The Royal Society and British Science: Episode 1

In Our Time

BBC

History

4.6 • 9.2K Ratings

🗓️ 4 January 2010

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

As part of the BBC's year of science programming, Melvyn Bragg looks at the history of the oldest scientific learned society of them all: the Royal Society. Melvyn travels to Wadham College, Oxford, where under the shadow of the English Civil War, the young Christopher Wren and friends experimented in the garden of their inspirational college warden, John Wilkins. Back in London, as Charles II is brought to the throne from exile, the new Society is formally founded one night in Gresham College. When London burns six years later, it is two of the key early Fellows of the Society who are charged with its rebuilding. And, as Melvyn finds out, in the secret observatory in The Monument to the fire, it is science which flavours their plans.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Thanks for downloading the in our time podcast for more details about in our time and for our terms of use
0:05.4	Please go to bbc.co.uk forward slash radio for I hope you enjoy the program
0:14.1	I'm here at the Royal Society on London's Mall overlooking some James Park two Royal Policies
0:20.7	Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament here with the assembled fellows of Britain's oldest and most prestigious
0:27.2	Learned Society where they're celebrating a birthday in 1660 a group of likeminded men decided to form a club for the promoting a
0:36.5	Physical mathematical experimental learning something we might now call science, but which in 1660 was rather novel and
0:44.8	Controversial type of philosophy
0:46.8	The President of the Royal Society Lord Reese has just come in and proceedings for this special day are about to begin
1:00.0	Ladies and gentlemen
1:01.8	May I welcome you all to the Society for its anniversary day
1:08.0	The Royal Society was founded in 1660
1:11.8	Under the patronage of King Charles II and he presented the Mace
1:16.4	It lies here in front of us to signify this is a formal meeting of the Society
1:21.8	The Mace is made of silver and on its upper end there are embossed figures of a rose a harp a thistle and a flodally representing England Island Scotland and France
1:31.7	The Mace is very like those in the Houses of Parliament big silver a richly guilt club
1:38.0	Since we have found it in 1660 this is a special year
1:42.7	This is a special meeting as it marks the beginning of our
1:48.7	350th anniversary year during which we are having a variety of special events and celebrations
1:56.7	All stood by a royal charter the fellows went on to create and perform a distinguished and
2:06.6	Crucially influential combination of roles in the nation's intellectual life as advisor
2:12.7	Benefactor investigator debating club administrator arbiter diplomat patron servant publisher and popularizer of all things science
2:22.6	This week from Monday to Thursday I'd be examining what they were up to and what they thought they were up to and
	...

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