Films and Presentations
On each Saturday during the 4 week exhibition run, St James’ Church will host four free film screenings or presentations.
In addition, the story of the Imperial Family Bible (and the St James’ copy) will be presented throughout the exhibition, as will be The story of St James’ Church and its remarkable building.
The films and presentations relate to the exhibition itself, or the themes featured in Heritage Open Days (‘Everyday Histories and daily working lives through the ages’) and Lambeth Heritage Festival which celebrates local landmarks and stories, both of which St James’ Church is participating in.
Everyone is welcome, free refreshments will be provided.
Saturday 19th September, 5-6.30pm
Film screening: One hundred men
This 59-minute film by Daniel Yon documents the remarkable story of one hundred men who, in 1949 (the year after the arrival of SS Windrush on these shores) were recruited from the Island of St Helena, part of the British Empire, in the South Atlantic to work as agricultural labourers in England.
A range of themes are explored through first-hand story-telling and archival sources which bring to life their everyday working lives and experiences. The film includes the poignant reunion of one of the migrants with his previously unmet daughter.
Saturday 26th September, 5-6.30pm
Film screening and Q&A with the film producers: Fearless
This highly acclaimed, and award-winning, 70-minute film celebrates the resilience of and working lives of six migrant women - aged between 78 and 90 - who left the Caribbean, India, and Ireland to build new lives in Britain between the 1940s and 1970s.
The film’s producer will introduce the film and engage in a post-film discussion and Q&A.
Saturday 3rd October, 5-6.30pm.
Presentation: The stories behind the paintings
Journalist, writer, and Radio 4 broadcaster, Blanche Girouard, will reveal the many different uses of religious art and share the fascinating back-stories of many of the famous paintings reproduced by the engravers for The Imperial Bible, and featured here in Drawn into your Presence, as well as subsequent inspirations by the likes of Andy Warhol and Grayson Perry.
Blanche’s latest book, The Non-Believer’s Guide to Christian Art, will be published in March 2027.
Saturday 10th October, 5-6.30pm
Presentation: The Art of the Engraver
Alice Clanachan, Curator of Prints at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, will share the fascinating art and story of the Victorian-era engravers, and reveal how they transformed enormous paintings into small engravings filled with detail and life.
Alice is responsible for prints in the V&A’s collection from 1500 to 1850. Prior to her move to the UK in 2023 she held curatorial roles in prints, drawings and photographs at the Art Gallery of South Australia and Flinders University Museum of Art in Adelaide, and the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. In 2019 she was awarded the Harold Wright Fellowship which enabled 12 months self-directed study in the Prints and Drawings Department of the British Museum.
Wednesday 16th September – Sunday 18th October
Presentation: The Imperial Family Bible
The Relf family copy of this iconic bible will be exhibited throughout the exhibition, as well as the story behind the Imperial Family Bible, which became a centrepiece in many Victorian homes.
More details here
Presentation: The Story of St James’ Church
The remarkable and inspiring story of St James’ from its birth in 1829, through its rebuilding after its destruction by German bombs in World War II, up to the present day, will be exhibited throughout the exhibition.
More details here