Old herbals, marginalia, saffron cultivation and Tudor poet, Gabriel Harvey of Saffron Walden will all be discussed in the next talk of the Gibson Library Society. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, England's printing presses churned out dozens of instructional manuals or 'how-to' books for the aspiring gardener or herbalist. This talk explored why these […]
The meeting was held in Saffron Walden Library on Wednesday 14th January at 7:30 pm, when author Ian Patterson talked about his new publication, Books: A Manifesto, or, How to Build a Library. This is a book about books and "the subversive power of reading and the strange, enduring magic of books as objects". "Ever […]
Rachel Morris talked about her new book, The Year of the Wizard, a lyrical and highly atmospheric history of Renaissance magic. It is also - by an act of historical imagination - an account of the lives of the wives, daughters and servants of the Magicians; and because John Dee had a spectacular library it […]
In his talk Jonathan discussed how witchcraft cases in Elizabethan Essex were reported in pamphlets of the time and what readers might have made of the strange stories they were told. Jonathan Durrant is a historian who has written and taught widely on witchcraft in Germany and England in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, including […]
Hertfordshire puddingstone is one of the world's most remarkable stones. Beautiful and very distinctive, giant boulders of it can be seen in Saffron Walden and the surrounding villages. The talk will explore the stone's origin 56 million years ago, and its history, uses and folklore stretching back thousands of years. Gerald Lucy is a geologist […]
Members of the Society are invited by the Collecott Family to the launch of After the Thaw: An Essex Mystery, by Nan Collecott (Little Owl Books, 2026), (the late Ann Collecott, who lived in Saffron Walden, was also author of Peggles and Primroses.) RSVP Please respond by text or email to: 0783 478 7077 dianacollecott@gmail.com
Gibson Library Society AGM, followed by a talk. Full details will be circulated to members later in the month. This will be followed by : Saffron Walden 1647 - a new Memorial, a talk by Ian Wolter Ian is to create a major new sculpture to mark a moment in the spring of 1647 when […]
To be held in Saffron Walden Library, Wednesday, 14th May 2025 at 7:30pm Notice & Agenda 1. Apologies for absence 2. Minutes of previous meeting & matters arising 3. Chair's Report 4. Treasurer's Report 5. Librarian's Report 6. Election of officers and committee of the Society 7. AOB Nominations for the posts of officers and members […]
An evening of two halves, with four poets* in each half, includes 'open mike' sessions. *If you would like to read please arrive by 7.15 pm to let the compere know. The theme is poetry of hope and Spring. Admission is free, non-members are welcome to attend. Adults and young adults 14+ years only please. […]
We take a look at Emery Walker (1851-1933), the 'Universal Samaritan' of England's Arts and Crafts and private press movements of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which were both propelled and led by the remarkable creative hub on the north shore of the River Thames at Hammersmith, in which Walker was a principal […]
