Amorous or Loving?: The Highly Peculiar Tale of English and the English

Talk - Sir Rupert Gavin Wednesday 27 January 2027

6.30 - 8pm (Doors open 6pm)

£27.50

How did a marginal dialect spoken in the late 9th century by 200,000 people become the world’s language spoken by 1.6 billion people today?

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English was a marginal dialect in the late 9th century spoken by about 200,000 people under existential threat. The Battle of Edington in 878 changed all that.

Join Sir Rupert Gavin as he charts English’s extraordinary path to becoming the most global language today spoken by 1.6 billion all over the world. He follows the story from Beowulf, Chaucer and Wycliffe, to Tyndall, Shakespeare and Donne via way of Samuel Johnson and Charles Dickens to the present day, in a highly entertaining and thought-provoking romp.

Ticket includes a welcome drink, book signing and a chance to view Dr Johnson's House.

Sir Rupert Gavin

Gavin has been a central figure in the cultural world for 40 years. He has led organisations as diverse as the BBC, Odeon Cinemas, British Telecom and currently English National Ballet. He is a prolific theatre producer, having helped mount over 300 high profile productions winning 28 Olivier awards and 7 Tony awards.

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND! Limited capacity. Book Now!

A small number of priority tickets have been set aside for members.

Accessibility

There is regrettably no step-free access to Dr Johnson's House.

There are seven steps to access the entrance (with a handrail).

The building is a four-storey townhouse with a staircase between each floor.

There are handrails on each side of the staircase and visitor seating in every room.

Toilets are located down a steep set of stairs.