An evening with Jerry Brotton

Acclaimed historian and author Jerry Brotton joins with Burghley House's Head Curator, Jon Culverhouse, to take us on a journey of discovery and exploration looking at East to West relations through time.

The evening begins with arrival drinks and viewing of Burghley's 2024 Treasury Exhibition: Treasure from the East which features treasured items from Burghley's Collection not normally on display. Jerry and Jon will bring to life historical journeys and discuss culture and trade from the East.

The event continues in Burghley House's magnificent Great Hall where Jerry Brotton will deliver a talk on history, literature and art. Enjoy a fascinating insight into directional discovery from East to West and hear about Elizabeth I and William Cecil's alliances with the Islamic world.


Arrival drinks | 6pm

Treasury Exhibition tour | 6.15pm

Jerry Brotton talk & book signing in the Great Hall | 7 to 8pm


About Jerry Brotton

Jerry Brotton is a British historian, professor of Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary University of London, an author, television and radio presenter and a curator. His many books include This Orient Isle: Elizabethan England and the Islamic World, winner of the Historical Writer’s Association non-fiction crown, a Waterstone’s book of the year, and serialised on Radio 4; the bestselling and award winning A History of the World in 12 Maps; and The Sale of the Late King's Goods: Charles I and His Art Collection, which was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize. He has written and presented numerous TV and radio programmes for BBC4, Radio 3, Radio 4 and the BBC World Service.

Book signing - Four Points of the Compass

Jerry Brotton's newly released book Four Points of the Compass will be available for purchase and signing at the event. Four Points of the Compass takes the reader on a journey of directional discovery. Jerry Brotton reveals why Hebrew culture privileges east; why Renaissance Europeans began drawing north at the top of their maps; why the early Islam revered the south; why the Aztecs used five colour-coded cardinal directions; and why no societies, primitive or modern, have ever orientated themselves westwards. He ends by reflecting on our digital age in which we, the little blue dot on the screen, have become the most important compass point. Throughout, Brotton shows that the directions reflect a human desire to create order and that they only have meaning, literally and metaphorically, depending on where you stand.