Gresham College brings all ages together to learn without pressure’

Gresham College is a space where people can freely learn a noted theologian – and fan of the historic establishment – has said.

The Dean of Southwark the Very Revd Dr Mark Oakley said the lectures have been important to him since he was a teenager.  Now slightly older, he recently shared how he first came to lectures when he was 19 and reading theology at King's College.  

"When I discovered Gresham College – offering free lectures on a world of subjects I was only just really understanding the value of – I couldn’t keep away," he said. 

That first lecture he attended was theology, and the then professor of theology, Richard Chartres, shared how Hippocrates documenting an outbreak of mumps on the island of Thasos in around 410BCE – thought to be the first written description of the disease. 

"When you discover knowledge for knowledge’s sake, there’s no going back," Dr Oakley said.  

"I love that the College brings people of different ages together to learn without the pressure of examinations, or any promise of qualifications, save that of having expanded your humanity a bit more by the joy of shared learning." 

Over the years, Dr Oakley has continued to enjoy lectures from Gresham College.  

"I have kept in touch with the lecture life of the College on-line, as grateful today as I was 36 years ago," he told the audience.  

"At a time when we have never had so many words but never been so disinclined to believe them, at a time when the boundaries between facts and opinions and lies, are publicly disappearing, and a time when there is heightened self-promotion coupled with a low self-awareness, this is when we need education that is passionate and fearless in the search for, and the sharing of, truth... 

"When many are trying to be examples of power at the moment, places such as Gresham instead show the power of example, and unlock a gymnasium for underused imaginations, calling out to human empathy, expression and expertise, and a more substantial understanding for healthy minds.  

"What Gresham is doing today is almost a revolutionary act." 

Since 1597, Gresham College has been providing public lectures by leading academics and experts.  

Last year, we reached people from more than 150 countries with 7.54 million views on YouTube and over 8,000 people attending our lectures in-person. 

Freely offering top-level education is something we intend to continue doing for many centuries to come. Alongside Gresham’s two founding sponsors - the Mercer’s Company; the City of London Corporation - we are incredibly grateful to our audience members and supporters who choose to give back and support our mission to open up education and to encourage a love of learning.  

We want many more people – from a broader range of backgrounds and ages - to benefit from the outstanding education Gresham offers free of charge. With your support, you can help us achieve that goal.