Wren Talk: Rory Coonan

Christopher Wren before Architecture: the ‘British Leonardo’ – his impact on physiology, astronomy, engineering, practical inventions and experimental philosophy

This year’s Wren Talk on Thursday 20th October at St Bride’s Church, Fleet Street, will be given by Rory Coonan, former director of architecture at the Arts Council of Great Britain, and honorary fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects.

The event will also be streamed live on the St Bride’s YouTube channel.

Coonan will focus on Wren’s extraordinary but little-known contributions to the scientific revolution from his youth at Wadham from 1640 until his emergence much later as our greatest architect. The lecture also looks forward to Wren’s tercentenary in 2023.

This year’s lecture is the eleventh in the series. Coonan is a graduate of Wadham College, Oxford, and the Royal College of Art and has worked extensively in major projects in health and care with a current focus on creating affordable, sustainable smart homes for adults with care and support needs.

The Talk and Q&A session will be chaired by Paul Finch, Programme Director of the World Architecture Festival.

Registration for this event is free, but we hope you might consider making a suggested donation of £10 towards the upkeep and maintenance of this historic building. Find out how on our donations page.

We are most grateful to the Wren Insurance Association for their generous support of this event.

Find out more about the lecture series together with an archive of past speakers and recordings on the Wren Talk page.