Christopher Wren’s Cosmos

An episode of the Gresham College Lectures podcast, hosted by Gresham College, titled "Christopher Wren’s Cosmos" was published on March 1, 2023 and runs 58 minutes.

March 1, 2023 ·58m · Gresham College Lectures

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Summary

Sir Christopher Wren was one of the most remarkable Gresham Professors of Astronomy. Though best known today as the architectural mastermind behind the rebuilding of London after the Great Fire, Wren’s appointment to the Gresham chair in 1657 stemmed from his enthusiasm for turning his gaze well above London’s skyline and focussing his attention on the heavens above. This lecture will consider Wren’s contributions to astronomy and how Wren’s appreciation of and contributions to art and design...

Episode Description

Sir Christopher Wren was one of the most remarkable Gresham Professors of Astronomy. Though best known today as the architectural mastermind behind the rebuilding of London after the Great Fire, Wren’s appointment to the Gresham chair in 1657 stemmed from his enthusiasm for turning his gaze well above London’s skyline and focussing his attention on the heavens above.

This lecture will consider Wren’s contributions to astronomy and how Wren’s appreciation of and contributions to art and design, and science and engineering, were fully integrated in his life and made him a polymath on a par with Leonardo da Vinci.

A lecture by Katherine Blundell OBE recorded on 22 February 2023 at David Game College, London.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/wren-cosmos

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