Talks Programme 2026

Join us for a packed weekend of talks exploring art, science, local history, maritime heritage, mining, antiques and the remarkable stories connected to Staithes and the wider North East.

All talks take place at Staithes Village Hall / Memorial Hall on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September 2026.

Please check each talk carefully before attending. Some talks may require advance booking and places may be limited.

Saturday 12 September

Dame Laura Knight – Al Milnes

Speaker: Al Milnes
Time: 10.30am–11.15am
Cost: £4.00
Book tickets: Buy tickets – Dame Laura Knight - Al Milnes will give an illustrated talk about her life and work – Staithes Village Memorial Hall

Dame Laura Knight — née Johnson — enjoyed artistic success and popularity throughout her long, illustrious and varied career. Despite this, she always acknowledged the formative impact of her years in Staithes between 1894 and 1907.

Al Milnes will give an illustrated talk about Dame Laura Knight’s life and work.

Al is the co-owner and director of Staithes Gallery and Art School on the High Street in Staithes. She plays an important role in the local art scene, having opened the gallery in 2006 to showcase contemporary paintings inspired by the village’s unique coastal scenery.

Staithes: Life, Light and Landscapes

Speaker: Adam Chadwick
Time: 11.45am–12.45pm
Cost: £4.00
Book tickets: Buy tickets – Adam Chadwick - Staithes: Life, Light and Landscapes – Staithes Village Memorial Hall

This year’s new book about the Staithes Art Club has been long awaited. Its author, Adam Chadwick, explores the lives of the artists who painted in the village and along the surrounding coast.

His talk will be illustrated with pictures from private collections and museum storerooms.

“To write the name Longster takes me straight back to Staithes, the memory of which is so beautiful in every way. Perhaps the happiest days of my life were spent with the dear friends I made there... great, good and wonderful people.”

Dark Matter

Speaker: Chris Toth
Time: 1.15pm–2.15pm
Cost: £4.00
Book tickets: Buy tickets – Dark Matter - Chris Toth – Staithes Village Memorial Hall

Join facility scientist Chris Toth for a light-hearted lecture on one of Boulby Underground Laboratory’s most fascinating topics: the search for the missing mass of the universe.

This family-friendly talk introduces the theory surrounding mysterious and ever-elusive dark matter, from first principles through to the latest results from around the world.

No prior physics knowledge required.

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The Antique Auction Market

Speaker: Caroline Hawley
Time: 2.45pm–3.45pm
Cost: £4.00
Book tickets: Buy tickets – Caroline Hawley - The Antique Auction Market – Staithes Village Memorial Hall

The antique auction market today: what’s hot and what’s not?

Could you be sitting on a fortune?

Come along and learn about the fascinating world of antiques and collectables.

Mining Deep Time

Speaker: Earth Science Outreach UK
Time: 4.15pm–5.15pm
Cost: £4.00
Book tickets: Buy tickets – Earth Science Outreach UK - Mining Deep Time – Staithes Village Memorial Hall

A scientist-led panel-style talk exploring the legacy of Cleveland’s mining heritage.

From spectacular fossils to world-famous architecture, the local industry has changed science, technology and our planet in many ways. The mines of Cleveland have provided a history of scientific discovery and extraordinary objects.

A panel of scientific and cultural experts will explore the legacy of Cleveland’s mining heritage — past, present and future.

Part conversation, part lecture — a fitting finale to the daily talks programme.

Presented by: www.earthscienceoutreach.org.uk

Sunday 13 September

A Forgotten Navy: Fishermen, Fishing Vessels and the Great War at Sea

Speaker: Robb Robinson
Time: 10.30am–11.30am
Cost: £4.00
Book tickets: Buy tickets – Speaker Robb Robinson - A Forgotten Navy: Fishermen, Fishing Vessels and the Great War at Sea – Staithes Village Memorial Hall

During the First World War, 3,000 fishing vessels were taken into Admiralty service and 39,000 fishermen from small and large ports joined the RNR Trawler Section. Many spent over four years on the maritime front line in the grim war against mines and U-boats.

They saw action all around the coasts of the British Isles — not least off the Yorkshire coast — and in many other maritime theatres of war. Many older fishermen also continued to catch fish in these same seas in an attempt to maintain the nation’s fish supply.

Although much has been written about Dreadnoughts and Jutland, the vital role fishermen from places such as Staithes played has often been underplayed or forgotten.

This talk outlines the contribution fishermen made to the Great War at sea.

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Dark Matter

Speaker: Chris Toth
Time: 12 noon–1pm
Cost: £4.00
Book tickets: Buy tickets – Speaker Chris Toth - Dark Matter – Staithes Village Memorial Hall

A second chance to hear Chris Toth’s family-friendly introduction to dark matter and the search for the missing mass of the universe.

The talk explores the science from first principles through to the latest results from around the world.

No prior physics knowledge required.

Captain James Cook RN: From Here to Hawaii

Speaker: Colin Harvey
Time: 1.30pm–2.30pm
Cost: £4.00
Book tickets: Buy tickets – Speaker Colin Harvey - Captain James Cook RN: From Here to Hawaii – Staithes Village Memorial Hall

A talk by Colin Harvey, volunteer guide at Staithes Museum.

This talk will take you on a voyage of discovery, from Cook’s boyhood in the Staithes area and his time in Whitby in the Merchant Navy, to his career in the Royal Navy and his three expeditions, culminating in his death in Hawaii.

Hear the true story of a local labourer’s son who became one of the greatest marine explorers, navigators and cartographers who ever lived.

Gertrude Bell: A Woman in a Man’s World

Speaker: Peter Sotheran
Time: 3pm–4pm
Cost: £4.00
Book tickets: Buy tickets – Speaker Peter Sotheran - Gertrude Bell: A Woman in a Man’s World – Staithes Village Memorial Hall
Redcar’s most famous daughter, remembered by many as the Queen of the Desert, spent her formative childhood years at Red Barns in Redcar.

The first woman to gain a first-class honours degree in Modern History at Oxford, Gertrude Bell became an intrepid mountaineer, published author, expert on Middle Eastern affairs, accomplished linguist and influential diplomat.

At the international Cairo Conference in 1921, she sat as an adviser, literally at the right hand of Winston Churchill, then Colonial Secretary.

Staithes Stories

With: John Cole, Colin Harrison and Bill Hinchley in conversation with Mandy Wragg
Time: 4.30pm–5.30pm
Cost: £4.00
Book tickets: Buy tickets – Staithes Stories - "John Cole, Colin Harrison and Bill Hinchley in conversation with Mandy Wragg " – Staithes Village Memorial Hall

Join long-time Staithes residents from three of Staithes’ oldest families — fisherman John Cole; Colin Harrison, the fourth of five family generations to serve in the RNLI; and village historian Bill Hinchley — as they discuss the life, traditions and characters of Staithes as they knew them, and beyond.

Booking Information

All talks take place at Staithes Memorial Hall. Tickets cost £4 per talk and advance booking is recommended, as places may be limited. Please use the booking link shown beneath each talk to reserve your place.