Events for Sir Thomas Browne Day

Sir Thomas Browne Day Events in October 2019
Sir Thomas Browne Day is an annual celebration of the life and work of the 17th century physician and polymath, who lived in Norwich for most of his adult life until his death on 19th October 1682. The events on and around his birth- and death-day, 19 October, are a chance to find out more about this interesting and ‘curious’ man, partnering this year with the Norfolk & Norwich Millennium Library, St Peter Mancroft and Fairhurst Gallery.  Full details and directions can be found on the website www.sirthomasbrowne.org.uk.
 
Monday 14 October-Sunday 20 October
Display of a selection of Browne’s books and papers in the Heritage Centre in the Norfolk & Norwich Millennium Library - look for a glass case and pop-up banners

Tuesday 15 October 7pm-9.30pm
The Chapel, 64 Park Lane, Norwich NR2 3EF
A double-bill of talks - see other side of flyer for details
Julie Curl http://www.sylvanusservices.com/
Kevin Faulkner http://aquariumofvulcan.blogspot.com
Chaired by Dr Nick Warr, https://people.uea.ac.uk/n_warr
Pay-what-you-can. Book your seat at www.sirthomasbrownedaytalk.eventbrite.co.uk

Saturday 19 October – Sir Thomas Browne Day
10am-12pm Cleaning the sculptures on Hay Hill
Maggie and Marion will be on Hay Hill for the annual birthday clean of the sculptures ‘Homage to Sir Thomas Browne’ by international artists Anne and Patrick Poirier and available to talk to people about Thomas Browne and the work on Hay Hill.

11am-12pm Performance on Hay Hill
Norwich-born Browne scholar Kevin Faulkner performs in costume (subject to weather).
1-2pm Thomas Browne Concert in St Peter Mancroft Church
Marcos Garrido Jiménez Trombone and Neil Jones, piano. Donation to St Peter Mancroft

2.30pm Tour of St Peter Mancroft Church by local Browne expert and Mancroft parishioner Barbara Miller: A tour of the artefacts kept in the church where Browne and his family are buried. Free/donation to St Peter Mancroft Church

Until 29 October 2019 
Fairhurst Gallery, Bedford Street, Norwich NR2 1AR
Quin : An exhibition of new work by Tazelaar Stevenson, an artist who is fascinated by grids and whose work is influenced by Thomas Browne and the Quincunx.
Visit the Gallery and Quin exhibition Tuesday to Friday 9.30am-5.30pm, Saturday 10am-4pm

FrIday 22 November 2.30-3.30pm
Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery, Norwich Castle
Thomas Browne’s Retreat to Earth
A talk by Professor Claire Preston, Queen Mary University (London)
One of a series of talks in relation to an exhibition celebrating the work of the author W.G. Sebald on the 75th anniversary of his birth; at Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery in collaboration with The University of East Anglia until 5 January 2020.
 
Talks
Tuesday 15 October 2019
The Chapel, 64 Park Lane, Norwich NR2 3EF
6.30pm for 7pm start
A double bill of speakers : Julie Curl and Kevin Faulkner
Chaired and introduced by Dr. Nick Warr, historian and curator of the current
WG Sebald : Lines of Sight exhibition at Norwich Castle

Talk 1 : Julie Curl, archaeologist and illustrator
‘Sir Thomas Browne, research from the past affecting the future’.
The work of Sir Thomas Browne is something that I frequently quote in my archaeological faunal research, particularly his work on birds. His research can add to my findings to help current and future plans to reintroduce some species, such as the White-Tailed Eagle, where there is consideration given to archaeological records and documentary evidence. Approx 40 mins

Talk 2 : Kevin Faulkner, Norwich-based scholar of Thomas Browne and western esotericism
‘The alchemy of Sir Thomas Browne’
The alchemy of Browne: A brief look at the diptych discourses of 1658, Urn-Burial and the Garden of Cyrus and their relationship to each other with reference to the contents of his library, literary symbolism and esotericism during the 1650s. Approx 40 mins

Pay-what-you-can on the door, suggestion £5
Book here please so that we know numbers - no payment required to reserve a place ​
https://thomasbrowneday.eventbrite.co.uk
 
Press enquiries call Marion Catlin 07946 261651 or email [email protected]

About Sir Thomas Browne Day
Sir Thomas Browne is an overlooked character in Norwich heritage. Most people don't know who he was and yet they pass him most days in the city centre. He was a Norwich man 1605 - 1682, there is a statue of him on Hay Hill just outside Next, people often know him as the he lived where Pret a Manger is now and he is buried in St Peter Mancroft Church. The brain and the eye sculptures are part of a Homage to Sir Thomas Browne.
Sir Thomas Browne Day is an annual series of events centring around the date of 19 October as it is the anniversary of both his birth and his death. The Thomas Browne Project is a volunteer-led small group of people whose aim is to increase awareness and knowledge of Browne, his life and his work, to maintain a website as a central place for information about Browne and any events associated with him and to encourage new work on the ‘Brownean’ principles of curiosity and experimentation.  Many writers, artists, scientists and thinkers are inspired by his work. The website is www.sirthomasbrowne.org.uk

About Sir Thomas Browne
Sir Thomas Browne was a 17th century physician and polymath who lived in Norwich for most of his adult life, in the Hay Hill area of the city. He died aged 77 on his birthday in 1682, on 19 October which is now Sir Thomas Browne Day.
·        There is a statue of him on Hay Hill and also a set of sculptures that relate to his life and work.

• He lived where Pret a Manger is now and is buried in St Peter Mancroft Church alongside his wife and other members of his family, where there is a collection of artefacts, including a replica of his skull.
• He wrote books and essays, conducted experiments, invented words and was curious about everything around him. 
• He was known as a physician, a  philosopher, writer, botanist, scientist and coiner of new words (neologisms) such as ‘electricity’, ‘medical’ and ‘coma’ – almost as many as William Shakespeare
• He has inspired many writers and thinkers since such as Paul Nash, W.G Sebald, Virginia Woolf
• In spite of being well-known and respected in his day and also across the world, he is relatively unknown in Norfolk today. Sir Thomas Browne Day is an opportunity to learn about this brilliant and fascinating man who was so influential throughout England and Europe and remains relevant and inspirational in the 21st century.