Thursday, 6th September
The Beresford Hutchinson Commemorative Lecture 2012
‘The heart of the world’: Charlton, Greenwich and the global time network
David Rooney
‘What we are concerned with here is the fundamental interconnectedness of all things … the connections between causes and effects are often much more subtle and complex than we with our rough and ready understanding of the physical world might naturally suppose.’ Douglas Adams, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency.
David Rooney’s academic interests revolve around technological networks and their relationship with people. The interaction between humans and technology over long periods and wide geographical areas offers intriguing glimpses into the modern world.
In this commemorative lecture, David will examine aspects of horology in the local histories of two London districts, Charlton and Dollis Hill. He will then explore the impact these time-related industries had on global trade, politics and science in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
In doing so, he hopes to demonstrate the value of the Douglas Adams school of historical research for the particular case of horology.
