Indoor meetings are normally held at the Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London (nearest undergound station South Kensington) at intervals of four to six weeks between September and April. The main event at these meetings is usually a lecture by a guest speaker or society member. Most meetings also include a show-and-tell session when people have an opportunity to show specimens and anything else of molluscan interest to those at the meeting, and get comments from them. There are also opportunities for informal discussions over tea/coffee, and to purchase Society goods and back publications. The meetings take place in the Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity. To find this most easily, come into the Museum at the main entrance. In front of you, you will find a large blue whale skeleton. At the far end of the blue whale skeleton, turn left down a passage past a shop on the right and a cafeteria on the left and you'll see stairs leading down to an open glass-fronted lower-level atrium. The Centre is not open-access, so you will need to ring the bell to the right of the door (close to the end of the atrium) to gain admission.
To join the online meetings please email Catherine Jagger at Circa (shellmember@gmail.com) preferably at least one week prior to the meeting, indicating your intention to attend. She will then send you full joining instructions and a meeting agenda.
Conchological Society Indoor Meetings 2023
Last checked 16th May 2023
(Please note, all meetings (except July and November meetings) will be held in the Angela Marmont Centre, Natural History Museum (2.00pm), but also on Zoom).
Saturday 15th* July 2023 (ZOOM MEETING with online exhibits and lecture)
14.00 - 16.00 approx. (13.45 Zoom sign in - pre-register with Circa (shellmember@gmail.com))
Guest speaker: David Mckay, 'The role of serendipity in shell collecting'. David will talk about his life-long interest in molluscs, and how it has come to occupy his life. He is an avid collector of marine molluscs especially from offshore, regularly joining trawler fishing vessels on their trips. He has had a hand in describing several new species, and is now concentrating on marine recording as a way of maintaining his interest.
Council members please note that there will NOT be a Council meeting before this meeting.
* Please note, this meeting is not on July 23rd, as stated in Mollusc World.
Saturday 14th October 2023 - Indoor meeting with exhibits and lecture (NHM with Zoom link)
14:00 - 17:00 (13.45 Zoom sign in - pre-register with Circa (shellmember@gmail.com))
Guest speaker: Robert Cameron, ‘Snails in the mind: symbolism, superstition and imagery’.
Council members please note that there will be a Council meeting before this meeting (Live and Zoom).
Saturday 11th November 2023 - REGIONAL MEETING in Reading
Organiser: Tom Walker (tom@tmwalker.co.uk). The meeting will be held in the Department of Zoology, University of Reading, Berkshire. The meeting will consist of short papers and a tour of the mollusc collections within the department. Contributions of presentations (up to 20/25 minutes) will be welcomed. Please contact the organiser for more details.
Saturday 9th December 2023: INDOOR MEETING with exhibits and lecture (NHM with Zoom link)
14.00 - 17.00 (13.45 Zoom sign in - pre-register with Circa (shellmember@gmail.com))
Guest speaker: Richard Preece, 'William Benson and the Golden Age of Malacology in British India’.
A talk following the publication in 2023 of a monograph on Benson’s pioneering work in India.
Angela Marmont Centre, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD.
Council members please note that there will be a Council meeting before this meeting (Live and Zoom).
ONLINE ‘EXHIBITS’
Members are invited to address the meeting for a maximum of four minutes to show an exhibit or speak briefly on a mollusc-related theme. Anyone wishing to do this please e mail the Hon. Secretary, Rosemary Hill (secretary@conchsoc.org) in advance of the meeting. Note that for each meeting the number of speakers will be limited to the first five applicants.
The Programme Secretary will be happy to receive suggestions about interesting speakers or subjects.
All our meetings are open to non-members if space is available: if you would like to come, please contact Martin Willing (martinjwilling@gmail.com).
Meeting Programme compiled by Martin Willing. Contacts for meetings related matters are either Martin Willing
(martinjwilling@gmail.com) OR Rosemary Hill (secretary@conchsoc.org).