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Leicester Literary and Philosophical Society

Founded in 1835, the ‘Lit & Phil’ holds fortnightly lectures at 7.30pm on Monday evenings from September to April, normally in the magnificent Victorian gallery of the Leicester Museum & Art Gallery. Lectures are also streamed on Zoom. The venue in 2024-25 is the equally fine Hansom Hall, Leicester LE1 6QL (pictured).

The lectures cover a broad range of topics in the arts, literature, natural history, philosophy and the sciences. The Society provides a forum in which members can listen, reflect, ask questions and chat informally with the speaker and other members of the audience afterwards over refreshments.

Members can also receive a copy of the annual Transactions containing illustrated summaries of all lectures.

The modest annual membership fee provides admission to around 14 events. Reduced rate for students. Non members can purchase tickets for individual lectures. Full programme and how to join are on the website.


Current Events

Beer, bribes, brawling: an accurate picture of 19th century elections?
Hansom Hall, Leicester Adult Education College, 50-54 Belvoir St, Leicester Mon 7 October
The Beautiful Links between Mathematics and Literature
Hansom Hall, Leicester Adult Education College, 50-54 Belvoir St, Leicester Mon 28 October
What is in a name? Aspects of the development of emergency medicine
Hansom Hall, Leicester Adult Education College, 50-54 Belvoir St, Leicester Mon 4 November
How I came to write ‘This Sporting Life: Sport & Liberty in England’
Hansom Hall, Leicester Adult Education College, 50-54 Belvoir St, Leicester Mon 18 November
Pantomime is Never What it Used to Be
Hansom Hall, Leicester Adult Education College, 50-54 Belvoir St, Leicester Mon 2 December
Reaching for the stars
Hansom Hall, Leicester Adult Education College, 50-54 Belvoir St, Leicester Mon 13 Jan 2025
From ‘It’s the Sun Wot Won it!’ to ‘Is This The TikTok election?’
Hansom Hall, Leicester Adult Education College, 50-54 Belvoir St, Leicester Mon 27 Jan 2025
The Culinary Chemist: Out of the Lab and into the Tent
Hansom Hall, Leicester Adult Education College, 50-54 Belvoir St, Leicester Mon 10 Feb 2025
Doing Science in the Age of Photography
Hansom Hall, Leicester Adult Education College, 50-54 Belvoir St, Leicester Mon 24 Feb 2025
The making of Plant Atlas 2020, from field to folio
Hansom Hall, Leicester Adult Education College, 50-54 Belvoir St, Leicester Mon 10 Mar 2025
Conserving Canterbury Cathedral
University of Leicester- precise venue to be confirmed Mon 17 Mar 2025
Recent discoveries from the Kimmeridge Clay
Hansom Hall, Leicester Adult Education College, 50-54 Belvoir St, Leicester Mon 24 Mar 2025
Rewilding – how we can heal our land
Hansom Hall, Leicester Adult Education College, 50-54 Belvoir St, Leicester Mon 7 Apr 2025
Writing the Roman Empire: from Leicester to the Sahara and back again
Hansom Hall, Leicester Adult Education College, 50-54 Belvoir St, Leicester Mon 28 Apr 2025