Established in 1660, the life of the Royal Society has always been closely bound up with the life of the city. Members met in coffee-houses, taverns, bookseller’s shops and artisans’ workshops to discuss, debate and exchange knowledge. Scientific work was not confined to the laboratory; experiments were conducted in church buildings, and animal dissections and medical consultations in the coffee-houses.
In his talk, Dr Noah Moxham, recounted how the Society dealt with plague, fire and war that shook the city during the 17th century.