What's on
Temporary Closure
Following the Prime Minister’s announcement we will be temporarily closing the Institution on Thursday 5 November for one month. We are planning to open again on Thursday 3 December.
Hidden Nature Library Lecture – October 2020
A series of talks and conversazione filmed at the Institution and presented monthly via our website.
Directors report to AGM 2020
2019-2020 has been an extraordinary year. Like many heritage organisations, we had to close our doors in March and adapt quickly to a locked-down world. At the same time, we also received notification of our successful application to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for our exciting new project, The Next Chapter. Needless to say, there have been ups and downs but we have faced challenges in the spirit of the 19th century scientists who founded the Institution in 1813, adapting and innovating our programme and services so that we have continued to flourish and connect with our members and supporters.
Celebrating Libraries Week (5-10 October 2020)
Libraries Week is an annual showcase of the best that libraries have to offer, celebrating the nation's much-loved libraries and their vital role in the UK's book culture. We have been celebrating this week with a series of readings by our members and volunteers. We hope you enjoy them.
A Working History: a selection of local trade cards
Trade cards were printed on fine-quality paper and distributed with deliveries or given to customers at trade counters. Our set of eight postcards includes a bookseller, engraver, chemist, upholsterer, draper, […]
Westcountry Colours: drawings by Edward Ashworth
Our set of six notecards features delightful watercolour, pencil and ink drawings by Edward Ashworth (1814-1896), one of the leading ecclesiastical architects of his day. The Institution holds seven sketchbooks […]
The Art of Light: stained glass from Devon churches
Just in time for Christmas, these six cards feature stained-glass designs from our Exeter Diocesan Architectural Society collection. The Society was established in 1841 to report on the fabric of […]
Saturday Programme – October 2020
We are delighted to bring back our free Saturday workshops which will now be bookable and limited to six participants. All workshops take inspiration from our special collections and heritage site.
Mayflower: marking 400 years
Daniel Neal (1678-1743), a historian and nonconformist minister, published the first volume of The History of the Puritans in 1732; the final fourth volume appeared in 1738. Neal’s story starts with the Protestant Reformation and concludes with the Act of Toleration in the reign of William and Mary. The second volume includes an account of the voyage of Mayflower to the new ‘Promised Land’.
