Members' Exclusive Lectures
For new content, join us live on the second Monday of the month from 17:50pm. Instructions on how to join us will be sent in the Members' E-newsletter. All of our past Member's Exclusive Lectures are also available to watch on CCTdigital.com - you can access them by logging in with your membership details here.
If you wish to become a member today you can do so from as little as £3.50 a month. More information about the types of membership available offer, and the many benefits you'll receive, click here.
If you would like help setting up your membership, are not receiving the newsletter or encounter any technical difficulties when accessing CCTdigital, please contact the Membership team at supporters@thecct.org.uk or by calling 0800 206 1463.
© Andy Marshall
October
On Monday 13 October from 17:50 we will welcome Andrew Ziminski and Ruth McNeilage to talk about: The Painted Past and Present of St James’ Church, Cameley.
Join us in welcoming two leading experts, Andrew Ziminski and Ruth McNeilage, for a fascinating exploration of the remarkable wall paintings at St James’ Church, Cameley, Somerset.
This exclusive members’ lecture will begin with stonemason and author Andrew Ziminski, who will reveal how to "read" a church — visually peeling back the layers of history in even the most complex buildings, such as St James’. He will offer insight into the craftswork, evolution, and hidden stories embedded in its fabric.
We’ll then hear from wall painting conservator Ruth McNeilage, who will delve into the history, techniques, and current condition of the church’s striking wall paintings that tell a changing story of how the building was decorated and used from the late 12th century until the 18th century including the fascinating and unusual painting of a jester/fool at the east end of the north wall. She will finally discuss the challenges and approaches of the conservation programme.
Andrew Ziminski FSA is a Director of Minerva Building Conservation and the author of The Stonemason: A History of Building Britain and Church Going: A Stonemason's Guide to the Churches of the British Isles. Andrew looks after the maintenance needs of CCT’s Somerset estate.
Ruth McNeilage is a Partner at McNeilage Conservation and a specialist in the conservation of wall paintings and decorative polychrome. She is an accredited conservator and has been conserving wall paintings in churches, cathedrals and historic buildings in the UK for forty years. She was the secretary on the ICON stone and wall painting committee for several years and worked for ICCROM, running conservation courses in Italy and Romania.
The Churches Conservation Trust is currently raising funds to safeguard the future of these precious artworks. Water ingress has caused cracked plaster and other deterioration, and urgent donations are needed for delicate, specialist conservation work. Find out more about the project and how you can support it here.
© Dan Jones Author Photo 2025 (c) Peter Clark / Southwark Cathedral (c) Will Bacon Photography
November
On Monday 17 November from 19:30, we will welcome Dan Jones live from Southwark Cathedral for: The Astonishing Rise of England’s Greatest Warrior King, Henry V.
We’re thrilled to announce that November’s Members’ Lecture will be a special livestream of our Annual Lecture, featuring bestselling historian and broadcaster Dan Jones. As a valued member, you can enjoy this special livestream event completely free of charge.
Alternatively, why not experience the lecture in person at Southwark Cathedral? Members can attend at a discounted rate, with tickets including a wine reception following the talk — a wonderful opportunity to enjoy this event in a truly historic setting. Tickets can be purchased via our website.
Whether you are joining us online via Zoom or in person, you will enjoy an evening of compelling storytelling as Dan Jones brings to life the remarkable story of Henry V — warrior king, military commander, and one of England’s most iconic monarchs.
Dan will explore not only the dramatic events of Henry V’s reign, including the legendary Battle of Agincourt, but also the cultural and religious world he inhabited — a world shaped by faith, ritual, and the enduring presence of the parish church.
As the national charity caring for historic churches at risk, the Churches Conservation Trust preserves sites that would have been familiar in Henry’s time, many adorned with exquisite medieval wall paintings.
CCT members will also be able to enjoy a recording of this event until mid-February, allowing them to relive what promises to be a magical evening again and again on CCTdigital.com.
Please note: this lecture will take place at a different date and time to usual - Monday, 17 November at 7.30pm - but, as always, will be hosted on Zoom for your convenience.
December
On Monday 8 December from 17:50 we will welcome Tracey Borman to talk about: The Stolen Crown: Treachery, Deceit and the Death of the Tudor Dynasty
In March 1603, Queen Elizabeth I, the last Tudor monarch, lay dying at Richmond Palace. The queen's ministers clustered round her bedside, urging her to name her successor - something she had stubbornly resisted throughout her reign. Almost with her last breath, she whispered that James VI of Scotland should succeed her. She died shortly afterwards and the throne of England passed peacefully from Tudor to Stuart. Or so we've been led to believe. In this illustrated talk based on her new book, bestselling author, historian and broadcaster Tracy Borman will reveal the shocking truth behind one of history’s best-kept secrets.
Tracey Borman studied and taught history at the University of Hull and was awarded a PHD in 1997. Tracy went on to a successful career in heritage and has worked for a range of historic properties and national heritage organisations, including the Heritage Lottery Fund, The National Archives and English Heritage. Tracy is currently Chief Executive of the Heritage Education Trust, a charity that encourages children to visit and learn from historic properties through the Sandford Award scheme. Tracy is also joint Chief Curator for Historic Royal Palaces.
January 2026
On Monday, 12 January 2026 from 17:50 we will welcome Dr Simon Bradley to talk about: Rediscovering English Churches through the Pevsner Guides.
In this engaging lecture, Dr Simon Bradley draws on three decades of work with the iconic Pevsner Architectural Guides to explore how the series has described England's parish churches. The revised volumes published since the 1980s have been at once more thorough in terms of research and fieldwork and more generous in terms of length, allowing fuller and more detailed coverage of buildings which Pevsner often had to cover extremely briskly. Authors of more recent volumes have also benefited from ever-expanding access to online records and the arrival of digital photography.
Explaining the building history of medieval churches has remained at the forefront of the books' mission, drawing on evidence from the building fabric, architectural style, and sometimes from fresh insights supplied by dendrochronology. The revised volumes have also aimed to keep abreast of changing appreciation of the English parish church, paying closer attention to the positive contributions made by later restorers, as well as the diverse achievements of church builders from the Reformation up to the present day. In addition, the books have continued to explore the riches of church furnishings and fittings, funerary monuments and stained glass.
As well as an editorial overview, Bradley offers insights from his own contributions to the revised series, including the county volumes for Cambridgeshire and Oxford and South-east Oxfordshire. His approach combines scholarly depth with an eye for detail, bringing clarity and accessibility to even the most complex architectural stories. This talk will appeal to anyone interested in how churches and their furnishings are understood and enjoyed.
After studying at Oxford and the Courtauld Institute of Art, Dr Simon Bradley took his interests further as joint editor of the celebrated Pevsner Architectural Guides, to which he has contributed the revised volumes on Cambridgeshire, Oxford and south east Oxfordshire, Westminster, and the City of London. His other books include several volumes on British railway history, and he has also written for the TLS, London Review of Books, The Spectator, The Guardian, The Evening Standard and Architectural History. Simon has also recently become a member of CCT's specialist Conservation Committee which guides our work and conservation decisions.
Keep an eye on this page for further updates about upcoming lectures. Our programme for the coming months will soon be announced.