This year, Nigel Edward Morecroft will talk about his book St Andrews: Camelot of Golf. Partly a social history, he will discuss the role of artisans, women and students in shaping modern St Andrews and will explain that for a small town, St Andrews possessed unusually varied and talented people across all strata of society who not only established St Andrews as the ‘Home of Golf’ but also took golf to the rest of the world. While he will refer to golf and golfers, the town of St Andrews rather than sport will be the main theme of the presentation.

Academics refer to Genius Loci, or the essence of a place, so one particular aspect he will explore, and would like to discuss with the audience, is ‘What makes St Andrews Special?’ and why his question produces an array of different answers. He hopes to gain some new insights from devotees of the Preservation Trust!

The talk will be accompanied by attractive illustrations including paintings, photographs and railway posters which will highlight how these striking images, along with the written word in the form of poems and books, all helped to establish perceptions about St Andrews during the period from 1850 to 1950.