About Age UK Silver Sunday: Gold on Parchment
How are feathers made into quills? What’s the difference between vellum and parchment – is there one? What pigments were used in medieval books and how were they made? What’s oak gall ink? How did they get the gold to stick on the pages? All this as well as the processes and techniques of manuscript production and more will be explained and demonstrated in Patricia’s talk.
This workshop is part of Silver Sunday in partnership with Age UK, and is designed for adults over 60.Each element of Silver Sunday should be booked separately. Tickets for this event will give you access to the timed Gold on Parchment lecture only.
Silver Sunday
Join a day of developing your skills and growing your knowledge, with an exclusive taste of some of our most popular courses and a keynote lecture with Patricia Lovett MBE.
What can I do as part of Silver Sunday?
- Take part in a two-hour workshop. Choose from Bookbinding, Old English or Memoir Writing. These must be booked in advance
- Attend a keynote lecture by Patricia Lovett MBE and learn all about making medieval manuscripts and the tools of the time. We recommend booking in advance to secure your place, however there may be some drop-in spaces available on the day. The event will also be livestreamed if you’d like to tune in at home
- Explore the Library at your own pace.
See the full programme of the day below.
More information
Programme for Silver Sunday
11.30 – 13.30 or 14.30 – 16.30: Workshops
Two-hour Bookbinding, Old English and Memoir Writing workshops will take place at 11.30 and 14.30.
These must be booked in advance.
14.00 – 15.30: Keynote lecture
Patricia Lovett MBE will lead a keynote lecture.
We recommend booking your space in advance, however there may be some drop-in spaces available on the day. The event will also be livestreamed if you’d like to tune in at home.
Patricia Lovett MBE
Patricia is a world-renowned scribe and illuminator who received a National Honour for calligraphy and heritage crafts.
More
Patricia Lovett MBE creates artworks on vellum, using gold, colour and quills. She has written extensively on calligraphy and illumination, including The Art and History of Calligraphy (2017, British Library Publishing) and The Art of the Scribe (2025, British Library Publishing) which are inspired by the Calligraphy and Illuminations of Medieval Manuscripts. Patricia co-curated the Calligraphy Today (2012–13) exhibition at the Fitzwilliam Museum, and teaches at a range of institutions including Harvard University and the University of London.
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