Wednesday 11th January 2023 at 2pm.

Free for members. £2.50 for non-members.

A talk by Barbie Thompson. George Magrath was, for a time, surgeon on board HMS Victory and was favourably considered by Nelson. Having dealt with an outbreak of yellow fever in Gibraltar, Magrath missed the Battle of Trafalgar. Instead he was serving as medical officer at the PoW Depot Mill Prison at Millbay, Plymouth. Later Magrath was transferred to Dartmoor Prison (pictured) and was present during the shooting of American POWs.  

Wednesday 8th February 2023 at 2pm.

Free for members. £2.50 for non-members.

Buying an oil painting led to a journey of discovery into the artwork and life of women interned during WW2. This is a talk by trustee Robert Turner who runs the watercolour group here at the PPL.  

Wednesday 8th March 2023 at 2pm.

Free for members. £5 for non-members.

Mallory Hass, the Director of the SHIPS Project, discusses research and explorations of the waters around the city. 

Wednesday 22nd March 2023 at 2pm.

Free for members. £5 for non-members.

Join us for a talk by the PPL President Father Gregory as he discusses the rivers and hills of Devon and explains why towns were built in their locations. 

Wednesday 12th April 2023 at 2pm.

Free for members. £5 for non-members.

Stephen Trahair, author of Historic Plymouth, discusses some of his favourite features of the city, including some of the more interesting and lesser-known treasures and features that are all too often hidden in plain sight. The talk also includes some of the people associated with Plymouth. 

Wednesday 19th April 2023 at 7pm.

Free for members. £5 for non-members.

The authoress from Widecombe-in-the-Moor was a complicated character. Beatrice Chase was the pen name of Olive Katherine Parr. She also adopted the title 'My Lady of the Moor' during her time writing at Venton near Widecombe where she built herself a tiny chapel.

This talk by Simon Dell MBE looks at who she was and the mystery surrounding her life. 

Wednesday 11th May 2023 at 2pm.

Free for members. £5 for non-members.

This illustrated talk by Alan Bricknell looks at what life was really like in the three towns for a large part of the population in terms of health, housing and industry. The photograph is of the workhouse in Catherine Street taken in 1869. 

Tuesday 23rd May 2023 at 2pm.

Free (donations welcome).

A play by Script-in-Hand Theatre.

A celebration of the South West Women's Peace Movement of the 1980s, to mark the 40th anniversary of the Tamar Bridge Protest of 24th May 1983.

Wednesday 24th May 2023 at 2pm.

Free for members. £5 for non-members.

John Fletcher discusses significant events in western Devon's history as well as Cornish history and identity.

His book The Western Kingdom is the story of Cornwall, and of how its unique language, culture and heritage survived even after politically merging with England in the tenth century, It's a tale of warfare, trade and survival - and defiance in the face of defeat.

Wednesday 14th June 2023 at 2pm.

Free for members. £5 for non-members.

A talk by Barbie Thompson.

The people of the United States celebrate Flag Day on 14 June each year but not many of us in the UK know the story that lies behind the adoption of the flag, also known affectionately as the Stars and Stripes, and Old Glory. The flag has become a powerful symbol of Americanism. Proudly flown on many occasions - a barometer of public opinion accurately reflecting the current mood of the country.

Thursday 29th June 2023 at 7pm.

£5 for all.

Sally Ronchetti's talk will cover the extraordinary life of Liskeard born Emily Hobhouse (1860-1926) including her humanitarian work in South Africa. Emily recorded appalling conditions whilst visiting refugee camps in the Anglo-Boer war in 1899-1902. She made sure her findings were noticed by the authorities leading to a significant improvement in conditions.

Sally Ronchetti is half South African on her mother's side and when she asked her mother if she had heard of Emily Hobhouse, she replied "of course, everyone in South Africa has heard of Emily Hobhouse". 

Wednesday 12th July 2023 at 2pm.

Free for members. £5 for non-members.

A talk by Elaine Henderson.

For over 250 years, Gothic writing has proved to be one of the most enduringly popular of literary genres, its essential characteristics moulded and adapted to changing times but always remaining true to its origins. Daphne du Maurier’s fascination with Gothic techniques reveals itself in two of her best-loved novels, Jamaica Inn and Rebecca. We will look at how the windswept inn on Bodmin Moor and the lost mansion of Manderley have become symbols, recognised the world over, of du Maurier’s unique Cornish Gothic. 

Thursday 27th July 2023 at 7pm.

£5 for all.

This talk on Saltram focuses on the outside of the house, the gardens, and a little about the estate based on its history. The speaker, Ursula Myers, is a retired University lecturer and is currently a National Trust volunteer researcher and tour guide.  

Wednesday 9th August 2023 at 2pm.

Free for members. £5 for non-members.

226 years of paper making history in Ivybridge.

Established in 1787, Stowford Paper Mill's history is intrinsically linked with the development and prosperity of Ivybridge, providing stable employment for generations of families. Thanks to the concerted efforts of its workforce and the management's focus on producing speciality papers, it was able to survive long after similar mills had closed. 

Guest speaker Andrew Jewell, a member of Ivybridge Heritage and former employee at Stowford Mill for over 30 years, explores paper making in the region with a special focus on the activities of this historic mill in Ivybridge which closed 10 years ago.

Thursday 24th August 2023 at 7pm.

£5 for all.

Lights, Camera, Action! - inside stories of the art and artifice of the early decades of Hollywood. This lecture by Dr Geri Parlby (pictured) covers the work of stills photographers, costumiers, publicists, actors and actresses and the movie moguls who made it all happen. 

Saturday 9th September 2023 at 2pm.

Free for all (Heritage Open Days event).

Design and textiles never played a serious role during Norah Ball's working life: they were hobby interests. Taking early retirement, she resolved to explore ways to increase her knowledge of these subjects.

Her talk provides a commentary on the routes she took, and explains how she eventually found the pathway along which she now walks to design and produce work she feels proud of.

Wednesday 13th September 2023 at 2pm.

Free for all (Heritage Open Days event).

Join Dr Darren Bevin, the Library Manager of the PPL, as he discusses the history of this library from the ornate purpose-built structure in the nineteenth and early twentieth century through to its destruction in the second world war and subsequent reincarnation firstly at North Hill and then in St Barnabas Terrace (the present day location). 

Thursday 28th September 2023 at 2pm.

£4 for members. £8 for non-members.

Michael Bennie, author of several books based on his walks on Dartmoor, will discuss the origins of the medieval routes across the moor, and the history and folklore associated with them.

Wednesday 11th October 2023 at 2pm.

£4 for members. £8 for non-members.

Terah Walkup is Curator at The Box in Plymouth and will be joining us to discuss some of the fascinating and unique items that are held in the archives.

Wednesday 25th October 2023 at 2pm.

£4 for members. £8 for non-members.

On August 4th 1913, a car was spotted speeding away from a Devon mansion late at night. Moments later the alarm was raised as flames lit up the sky. The papers were filled with speculation that suffragettes were to blame. Truth or fiction?

This one question opened the door to the fascinating story of the fight for the vote in the south west - not a tale of a sleepy rural backwater but of women prepared to protest at political meetings, recruit in the streets, join mass rallies in London, and suffer the agony of forced feeding in Holloway. All this ... and the biggest sleepover the region has ever known.

A talk by Pamela Vass. 

Monday 13th November 2023 at 2.30pm.

Free (donations welcome).

Script-in-Hand Theatre.

It is early November in Plymouth. Mayflower Street. Five characters wait. They talk, they bicker and they wait. Each one has a story to tell. What do they have in common? They have no place to call "home". So they wait for the Soup Run to arrive ...

Wednesday 22nd November 2023 at 2pm.

Free for members. £4 for non-members.

Join Father Gregory, President of the PPL, for an illustrated talk on Celtic settlements in Devon and Cornwall.

Saturday 2nd December 2023 at 1pm.

Part of the Medieval Christmas Feast.

An opportunity for raucous drinking, carousing and, generally, behaving badly? Not at all!

This short talk by Elaine Henderson celebrates the medieval way of enjoying the great Christmas banquet: rich food and wine served in elegant surroundings, polite and courteous guests and plenty of after-dinner entertainment. 

Wednesday 13th December 2023 at 2pm.

£4 for members. £8 for non-members.

Paul Rendell, also known as 'Dartmoor Paul', was born in Plymouth and became enthusiastic about Dartmoor from an early age after being taken on numerous outings by his parents. As a keen historian, Paul has written many articles for newspapers and magazines, and wrote his first book Exploring the Lower Walkham Valley. In 1991 he founded the Dartmoor News, a bi-monthly magazine which he still edits today. Paul has been a Dartmoor National Park Guide for over 21 years, and is now a member of the Moorland Guides.

Paul's talk explores life on Dartmoor during winter, including many legends!