Everybody knows something about the Georgians but not everyone knows how foundational the period remains to our own time and culture. The Hanoverian succession was not easy although once established it created an enduring dynasty. This two-day course will explore the architecture, the society, briefly the politics, the art, literature and the music. We will learn how the Grand Tour informed taste – or didn’t, as the case maybe. We will appreciate how our economy grew and how we learnt to rule the waves. The country was awash with entrepreneurs and London became the most important city in Europe. The legacy of those times still pervades so many notions of nationhood and taste. Lavishly illustrated throughout, this course will both challenge and reinforce so many ideas that have resonance today.