Museum’s October talks and tours cover art, history, mythology and nature

The City Museum and Art Gallery is offering a range of talks and tours throughout October that highlight local and art history, Saltram House and former MP and Lady Mayoress, Nancy Astor.

The first talk on Tuesday 1 October is called Beyond Appearance: The Face in Modern Art. Professor Sam Smiles will look at examples of modern approaches to the face in response to headline exhibition Artists Make Faces (on display until 7 December).

On Tuesday 8 October Alan Read will discuss how Nancy Astor’s political career was challenged by the events that led up to the Second World War in connection with the current Nancy: The Life and Times of Lady Astor exhibition (on display until 12 October).

Local and Maritime Heritage Curator Nigel Overton reports on the Old Plymouth Society's Heritage Lottery Funded project to create an online database of the city’s boundary stones, mileposts and markers on Tuesday 15 October.

On Tuesday 22 October, furniture historian Dr Adam Bowett will discuss his research findings as part of a special project to conserve and discover more about the historic furniture in the Museum’s internationally important Cottonian Collection.

The month rounds off with a talk called Saltram's Magnificent Garden on Tuesday 29 October. Gardener Martin Stott will look at the beautiful 30-acre garden at this local National Trust property and highlight some of the rare and exotic plants that it is home to.

All talks begin at 1.10pm and last for up to 45 minutes. Admission to the talk on 22 October is free. All other talks cost £2 per person and advance booking is advisable via the Museum Welcome Desk or by calling 01752 304774. Full details of the talks programme are available at www.plymouth.gov.uk/museumlectures.

The Museum is also offering a series of Art Bites tours throughout the month.

There's a chance to hear more about Nancy Astor’s legacy and the items and artworks she left to the city on Wednesday 2 October; discover how mythology plays an integral role in the Cottonian Collection on Wednesday 16 October and explore the local links to the new Hidden in Plain Sight exhibition (opening on 26 October) on Wednesday 30 October.

All Art Bites begin at 1pm and last for up to 30 minutes. Admission is free but advance booking is advisable via the Museum Welcome Desk or by calling 01752 304774. For full details visit www.plymouth.gov.uk/museumartbites.