Weekday Wonderings Talk with Mark Chirnside: Titanic Myths in Popular History

Mark Chirnside is coming to the Lecture Theatre at Southampton City Art Gallery on Friday 27 November for a talk on Titanic myths in popular history. It's part of Weekday Wonderings, a weekday series run by Southampton City Council's Cultural Services that looks at the city's history and heritage. Every session is something different — a talk, a tour, or something else entirely — with activities spread across different weekdays.

This particular session takes on the challenge of studying the Titanic's history. Chirnside argues that the sheer volume of information around the ship means many claims are inaccurate or based on questionable evidence, yet they get repeated from one source to another until they're accepted as fact. He'll be covering various aspects of the ship, mixing little-known anecdotes with some of the more high-profile misconceptions. If you've spent any time with the Titanic story, you've likely come across a few of those repeated claims yourself.

There's a bit more to the morning than just the talk. Chirnside will have copies of his books available to buy, including his new publication Olympic & Titanic: Triumph and Disaster. And since the session is on a Friday, you get entrance to SeaCity Museum included on the day, so you can spend some time there before or after.

It's suitable for all ages, though under-16s need a responsible adult with them. The talk runs from 11am to 12.30pm at the Lecture Theatre, Southampton City Art Gallery on Commercial Road, SO14 7LP, and tickets are £10.