The Arts Society Devizes

14/10/2026

Our 2026/27 lecture series starts on Wednesday 21 October. The lecture, by Timothy Wilcox, is a subject which has been very much in the news - The Bayeux Tapestry: 950 Years Of Propaganda, Intrigue And Spin.

We meet in the Corn Exchange, Devizes and will be celebrating our 20th Birthday with a free cake EVERYONE! Coffee and tea available, as usual, for £2.50. 10.00am 21 st October for Cake, before the 11am start.
We look forward to seeing new and existing members. Visitors are very welcome, £8 donation appreciated.

See our website for all 2026/27 lectures and activities: www.theartssocietydevizes.org

09/10/2026

The Arts Society Devizes

Who are we? We are a group of like minded people who have an interest and fascination with the arts in its widest sense, though we are not a practicing art group. Except during August and September, we meet every third Wednesday of the month at 10:45am to hear an inspiring lecture from one of the country’s leading arts experts on a variety of topics.
Our membership year starts from this October and new members and guests are very welcome. Meetings are held at the Corn Exchange, Devizes.
For more details please visit our website:

Here is the list of our lectures for this year October 2026 to July 2027. Our lectures are held in the Ceres Hall, on the ground floor of the Corn Exchange in the Market Place, Devizes.

04/10/2026

The Arts Society, Devizes

Our 2026/27 lecture series starts this month and we are looking forward to welcoming members and guests on Wednesday 21 October. The lecture, by Timothy Wilcox, is a subject which has been very much in the news - The Bayeux Tapestry.

The lecture is entitled “The Bayeux Tapestry: 950 years of Propaganda, Intrigue and Spin”. The Tapestry is instantly recognisable and one of the most outstanding cultural objects to survive from the early Middle Ages. Long admired for its vivid narrative, today it is the unanswered questions that most intrigue modern audiences: was it made in England or France? Was it stitched by men or women? This sparkling lecture looks not only at its creation, but also at its more amazing afterlife.

We meet in the Corn Exchange, Devizes and will be celebrating our 20th Birthday with a free cake EVERYONE! Coffee and tea available, as usual, for £2.50.

10.00am 21 st October for Cake Time, Time, before the 11am start.

Visitors are very welcome £8 donation appreciated.
See our website for all 2026/27 lectures and activities: www.theartssocietydevizes.org

10/07/2026

Our next lecture, prefaced by a short AGM, is this coming Wednesday, 15 th July 2026 - Martin Lloyd: ‘The Secret Art of The Passport’.

Please note: our AGM starts at 10:30 so we ask people to be in their seats by 10:20. The lecture will start at 11 as usual.
Visitors are very welcome -£8 donation appreciated.

Passports can be traced back over three thousand years with designs aimed to confound the forger, developing from handwritten paper documents to the technically complex ones we use today. From the wax seal to the microchip,
Martin will be taking us through these centuries of passport design, explaining the overt and uncovering the covert to illustrate the defences built in to the passports.
Martin is an author, lecturer and broadcaster. Be advised, you may never look at your passport in the same light again!

See our website for all 2025/26 lectures and activities: www.theartssocietydevizes.org

21/06/2026

This month we had a fascinating talk by Dr Jonathan Foyle into the way the Elizabethan era saw the change from Britain’s medieval houses into the basis of our modern homes, their design and what we may find in them. A really engaging talk with much to consider.

Our next lecture, prefaced by a short AGM, is on Wednesday 15 th July 2026 - Martin Lloyd: ‘The Secret Art of The Passport’.
Passports can be traced back over three thousand years with designs aimed to confound the forger, developing from handwritten paper documents to the technically complex ones we use today. From the wax seal to the microchip, Martin will be taking us through these centuries of passport design, explaining the overt and uncovering the covert to illustrate the defences built in to the passports.
Martin is an author, lecturer and broadcaster. Be advised, you may never look at your passport in the same light again!

Please note: our AGM starts at 10:30 so we ask people to be in their seats by 10:20. The lecture will start at 11 as usual.
Guests are very welcome - £8 donation appreciated.

See our website for all 2025/26 lectures and activities: www.theartssocietydevizes.org

13/06/2026

We look forward to seeing you for our next meeting on Wednesday 17 June for a talk by Dr Jonathan Foyle on ‘ Elizabethan Houses and the Transformation of Britain.’ We meet in the Corn Exchange, Devizes, 10.30am for 11am. Visitors are very welcome - £8 donation appreciated.

The talk concerns the Elizabethan era which saw the transformation of Britain's medieval dwellings into the basis of modern houses. Underpinning the story is the social change wrought by the end of the monasteries, the growth of cities and the discovery of a world beyond our shores.
Dr Jonathan Foyle, currently a lecturer at Bath University, has presented TV series such as BBC2's 'Climbing Great Buildings', as well as contributing to Channel 4's 'Time Team' and Channel 5's 'Secrets of the Royal Palaces'.

See our website for all 2025/26 lectures and activities: www.theartssocietydevizes.org

07/06/2026

Our May lecture was a fascinating delve into the background of two ‘lost’ portraits by Constable, an artist usually known for his landscapes, and the painstaking work and research went into their restoration.

We next meet on Wednesday 17 June for a talk by Dr Jonathan Foyle on ‘ Elizabethan Houses and the Transformation of Britain.’ The Elizabethan era saw the transformation of Britain's medieval dwellings into the basis of modern houses. Underpinning the story is the social change wrought by the end of the monasteries, the growth of cities and the discovery of a world beyond our shores.

Dr Jonathan Foyle, currently a lecturer at Bath University, has presented TV series such as BBC2's 'Climbing Great Buildings', as well as contributing to Channel 4's 'Time Team' and Channel 5's 'Secrets of the Royal Palaces'.

See you at the CORN EXCHANGE 10.30am for 11am.

16/05/2026

This month’s lecture is on Wednesday 20 May by Sarah Cove entitled “A Tale Of Vanity Fair: Constable’s Treslove Portraits Rediscovered”. 2026 is the 250th anniversary of Constable’s birth, and in this lecture Sarah reveals a story of wealth, vanity, fashion and politics.

We meet in the Corn Exchange Devizes 10.30 for 11.00. Visitors are very welcome - £8 donation appreciated.

See our website for all 2025/26 lectures and activities: www.theartssocietydevizes.org

26/04/2026

Our lecture this month was by Mark Ovenden: ‘Around The World In Stunning Aviation Posters.’ It was a kaleidoscope of eras, styles and artists influenced by their times and subject. Some were so original, they influenced art as a whole. Although it was a race through these colourful posters, we found it easy to follow and enjoy.

Our next lecture is on Wednesday 20 May by Sarah Cove entitled “A Tale Of Vanity Fair: Constable’s Treslove Portraits Rediscovered”. 2026 is the 250th anniversary of Constable’s birth, and in this lecture Sarah reveals a story of wealth, vanity, fashion and politics.

We meet in the Corn Exchange Devizes 10.30 for 11.00. Visitors are very welcome - £8 donation appreciated.

See our website for all 2025/26 lectures and activities: www.theartssocietydevizes.org

11/04/2026

Our next meeting is Wednesday 15 th April 2026 with Mark Ovenden’s lecture entitled ‘Around The World In Stunning Aviation Posters.’ We meet in the Corn Exchange, Devizes, 10.30am for 11am. Visitors are very welcome - £8 donation appreciated.

‘Around The World In Stunning Aviation Posters.’ Since the first commercial flight in 1919, airlines have needed to show an initially wary public where their services run and in doing so created some of the most iconic and beautiful travel posters. Spanning a century of art and design a look at aviation posters which have inspired dreams of far flung destinations in vivid colours and styles.

We look forward to seeing you.
See our website for all 2025/26 lectures and activities: www.theartssocietydevizes.org