History, culture & writing

Explore History, Culture & Writing

Explore our extraordinary range of History, Culture and Writing courses and lectures. We offer both introductory and specialist in-depth courses to suit all levels of interest and experience, from ‘How to read a film’ and World literature, to Creative non-fiction writing courses and American history and Politics courses.

Our tutors are experts in their fields and experienced educators; many have published, teach in universities or share their expertise in the media. Tutors share their knowledge and passion through presentations, readings, interactive discussion and exercises, analysis, and other activities.

Many students return to take more courses, telling us they enjoy being part of our City Lit Learning community.

Our popular courses often sell out quickly, so we invite you to browse and book your place now.

Courses available both in-person and online

We offer a range of long and short courses allowing you to choose between in-person and online learning.

Learn in the centre of London with our in-person courses. Our purpose-built facilities in Covent Garden mean we are ideally located and easy to get to. 

See our guide to online learning for more information about accessing our live online courses.

All our courses are live, interactive, and taught by expert tutors. No matter how you prefer to learn, we've got the class for you.

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  1. The purchase of paradise: ideas of purgatory in the mediaeval world
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 8 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Vanessa King
    In order to reach heaven a medieval Christian had to spend time in purgatory being cleansed of sin. Come and find out what purgatory consisted of and how you could fast-track you way through it.
    Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00
  2. Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £35.00
  3. Exploring Conservation Finchley
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 8 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Off Site

    Tutors:  Marilyn Greene
    Finchley Central contains three conservation areas. Starting at the oldest part of the former village of Finchley Church End , this walk stops to admire traces of the old village, Edwardian and Victorian architecture before moving on to the delightful Finchley Garden village and College Farm, the last remaining farm in Finchley.



    Meeting points: Start by the bike rack Station Road Exit of Finchley Central tube station, end Henley's Corner on the junction of Regent's Park Road by La Deliverance statue.
    Full fee £29.00 Senior fee £23.00 Concession £19.00
  4. The lost town of Lundenwic: mid-Saxon London 600-900 CE
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 8 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Stuart Brookes
    Look at the least known episodes in London's history, Lundenwic (AD 600-900) and Lundenburh (AD 900-1000).



    Includes an introductory lecture and guided walk.
    Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00
    Rating:
    95% of 100
  5. Crime and punishment in Old London
    Course start date:  Mon 10 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Off Site

    Tutors:  Diane Burstein
    Take a guided walk through the old City and its borders taking in beheadings and brutality at the Tower, tales of cutpurses and con men, the rise of prisons and the ghastly punishments that were meted out to wrongdoers. We go on a journey to Newgate Gaol, the Bridewell Prison and the places of execution including the notorious Tyburn Tree to hear tales of brutality, escapes and the bloodthirsty crowds who watched executions. Our tour includes London’s atmospheric legal quarter taking in the Old Bailey, The Royal Courts of Justice and the Inns of Court to discover how London’s legal system developed .



    Meet outside St Paul’s Cathedral by the Statue of Queen Anne.
    Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00
  6. War and Peace in Roman Love Poetry
    Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 11 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Nikoletta Manioti
    Roman love poets are proponents of peace as the condition where love can flourish. However, war permeates their poetry and is even turned into one of its characteristic motifs, the "campaign of love". This lecture will offer an overview of the themes of war and peace, with specific reference to the poems of Tibullus, Propertius, and Ovid.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £29.00 Senior fee £29.00 Concession £19.00
  7. Lunchtime lecture: Yoko Ono - viewer as participant
    Course start date:  Wed 12 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Sarah Jaffray
    Get to know the art of Yoko Ono from performance art to installation. We explore how the artist works in collaboration with the participant to create communal art for all.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £10.00 Senior fee £10.00 Concession £7.00
  8. Friday lates: Agnes Martin - pioneer, painter, icon
    Evening
    Course start date:  Fri 14 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Henry Martin
    This course examines the unconventional life and artworks of Agnes Martin (1912–2004), regarded as one of the great artists of the Twentieth Century. Topics covered include Abstract Expressionism, Minimalism, LGBTQ artists, and the role of the biography in Art History.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00
  9. Classics Day
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 15 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  The British Museum

    City Lit and the British Museum present the annual Classics Day, offering a day of lectures celebrating war and peace in the ancient world. This year’s inspiration is the major exhibition "Legion: Life in the Roman army". Anyone with a love of the classics is welcome. No previous knowledge required.
    Full fee £89.00 Senior fee £58.00 Concession £58.00
    Rating:
    91% of 100
  10. Writing the queer play
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 15 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Grant Corr
    Explore the queer play on this course for playwrights. In the workshop you will be given opportunities to construct your own queer characters giving you the tools and confidence to write the stories that you want to tell.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £35.00
  11. Masters of style: reading and writing Virginia Woolf
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 15 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Thomas McMullan, Patricia Sweeney
    Virginia Woolf was one of the twentieth century’s greatest writers. Her approaches to writing character interiority were at the forefront of modernist literary innovations. This day workshop explores the literary interpretations of several seminal texts and writing exercises that encourage you to experiment with Woolf’s stream-of-consciousness style.
    Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £59.00 Concession £30.00
  12. London's East End in fact and fiction
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 15 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Sarah Wise
    Covering the early 19th century to the early 20th century, we will examine the history of the East End, and we will analyse how it was portrayed in works of fiction.
    Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00
    Rating:
    100% of 100
  13. Local history writing
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 15 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Allis Moss
    On this inspiring short course you will learn how to write local history books, booklets and features; covering a wide range of topics such as family, home towns, old buildings, parks, markets and beyond.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £69.00 Concession £35.00
    Rating:
    88% of 100
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