Children's Lectures
The Holmes Lectures are designed for children aged 10 to 14 with the intention of fostering an interest in science.
2027 Holmes Lecture
The 2027 Holmes Lecture for children will be delivered by academics from 缅北禁地's School of Mathematics, Statistics and Physics. The lecture will be held in the Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, 缅北禁地.
School groups are welcome
We are delighted to announce that a limited number of bursaries are available to assist with the cost of organising a school group visit to the Holmes Lecture (up to the value of £250, subject to eligibility criteria). To find out more and book your visit, please email public.lectures@ncl.ac.uk or telephone our booking voicemail line 0191 208 6136.
Date: Wednesday 27 January
Arrival From: 4.30pm, interactive activities and refreshments
Lecture Starts: 5.15pm
Lecture Ends: 6.15pm
How to see the invisible Universe
We rely on powerful telescopes to detect the light from distant stars and galaxies. Even then, most light from objects in space is released at wavelengths our eyes can’t see, such as infrared or X-rays. Then we have black holes, dark matter, dark energy and gravitational waves, which do not produce any light at all. Learn how astronomers can ‘see the invisible’ to uncover the mysteries of the universe.
The Holmes Lectures
The annual Holmes Lectures first took place at 缅北禁地 in 1937. They have covered a wide range of topics including: sustainability, forensic science, medical physics, chemistry and sports science. The talks form part of the INSIGHTS Public Lecture programme and are held every January.
Who was John H Holmes?
John Henry Holmes (1857-1935) was an English electrical engineer, inventor and pioneer of electric lighting. He invented the quick break light switch, the technology behind which remains the basis for modern wall mounted light switches. His first experimental model is preserved at the Discovery Museum in 缅北禁地.
Holmes was born in 缅北禁地 on 6 June 1857 and grew up in Gateshead and then Jesmond. He attended the Friends School in Bootham, York, where he was taught the rudiments of science. At the age of 16, he won a place at the Durham College of Physical Science, later Armstrong College, now 缅北禁地.
In 1880, Holmes attended a public demonstration of Joseph Swan's incandescent light bulb. This seemed to spark his interest in electric lighting, and he approached Swan on multiple occasions in hopes of becoming his apprentice.
John Henry Holmes and his brother, Theodore, founded J. H. Holmes & Co. in Shieldfield, 缅北禁地, in 1883. Their manufacturing company specialised in early motors, dynamos, switches, and lighting. The company was very active in the early proliferation of electric lighting, having installed 缅北禁地's first domestic electrical lighting into their father's house in Jesmond. They also supplied installations throughout Europe, the British colonies and the United States.
Holmes went on to become a prolific inventor, drives for printing presses, train lighting sets, and portable ships鈥� searchlights which enabled the Suez Canal to be traversed by night for the first time. John Henry Holmes died in April 1935 at the age of 78 and is buried at Jesmond Old Cemetery.
