London Branch: Book Club
2025-08-20 11:00 - 12:30, 2025-09-17 11:00 - 12:30, 2025-10-15 11:00 - 12:30, 2025-11-19 11:00 - 12:30, 2025-12-17 11:00 - 12:30, 2026-01-21 11:00 - 12:30, 2026-02-18 11:00 - 12:30, 2026-03-18 11:00 - 12:30 (Europe/London) and 14 more dates | The English-Speaking Union, 37 Charles Street, London, England, W1J 5ED, United Kingdom
The ESU London Branch Members’ book club meets once a month at Dartmouth House to exchange views on a book chosen by the group. Discussions take place from 11.00-12.30hrs on the third Wednesday of each month. If you would like to join our friendly and informal club please contact Kathleen Earley on earley.kathleen@gmail.com
Complete and updated ESU book club reading list for 2026
Jan: A far cry from Kensington – Muriel Sharp, 194pp, published 1988
Feb: The Island of Missing Trees – Elif Shafak (new president of the Royal Society of Literature) – 345 pp, published 2021
March: Conclave – Robert Harris – 400pp, published 2016
April: The artist of disappearances – Anita Desai – 176pp, publ. 2011
May: I seek a kind person: My Father, Seven Children and the Adverts that Helped Them Escape the Holocaust – John Borger – 297pp, publ. 2024
June: The Poisonwood Bible – Barbara Kingsolver – 616 pp, publ. 2000
July: As I walked out one midsummer morning – Laurie Lee – 194pp, publ.1969

Millet: 'Life on the Land' with Jenny Newman
2025-09-08 11:00 - 13:30 | Mercure White Hart Hotel , 1 St John’s Street, Salisbury SP1 2SD
The sower, the woodcutter, a shepherd girl. These are the subjects that made French artist Jean-Francois Millet famous. Jenny will look at his life and some of his best loved paintings and drawings and the context in which he worked in the village of Barbizon in the Fontainebleau Forest in 1849. There he became one of the most significant painters associated with C19th Barbizon school, who were the precursors to Impressionism. Indeed, his work inspired artists like Edgar Degas and Camille Pissarro and Vincent van Gogh greatly admired him, making many copies of his work.
This exhibition (7th August – 9th October 2025) in Room 1 of the National Gallery called ‘Millet: Life on the Land’ will show the exceptional technique of Millet, particularly as a prolific and accomplished draughtsman, and will show how he portrayed figures of rural workers with great nobility and grandeur, conferring them a status usually reserved for figures from history.
An outstanding loan from the Musée d’Orsay, Paris, of L’Angélus (1857?9) (pictured above) will be the centrepiece of the exhibition and several works from around the UK have been gathered together for the first time. This is not a ‘blockbuster’ show but a focused one you can just visit this autumn. If you do so, you will hopefully experience the beauty and quiet power of these works and Jenny’s talk will serve as a ‘know before you go’.
To reserve a spot, please contact Jean Stanley at esusalisbury-eventssec@esu.org

ESU Evelyn Wrench Lecture 2025 with Field Marshal The Lord Richards of Herstmonceux GCB CBE DSO DL
2025-10-07 18:15 - 22:00 | Dartmouth House, 37 Charles Street, London, England, W1J 5ED, United Kingdom
Global Wars and Chaos – How did we Get Here and What’s the Solution?

Join us for our annual Evelyn Wrench Lecture 2025, delivered by Field Marshal The Lord Richards of Herstmonceux GCB CBE DSO DL.
General The Lord Richards of Herstmonceux is a retired senior officer of the British Army and a distinguished member of the House of Lords. Throughout a notable military career spanning four decades, he commanded British and NATO forces in high-profile operations, including in East Timor, Sierra Leone, and Afghanistan.
Rising to the highest professional rank in the British Army, he served as Chief of the General Staff from 2009 and subsequently as Chief of the Defence Staff, the professional head of the UK Armed Forces, from 2010 to 2013. Elevated to the peerage upon retirement, Lord Richards now sits as a Crossbench life peer in the House of Lords, offering insight on defence and international affairs.
This event will raise funds for our essential charitable work. We hope many of our members, alumni, and their guests will join us for what is always a very special event.
Ticket prices
U27 Young Members – £135
Members – £170
Table of 10 – £1500
Non-members – £195

Past Forward: Salisbury Museum for Future Generations with Adrian Green
2025-10-13 11:00 - 13:30 | Mercure White Hart Hotel , 1 St John’s Street, Salisbury SP1 2SD
Salisbury Museum has undergone a £5.1 million redevelopment called Past Forward, mainly funded with grants from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. It created exciting new galleries dedicated to local history, ceramics and natural history. The medieval King’s House, home of the museum, has undergone significant conservation and our café and public facilities have all been upgraded. Alongside this it launched a programme of events and activities to engage with the local community. The museum fully re-opened on 13 July 2024.
Join us on Monday 8 December to hear Adrian Green give us an insightful talk on all the museum’s recent developments!
To reserve a spot, please contact Jean Stanley at esusalisbury-eventssec@esu.org

An Evening of Ghost Stories
2025-10-28 18:30 - 20:15 | The English-Speaking Union, 37 Charles Street, London, England, W1J 5ED, United Kingdom
“Yet, in all this quiet, there was an acute, an acrid consciousness of a restrained hostility very near to us, like a dog on a leash that might be let go at any moment.”
Join us for ‘An Evening of ‘Ghost Stories by M. R. James’ at Dartmouth House.
Get tickets here
ACT 1: ‘The Mezzotint’ follows Mr Williams, the curator of a university art museum, who receives a mezzotint from an art dealer. What Mr Williams comes to discover is that the picture appears to move every time he looks at it. But the story the mezzotint is showing is something far more sinister than Mr Williams first thought…
ACT 2: In ‘Whistle and I’ll Come to You’, a young professor, whilst walking in an English coastal village, stumbles upon a strange whistle. When blown, this sets in motion a chain of unexpected events…
This performance will take place at Dartmouth House and begin at 6:30pm, and run until 8:15pm. In these one-man performances, Toby Burchell performs two chilling tales by the finest writer of the ghost story genre, M. R. James. Originally narrated by James himself as an entertainment for friends, these are the perfect traditional ghost stories.
ESU members: £20
Non-members: £25
Get tickets here

The History and the Ongoing work of the Commonwealth and War Graves Commission with Stew Kilby
2025-11-10 11:00 - 13:30 | Mercure White Hart Hotel , 1 St John’s Street, Salisbury SP1 2SD
Stew will talk to us on the history and formation of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, what they do, why they do it and what the future holds for the organisation charged with commemorating and remembering the lost lives of 1.7 million men and women from both World Wars.
The CWGC operate worldwide in 153 countries and territories in 23,000 different locations. They employ 1300 staff supported by 2500 volunteers.
To reserve a spot, please contact Jean Stanley at esusalisbury-eventssec@esu.org

ESU Annual General Meeting and Christmas Reception 2025
2025-12-04 18:00 - 20:30 | The English-Speaking Union, 37 Charles Street, London, England, W1J 5ED, United Kingdom
Please save the date for our Annual General Meeting and Christmas Reception – your chance to hear about the ESU’s achievements and plans, and to meet and mingle with friends old and new

The Battle of Britain over Salisbury with John Smith
2025-12-08 11:00 - 13:30 | Mercure White Hart Hotel , 1 St John’s Street, Salisbury SP1 2SD
John will describe why the Battle of Britain (10th July – 31st October 1940) was seen over the Salisbury skies and how unprepared the country was.
Various model British and German aircraft used will be on display and explained, as well as where aircraft production took place in Wiltshire, and local aerial actions related. The role of women in the battle will be included.
To reserve a spot, please contact Jean Stanley at esusalisbury-eventssec@esu.org

The ESU International Council Meeting 2026
2026-07-13 - 2026-07-17 | Dartmouth House, 37 Charles Street, London, England, W1J 5ED, United Kingdom
We’re thrilled to invite you and your guests to next year’s International Council Meeting, to be held in London from 13-17 July 2026.
Planned to coincide with our International Public Speaking Competition (IPSC), the week will give attendees the chance not only to mix with other ESU members from around the globe, but to experience our work first-hand, too.
The programme begins with a welcome dinner at Dartmouth House on the Monday evening and includes a range of quintessentially British activities such as tours of London’s cultural landmarks and a theatre performance. The highlight will of course be the grand final of the IPSC where the best young speakers in the world take to the stage at the Royal Institution. Always an inspiring, high-octane event, it attracts a truly multi cultural audience and is a great example of our mission to build a more collaborative world.
Tickets cost £550 for the full week (plus transport and accommodation).
To register your interest, click here.
To find out more contact events@esu.org.
