 

A talk by Ray O'Donnell, a volunteer at the Devonport Naval Heritage Centre.

To guarantee a seat, contact the library at least 24 hours before the event. Otherwise, simply turn up on the day.

Wednesday 22nd July 2026 at 2pm.

£5 for members. £8 for non-members.

Simon Dell MBE returns to the PPL for a talk on Trywhitt's horse drawn tramway.

The Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway was constructed by Thomas Tyrwhitt in the 1820s. His horse drawn tramway ran from Princetown village down to Sutton Harbour in Plymouth. It was used to transport granite from his quarries and in return brought up various goods. This talk will look at the plans and the development for the tramway and with modern images there will be a virtual tour and stroll along its' whole 25 miles length.

To guarantee a seat, contact the library at least 24 hours before the event. Otherwise, simply turn up on the day.

Wednesday 9th September 2026 at 2pm.

£5 for members. £8 for non-members.

A talk by Hazel Jones. 

The first quarter of the 18th century witnessed the establishment of Bath as a unique resort of health and pleasure for people of title, fashion and expense. Every winter and early spring, they abandoned their country estates to take the waters, to parade around the newly built streets and crescents in their finery and to fill their time with the entertainments on offer. As the century progressed, the pleasures of Bath increased in step with the rise in tourist numbers. A new Pump Room was built, two assembly rooms opened, circulating libraries multiplied, as did shops and lodging houses.

By 1800, people were still flocking to Bath for shopping and other entertainments, but the aristocracy had moved on to more exclusive locations, like Brighton. Now, those of the 'middling ranks' of society and the landowning gentry were more in evidence in the city during the season, which ran from October through to May, although its height was reached between January and March.

How visitors to Bath in Jane Austen's time occupied themselves in the city will be explored in this illustrated talk.

To guarantee a seat, contact the library at least 24 hours before the event. Otherwise, simply turn up on the day.

Wednesday 14th October 2026 at 2pm.

£5 for members. £8 for non-members.

From the moment we meet him as a Belgian refugee in the village of Styles during World War I, Agatha Christie's unlikely detective captured her readers' imaginations and has since morphed into a global phenomenon, his name recognised worldwide.

Throughout the 33 novels and 51 short stories featuring this small, balding man of indeterminate age, Christie slowly reveals a remarkable and singular character that still captivates us today. But who was he really? Where did he come from? What did he look like and what kind of person was he? And how was he so good at solving murders?

Elaine Henderson takes a close look at M. Poirot and attempts to find some answers.

To guarantee a seat, contact the library at least 24 hours before the event. Otherwise, simply turn up on the day.

Wednesday 24th February 2027 at 2pm.

£5 for members. £8 for non-members.

At the end of WWII, Government financial assistance helped Plymouth to attract new industry to the area in the form of Tecalemit, Bush and Berkertex but when that assistance was withdrawn in 1948, Plymouth was still heavily reliant on the dockyard for employment. However, the appointment of Stuart Lloyd Jones as Town Clerk of Plymouth in September 1953 saw a concerted campaign to secure new industry and jobs and over the following decade major new players including Clarks Shoes, Brown & Sharpe and Ranco Controls set up factories and provided much needed work for the people of Plymouth. This illustrated talk covers some of the stories behind Clarks, Brown & Sharpe, Ranco Controls and Tecalemit in Post War Plymouth. 

To guarantee a seat, contact the library at least 24 hours before the event. Otherwise, simply turn up on the day.

Monday 8th March 2027 at 2pm.

£5 for members. £8 for non-members.

A talk by Elaine Henderson.

More details to come.