Sit Back and Listen : I enjoy sharing my thirst for hats and hatting with all-comers. If you’re interested in inviting me to talk to your group, class or learned society about all things millinery, then I have a couple of lecture options to choose from. These are informal in tone and pitched for general audiences and, ideally, require a Powerpoint facility as they are fully illustrated. Typically, each lecture is about 50 minutes in duration with an opportunity for Q&A at the end. However, I am flexible about style and structure and can deliver both longer and shorter versions, as preferred. I am also well practiced at ‘in person’ delivery (I have over twenty years of experience as a University lecturer) as well as being familiar with online platforms such as Zoom and Teams.
Fee : I charge a speaking fee for my lectures, which I calculate on a case by case basis, depending on travel times, duration and expenses. I am able to serve Norwich city and its immediate surrounding area but am also willing to travel to outlying Norfolk, the Eastern regions and farther afield by arrangement and as logistics allow. Usually, my fee is £50 per lecture plus expenses.
Interested? Then, please contact me to begin a conversation.
Lecture [1.] A Horrible History of Hatting : Dyes, Death and the Deadly [approx. 50 mins]
Over the centuries, both hat makers and hat wearers have been beset by disease, illness, scandal, social struggle and misfortune. This lecture will consider just some of the stories and people involved in the grisly side of hatting history. From riots through to murder; from poisoning through to poverty, the hat has played an important, yet sometimes forgotten, role. Prepare yourself for an intriguing and fresh angle on both the making of history and the history of making.
Join me, in my dual guises of milliner and dress historian, for an illustrated presentation that is entertaining and thought-provoking in equal measure. I have presented this lecture to organisations such as the British Millinery Association (November 2022) and Norwich University of the Arts (April 2023).
Lecture [2.] The Secret Life Of A Milliner [approx. 50 mins]
Join me as I lift the lid on the unusual and intriguing life of a milliner. I will present my own millinery journey and explain how I was bitten by the millinery bug. I will deliver a ‘show and tell’ of my favourite materials and talk you through the lost art of making a hat by hand, from scratch. I will demonstrate some techniques and tricks along the way, and offer advice on styling, rakish angles and caring for your hats. Relaxed, fun and filled to the brim with headwear, there will also be time for a quick quiz to test your own millinery wits.
Suitable for all, I have presented this lecture to groups such as the Norfolk Women’s Institute (April 2022), Norfolk Lacemakers (July 2022), Old Catton W.I. (May 2023), Ludham W.I. (October 2023), Reedham Belles (May 2024), South Walsham and District W.I. (June 2024) and The Stalham Broads (June 2024).
Goodrum & Merryweather 