The 483rd Meeting was held at Badgemore Park on the 14th February 2023.
The guest speaker this month was John Brearley, who gave a presentation on The Great Exhibition of 1851 and the Arts & Crafts Movement.
The backdrop of the Exhibition was the UK, then with a population of some 16 million people which was going through a period of extreme poverty, chronic illnesses, with many parts of the country in a dire condition.
It was felt that an exhibition which outlined the various arts and crafts that existed in the country would help lift the population. This had the support of Prince Albert, who worked tirelessly on a plan for the exhibition, which eventually took place in Hyde Park, London at a venue named Crystal Palace, and became an international and world fair to unite nations and encourage economic growth through international trade.
The exhibition lasted 5 months and contained circa 100,000 exhibits from over 13,000 exhibitors from all over the world covering materials, industry, and inventions. The exhibition also portrayed UK in a strong position on the world stage.
