The Shakers: from Manchester to Maine

Thursday 21 November, 6.30pm-8.30pm

Join Philip Davies, Emeritus Professor of American Studies at De Montfort University as we look at the lives of ‘The Shakers’. Ann Lee and eight followers left Manchester for America in 1774.  The United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, otherwise known as Shakers, had emerged in the industrialising northwest of England during the later years of that international spiritual ferment, the Great Awakening.

£6/per person – Purchase tickets via Eventbrite here 

Family Day: Float Ben’s Boat!

Benjamin Franklin crossed the Atlantic Ocean eight times in his life, charted the Gulf Stream, and investigated canals. During his time in London, he swam in the Thames and conducted experiments using the ponds on Clapham Common. Children will recreate some of Franklin’s investigations involving water and design their own boat!

Tuesday 20 August, 10:30am – 12:30pm

Most suitable for children aged 8-11 years old, although younger siblings are also are welcome.    

Free – To book email education@benjaminfranklinhouse.org

Family Day: Frankin’s Georgian Home

Join Polly Hewson, a character from Franklin’s household, on a tour of the building to learn about everyday life in 18th Century London. Inspired by our Virtual Georgian Interior, children will design furnishings to fill the historic rooms. 

Suitable for children aged 5-11           

Free – To book email education@benjaminfranklinhouse.org

Family Day: Children’s Summer Fete

Our annual Summer Fete, in collaboration with special guests from the world of heritage, will include activities for all the family. Join us in the lovely gardens of Leighton House Museum so bring a picnic!

Saturday 13th July 11am – 4pm

Suitable for children aged 5-11.        

Visit Eventbrite to book your free tickets.

Family Day: Georgian Easter Celebration

Join us for Easter-themed crafts and games. Take part in a special Easter egg hunt inspired by Benjamin Franklin’s inventions and scientific work.

Tuesday 16th April 10.30am-12.30pm.

Suitable for children aged 5-11.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/family-day-georgian-easter-celebration-tickets-59450407770

Family Day: Spark your Curiosity

Join us for hands-on family fun exploring the wonders of electricity, including a demonstration of one of Ben Franklin’s most famous, and useful, inventions – the lightning rod! Children will be introduced to the basics of electricity through activities and demonstrations.

Tuesday 18 February 10.30am-12.30pm.

Most suitable for children aged 8-11 years old, although younger siblings are also welcome.

Free – book your tickets here

Email education@benjaminfranklinhouse.org for more information. 

The Long Goodbye: Benjamin Franklin’s Death and Creating the American Identity

Wednesday April 17 2019, 5.30pm 

Early morning on 17 April 1790, Benjamin Franklin died at his home in Philadelphia.  Almost a generation older than most of America’s founders, he was the first to inspire a national, and indeed international, period of mourning.  In arranging Franklin’s memorial, his own and Craven Street family set in place lasting ideas on remembrance and identity.  Dr. Boudreau is a cultural historian focused on 18th century Anglo-America. His his Benjamin Franklin teacher workshops have received numerous grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and he holds a 2019 post-doctoral fellowship at the George Washington Library at Mount Vernon.  He is author of Independence: A Guide to Historic Philadelphia (2012).

£6 per person. Available via Eventbrite 

The Battles of Blackfriars Bridge: London Improvement in the Age of Franklin

Thursday April 4th 2019, 6.30pm – 8pm

Dr Perry Gauci,Tutor in Modern History at Lincoln College, Oxford University, will speak about the stormy public debates surrounding the first Blackfriars Bridge, which opened in 1769. The bridge caused deep divisions within the metropolis, but its completion highlighted how Londoners managed to find common cause in pursuit of civic improvement in Franklin’s day.

Tickets are £6 and available on Eventbrite 

Election 2020 – Carol Gould on American Politics

Wednesday 12th of June 2019, 6.30pm

As the 2020 presidential race gains momentum, Carol Gould, a political commentator since 2004, will discuss the current state of play in American politics, including race relations, international affairs, and (in the spirit of Benjamin Franklin) freedom of the press. Carol is author of ‘Don’t Tread on me – anti-Americanism Abroad’.

Book Here

SOLD OUT – Family Day: Printing Workshop

Did you know that Ben Franklin started out as a printer? Nowadays we think of a printer as something that connects to a computer but the mechanical printing press was cutting edge technology in Franklin’s time. Join us for this fun-filled family day to learn all about 18th Century printing methods and try your hand at some printing of your own!

Suitable for ages 6-12.

Please register for both the children and adults in your group.