Shrewsbury
A tour of the Silk Roads
Salopian Club members and friends treated to a tour of the Silk Roads
A party of 30 Salopians and guests had the privilege of a guided tour at the British Museum on Thursday 16th March with Nicholas Barber (SH 54-58). The tour concentrated on the artefacts of India and China and their associated history and religions and benefitted considerably from Nicholas' encyclopaedic knowledge.
The ‘Silk Roads’ refer to the network of people, objects and ideas that moved across Afro-Eurasia particularly during the first millennium AD. During the 19th century Britain and Russia vied for control of this region and sought to explore its lands.
Nicholas Barber is the Honorary President of the charity Classics for All which supports maintained schools across the UK to introduce or develop the teaching of classical subjects. He was a previously a Trustee of the British Museum and later the Chairman of Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum.
The tour was enthusiastically received by those who attended, one old Salopian remarked “Nicholas's erudition and witty commentary was superlative” and another former member of staff said, “Nicholas’ knowledge of those cultures and the clarity of his delivery was a lesson to us all.”
Sincere thanks are due not only to Nicholas Barber but also to Peter Fanning (Staff 81-12) for organising the tour and to Kit Oates (PH 00-05) for his technical support. A memorable afternoon concluded with some welcome refreshment at the Plough in Museum Street.
.jpeg&command_2=resize&height_2=85 "Rain stopped play but not the party!")
.jpg&command_2=resize&height_2=85 "Old Salopians take on the 'toughest race on earth' for charity")
