A Night with Amelia Edwards in Bolton

To Book:

Tickets are by donation.

If you wish to book multiple tickets, just combine your donation into the "Donation" ticket and select "Extra Tickets" for the rest.

Please give a generous donation for your ticket, all proceeds will go directly to support the work of the Egypt Exploration Society.

17:00–18:00 Lecture: Amelia B Edwards: The ‘Queen of Egyptology’18:30–19:30 Film screening: For the Love of Egypt

A chance visit to Egypt in 1873 by Amelia B Edwards changed the future of British Egyptology forever. Her travelogue, A Thousand Miles Up the Nile, would inspire generations after her to take up her message to support and promote Egyptian cultural heritage. Attendees will hear about Amelia’s life and relive Amelia’s 1873 journey up the Nile with Dr Carl Graves, Director of the Egypt Exploration Society which was founded by Amelia Edwards in 1882. The presentation is illustrated with archival material held by the Egypt Exploration Society as well as original artwork by Amelia kept at the Griffith Institute and Somerville College, both University of Oxford, and the Peggy Joy Egyptology Library. The presentation will also explore Amelia’s journey into Egyptology including her personal relationships with several women as well as her work as a musician and novelist, much of which has only recently come to light and is published by the speaker in the 2025 book, Amelia B. Edwards: The ‘Queen of Egyptology’, available in the Bolton Museum gift shop.

Starring Margaret Tyzak as Amelia B Edwards, ‘For the Love of Egypt’ is a BBC Chronicle docu-drama retelling the founding of the Egypt Exploration Society created for its centenary in 1982. The film has had a lasting impact on how we view the history of the EES as well as the wider development of British Egyptology. It includes the relationship between the Society and the British Museum (particularly Samuel Birch and Reginald Stuart Poole), as well as the early careers of William Matthew Flinders Petrie and Francis Llewellyn Griffith. It also has some subtle hints about the private life of Amelia Edwards, her relationship with Elen Drew Braysher, Marianne Brocklehurst, and Kate Bradbury and her own collecting of Egyptian antiquities.

A reception in the museum will follow the screening, offering time to network and ask questions.

Info: A chance visit to Egypt in 1873 by Amelia B Edwards changed the future of British Egyptology forever. Her travelogue, A Thousand Miles Up the Nile, would inspire generations after her to take up her message to support and promote Egyptian cultural heritage. Attendees will hear about Amelia’s life and relive Amelia’s 1873 journey up the Nile with Dr Carl Graves, Director of the Egypt Exploration Society which was founded by Amelia Edwards in 1882. The presentation is illustrated with archival material held by the Egypt Exploration Society as well as original artwork by Amelia kept at the Griffith Institute and Somerville College, both University of Oxford, and the Peggy Joy Egyptology Library. The presentation will also explore Amelia’s journey into Egyptology including her personal relationships with several women as well as her work as a musician and novelist, much of which has only recently come to light and is published by the speaker in the 2025 book, Amelia B. Edwards: The ‘Queen

Info: Starring Margaret Tyzak as Amelia B Edwards, ‘For the Love of Egypt’ is a BBC Chronicle docu-drama retelling the founding of the Egypt Exploration Society created for its centenary in 1982. The film has had a lasting impact on how we view the history of the EES as well as the wider development of British Egyptology. It includes the relationship between the Society and the British Museum (particularly Samuel Birch and Reginald Stuart Poole), as well as the early careers of William Matthew Flinders Petrie and Francis Llewellyn Griffith. It also has some subtle hints about the private life of Amelia Edwards, her relationship with Elen Drew Braysher, Marianne Brocklehurst, and Kate Bradbury and her own collecting of Egyptian antiquities.

Info: A reception in the museum will follow the screening, offering time to network and ask questions.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Bolton Museum, Art Gallery and Aquarium, Le Mans Crescent, Bolton, United Kingdom

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

Get App