Events

Alan Mitchell, a former journalist with LBC, ITN and Sky tells the story of his parents, a British soldier and a German civilian, who worked for the UK Military Government in the north-west German city of Osnabrück in 1945. The lives they led, the work they did as the fighting finally stopped and the rebuilding of a free and democratic city began. The talk includes his parents' personal encounters with Montgomery and Hitler, his mother's problematic past, the movie star who worked alongside them for the British in the city's former Nazi Party HQ, the Osnabrück sacrifice of a German Jew in Churchill's X troop and how non-fraternis-ation collapsed as foes became friends. Some 150 illustrative slides accompany the talk plus original historic documents from that period to view on the night.
This event will be online via Zoom and in person at St George's. If you wish to watch online, please register here to get the Zoom link. The same link can be used to pre-purchase your ticket if you plan to attend the talk at St George's in person. You can also pay at the door (cash or card).

On the first Saturday of each month at 6pm, please join us for an evening of music, played on our historic Organ.

James Gough is Assistant Organist at Southwark Cathedral and a renowned recitalist. He began organ studies with Huw Tregelles Williams OBE, later reading Music at Bristol and studying with Dr David Ponsford. In 2009 he earned a Master’s in Organ Performance at the Royal Academy of Music under Nicolas Kynaston, completing the FRCO and RAM Licentiate diplomas and winning several prizes, including the Eric Thiman Organ Prize. He was chosen to perform for Sir Elton John’s visit.

James has played the complete works of J. S. Bach and César Franck and performed at leading UK venues such as St Paul’s and Westminster Cathedrals, Westminster Abbey, and Bath Abbey, as well as festivals in Switzerland and Germany. Upcoming recitals include Bern and Osnabrück Cathedral. His recording of Bach’s Trio Sonatas, made at Clifton Cathedral, will be released on Naxos in 2024 following a collaboration with Dame Gillian Weir.

Passionate about contemporary music, James has premiered works by Piet Kee, Diana Burrell, and David Bednall. He previously held posts at St Martin-in-the-Fields, St Bride’s, Fleet Street and Wells Cathedral, and currently teaches at the Royal College of Music Junior Department and Westminster School.

No need to book. Please contribute to the retiring collection. 

The talk covers the history of Munich from its founding in the 12th century, the 700-year rule of the royal house of Wittelsbach, its baroque and neo-classical architecture, its palaces, sport, beer gardens and parks. In education its universities top the German rankings, in the Arts its museums and galleries have an international reputation and in industry it is a world leader in technology and innovation. In its turbulent 20th-century history Munich was the spiritual home of the Nazis but also the heart of a remarkable resistance movement. The Oktoberfest, the world's biggest folk and beer festival, attracts 6-7 million visitors a year. Germany's 3rd-largest city, Munich has a population of 1½ million, yet still manages to preserve a homely, village character.

Traveller and lecturer Frank Pattison is a retired teacher of German language and history. He has held many illustrated talks to support St George's German Lutheran church , all of which have been fascinating and very well received.
This event will be online via Zoom and in person at St George's. If you wish to watch online, please register here to get the Zoom link. The same link can be used to pre-purchase your ticket if you plan to attend the talk at St George's in person. You can also pay at the door (cash or card).

Best known for winning three gold medals at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Zátopek won the 5,000 metres, 10,000 metres and marathon - the first of his life. He also competed in the 1948 "Austerity" Games in London. A hero in his native country, Zátopek was an influential figure in the Communist Party. However, after the 1968 Prague Spring, he was stripped of his rank and expelled from the army and the party, removed from all important positions and forced to work in a string of menial jobs until rehabilitated in 1990.
Imke Siegerist, a founder member of St George's local committee and a passionate marathon runner herself, has taken a very personal interest in Zátopek's life and gives us her interpretation of the life and significance of this much-loved figure of history.

This event will be in-person at St George's and online via Zoom. If you wish to watch online, please register here to get the Zoom link. The same link can be used to pre-purchase your ticket if you plan to attend the talk at St George's in person. You can also pay at the door (cash or card).