Sex, Love, & Scandal in Restoration Britain
Thu 17th Sep 2026 - 19:00 - 20:30
When Charles II took the throne, Britain went from Puritan austerity to absolute debauchery — almost overnight!
The Restoration court of Charles II is one of history’s great scandals: a world of mistresses, duels, political intrigue, and rakes whose behaviour would make a modern tabloid blush. Nell Gwyn sold oranges before becoming the king’s most famous lover. The Earl of Rochester wrote poetry so obscene it couldn’t be published for centuries. And those were the respectable ones.
Historian Andrea Zuvich has spent years researching the sex, scandal, and surprisingly dark fates that awaited the wildest figures of the Stuart court — and she tells it with wit, scholarship, and no shortage of shocking detail. Andrea Zuvich is a historian specialising in the Stuart period (1603-1714). She is also a historical consultant (for film, radio, & TV), an authoress, and an audiobook narrator. She’s starred on BBC4 Charles I: Downfall of a King, BBC History Extra Stuart Britain: what was life like for ordinary people? as well as BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour with Jenni Murray.
The session includes a Q&A and book signing for her book Sex and Sexuality in Stuart Britain.
When: Thursday 17th September
Timings: 7 to 8:30pm
Price: £15 per person
Age: 16+
Places: Limited to 40 places
Accessibility: The room and our toilets are fully accessible