Lectures and Tours

Lecture and Lunch: The Life and Times of Elizabeth I
Wednesday, January 15 from 10:30 AM until 1:00 PM
In honor of the 400th year anniversary of the passing of Queen Elizabeth I, Agecroft Hall will begin its year-long series of programs about Elizabeth with an overview of her life story - a life that had its fills of perils and successes. Speaker Dick Dilworth will begin with a brief look at Elizabeth's parents, King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, before guiding us through her perilous childhood years, her coronation, her reign as the maiden queen, and the final years of her glorious life. After the lecture, participants will enjoy a brief tour of Agecroft which will include a viewing of a pardon from Queen Elizabeth herself, followed by a delightful lunch with Dick Dilworth in the lecture hall.

Admission: $15 per person, includes lunch. Advance paid reservations required by Monday, January 13. Reservations are not refundable.

Lecture: The Elizabethan Manor House
Thursday, March 13 at 7:30 p.m.
Explore the development of the country houses built by 16th-century nobility as well as the development of traditional timber-frame residences in this lecture on the Elizabethan manor house. Local architectural historian Christopher Novelli will present this slide-illustrated lecture at Agecroft Hall Museum & Gardens.

Admission: $10 per person; $8 for students with identification; Group rates available.

Lecture and Lunch: Gardens During the Age of Elizabeth I
Wednesday, June 25 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Join Sandi Barnette, head of Agecroft’s Garden Department, for a slide-illustrated glimpse into the gardens of the Elizabethan era. A brief guided tour of the gardens at Agecroft Hall will be included. The program will conclude with a delicious lunch inside the museum’s lecture hall.

Admission: $15 per person, includes lunch. Advance paid registration is required by Monday, June 23. Reservations are non-refundable.

Lecture: The Progresses of Queen Elizabeth I
Wednesday, September 17 at 7:30 p.m.
Follow Queen Elizabeth I as she wove her way around England in her famous progresses. What did her hosts do to prepare? How did they fare after she and her entourage left? What organization was required to move the court about the countryside? And, what role did these travels play in her ability to rule? Mary Hill Cole, author of The Portable Queen and Professor of History at Mary Baldwin College, will take us along these historic progresses in a slide-illustrated lecture.

Admission: $12 per person; $10 for students with identification; Group rates available

Lecture: Elizabeth I & Mary, Queen of Scots
Wednesday, October 8 at 7:30 p.m.
“Elizabeth I is one of the legendary rulers of history, but when Mary Queen of Scots, her “loving ‘sister’ and cousin”, returned home from France, the rival queens competed for space and authority in the British Isles. And yet they had much in common. Leading (male) councillors subverted both Queens on gender and religious grounds. Renowned British historian John Guy, author of Tudor England, Thomas More and the forthcoming Mary Queen of Scots, will present a lecture that seeks to rediscover Elizabeth I as a royal personality using her dealings with Mary and these councillors as a prism.”

Admission: $12 per person; $10 for students with identification; Group rates available. Advance reservations recommended.

Lecture: Elizabeth I, Then and Now
Wednesday, October 22 at 7:30 p.m.
One of British history’s most famous figures, Elizabeth the First rigorously controlled her portrait in her own lifetime, but in modern times her image has adorned such items as a Barbie doll and even a rubber ducky! This amazing woman’s life continues to captivate the public much as it did in her own day - from her mysterious love affairs and her ability to govern a court of powerful men to her elevation of England as a world power. Join Dr. Georgianna Ziegler, Louis B. Thalhimer Head of Reference, The Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington D.C., for a slide-illustrated lecture featuring 85 objects directly related to the virgin queen, Virginia’s namesake. Sponsored by the Richmond Branch of the English Speaking Union of the United States.

Admission: FREE. Reservations recommended.

Lecture: The Image of Elizabeth I
Wednesday, November 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Horace Walpole once remarked, “A pale Roman nose, a head of hair loaded with crowns and powdered with diamonds, a vast ruff,...and a bushel of pearls, are the features by which everybody knows at once the portraits of Queen Elizabeth.” Elizabeth I was an intelligent woman, blessed with rare political acumen, who realized the significance of her physical appearance as a symbol of her monarchy. Join Deborah de Aréchaga, Agecroft Hall’s Curator of Collections, for a slide-illustrated lecture that will provide an in-depth look at the many depictions of Elizabeth I of England and the motivations behind their particular arrangement.

Admission: $10 per person; $8 for students with identification; Group rates available.

Agecroft Hall, 4305 Sulgrave Road, Richmond, Virginia, 23221
Phone: 804-353-4241