Rsa Events

What we can learn from Sir Henry Cole - his energy, ingenuity, convening power and commitment to the public good - to inspire and encourage us to be bigger and bolder in our social change ambitions today?Sir Henry Cole’s list of achievements is long and varied — the first director of the V&A, he helped establish the Great Exhibition of 1851, reformed the postal service, introduced Christmas cards and was hugely influential at the then Society of Arts during Prince Albert’s tenure as President. It was said of him that, “his enterprise, energy and perseverance stimulated its proceedings and supplied much of the driving force that gave the Society a new importance in the land”.Join us on 15th July - Sir Henry Cole’s birthday - to celebrate his extraordinary life and times in conversation with historians Sir Christopher Frayling, Anton Howes and Dan Cruickshank, alongside Alice MacDonnell, Cole’s 4 x great granddaughter and present-day steward of his remarkable legacy and contribution to British innovation, d