On Wednesday 21st August PubSci is delighted to welcome Steph Holt from London’s Natural History museum to talk about a pioneering 18th century naturalist now regarded as the first ecologist.
Illustration courtesy of Gilbert White House and Gardens
Gilbert White was a country parson with a fascination for nature. In 1789 he published The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne, a groundbreaking work whose importance is difficult to overstate.
Charles Darwin credited it with sparking his own fascination for nature, and White’s work paved the way for Darwin to develop his Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection.
White’s understanding that humans, nature and the environment are all inextricably linked have led to him being celebrated as the first ecologist.
White was frequently referenced by veteran ecologist Richard Maybe, author of over 30 books (including Food For Free which kicked off the 1970s “self sufficiency” movement and inspired The Good Life TV sitcom). Gilbert White also inspired the author of The Once And Future King – known by many through the Disney classic, The Sword In the Stone – who has Merlin the Magician quote Gilbert White on the topic of birds. Curiously the novelist’s name was T.H. White.
Our talk title, “The Once and Future Ecologist“, not only honours Gilbert White’s novelist namesake but reminds us that he was the first to truly understand how important the link is between living things, including humans, and our physical environment – a message which becomes increasingly urgent as we look to the future of this planet.
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PubSci is delighted to welcome Steph Holt from London’s Natural History Museum to talk about this fascinating and truly inspirational figure. Book now on Eventbrite.
More information below
Stained glass commemorating White, St. Mary’s church, Selborne
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Join us upstairs at the Old King’s Head, near London Bridge tube. Doors open at 6.30pm for a 7pm start. Talks run for ~45 minutes and are followed by a Q&A session. The Old King’s Head has a happy hour before 7pm, and the kitchen serves excellent pub grub.
Reserve your place now! PubSci is a pay-what-you-can event – please consider making a donation with your reservation to help us cover our costs.
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About the speaker
Natural Historian and ecologist Steph Holt has been fascinated by the wildlife of the British Isles for as long as she can remember.
She is passionate about the intersection of ecology and history, and is an accomplished communicator of her field. After working in ecology in local government, consultancy, NGOs, and academia, Steph Joined the Centre for UK Nature at London’s Natural History Museum in 2014. As UK Biodiversity Training Manager at NHM, she now helps ecologists develop careers with organisations such as Wildlife Trusts, Natural England and RSPB.
Steph is a Fellow and trustee of the British Naturalists Association, Associate Editor of Archives of Natural History (the journal of the Society for the History of Natural History), Fellow of the Linnean Society of London, and member of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management.
She has an MSt in Historical Studies, and is embarking on a DPhil at University of Oxford focusing on natural history in the late 18th Century, and its influence on networks of naturalists in modern amateur natural history.
Steph was recently awarded the David Bellamy Award for ‘Exceptional Field Naturalist’ by the British Naturalists Association.
PubSci is delighted to welcome Steph to the latest in our series of monthly talks.
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There is no charge for attending PubSci talks, but we have a traditional whip-round to cover expenses – consider it a “Pay What You Can” event. Very few of us carry cash these days, so you can contribute digitally through our TipJar or make a donation when registering for ticketed events with Eventbrite. Please help PubSci continue putting on events. PubSci has no other source of funding.
We aim to keep PubSci accessible for all, although it is unsuitable for under 18s as we meet in the function room of a pub. Regrettably, there is no wheelchair access.
Check out the Future Events page where you can also subscribe to our Google Calendar so PubSci events automatically appear in your own Calendar. You can find all our links on our LinkTree.
Wood engraving of Gilbert White by Eric Ravillious
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We used to meet on the first Wednesday of the month but PubSci is now on the third Wednesday. Join us upstairs at the Old King’s Head near London Bridge Underground (Borough High Street east side exit) every month apart from December for a regular dose of Sipping, Supping & Science.
Address:
The Old King’s Head (upstairs room)
King’s Head Yard
45-49 Borough High Street
London SE1 1NA
I hope you reserved your place early, because the event is fully booked and there’s a long waiting list. For those lucky enough to be attending, Chris will have copies of his new book for sale: The Science of Weird Shit – Why Our Minds Conjure the Paranormal.
Chris French is Emeritus Professor and Head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit in the Psychology Department at Goldsmiths,University of London. He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society and of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and a Patron of UK Humanists.
PubSci takes place upstairs at the Old King’s Head near London Bridge tube. Doors open 6.30pm for a 7pm start. Talks run for ~45 minutes and are followed by a Q&A session. The Old King’s Head has a happy hour before 7pm and the kitchen serves excellent pub grub. 
He received his PhD in psychology from Florida Atlantic University and has a degree in Applied Science from Wolverhampton University,
Science journalist and photographer, 
Mike Williamson is a Post-Doctoral Research Associate at the Institute of Zoology, the research division of the Zoological Society of London (the global conservation organisation best known to children as Regents Park Zoo). He works at the interface of conservation, climate change and biodiversity, seeking to minimise the impact human-activity has on the natural world.
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