Speaking

 

Looking for a speaker who will engage your audience with an amusing, interesting and informative talk?

Invite published author and inspirational speaker, Rupert Matthews. Whatever the size or make up of your audience, Rupert is an ideal speaker to make your event as memorable as possible. 


About the Talks
Rupert’s talks are lively, informative and fun. They are carefully tailored to suit audiences of all backgrounds, ages and tastes. Rupert has spoken successfully to WI, Probus, Round Table, Rotary, U3A and social groups of all kinds as well as to lecture groups, library talks and educational establishments.

All talks come in standard 20 minute, 40 minute and 60 minute versions, plus questions afterwards, but most can be made to suit any time slot you have available. All talks involve  a screen presentation, objects to handle, costume changes - or all three! Rupert can bring all his own equipment, but can as easily use your facilities. 

Rupert offers not only general history talks, but also talks specifically highlighting local areas, such as Surrey, Sussex, Kent, Hampshire or Berkshire or dealing with season events including Christmas, St George's Day, St Patrick's Day and St David's Day. See the listings below. 

For how to book Rupert, please go to the How to Book page.

For detailed information about each talk, go to the Talks in Detail page.

 

History Talks
The History of Apples
King Arthur – Myth or Reality?
The History of Buttons
The Escape of Charles II - an oak tree, a smuggling boat and more close escapes than you would believe.
Girl Power – Four Thousand Years of Women and the Military
Hengist – the First English King
The Coronations of King Henry VIII
Jack the Ripper
Jane Austen and the Military
The Kingdom of Lindsey [Lincolnshire]
The Kingdom of Sussex
The Kingdom of Mercia
Magna Carta in the 21st Century
The Pagan Gods of England
The Female Pope
The Lost Railways of Berkshire
Richard III – Hero or Villain?
The Real Robin Hood
Ernest Shackleton
The Sieges of Leicester
The Suffragettes
Women in the World of Chivalry
The Wreck of the Titanic

Military Talks
“All Over by Christmas” [The first year of the First World War]
The Arrowstorm – The Longbow in the Hundred Years War
Blitzkrieg - Anatomy of a Legend
The Battle of Crecy
The Dambusters Raid
The Battle of Hastings & the Norman Conquest
Hitler’s Forgotten Secret Weapon
Myths and Legends of the First World War
RAF Fighter  Command in Surrey
RAF Bomber  Command at War
The Battle of Waterloo

Esoteric Talks
Monsters at the Movies
Yeti – Are the Mythical Man-Apes of the World Real?

Seasonal Talks
The Real St Valentine [February]
The Real St Patrick [March]
The Real St George [April]
Who was Guy Fawkes? [November]
A History of Christmas Foods [December]
The Biography of Father Christmas [December]

Also:
A Brexiteer in Brussels – Rupert spent two years as a Member of the European Parliament

More details about each talk are given below.