22nd Biennial New Chaucer Society Congress
Durham, 11th–14th July 2022
Provisional Timetable
All details are still subject to change!
The academic sessions of the Congress will run from Monday 11th July to Thursday 14th 2022 (with excursions on Friday 15th).
Anyone thinking about being in Durham on Saturday 9th July should be aware that this is the day of the 136th Annual Durham Miners' Gala. This is a major event in the city's calendar, and a colourful and lively occasion. However, it also means that the streets will be very full during the day, and that there will be various traffic closures. Accommodation in the city may also be more difficult to come by on the evenings of Friday 8th and Saturday 9th. Further information about this event can be found here.
How do people in County Durham pronounce "gala"? See here!
Events prefixed with a § are special events organised by the NCS (not open to all delegates)
Events prefixed with a £ are optional: delegates wishing to attend these events will need to pay for tickets via online registration
Events prefixed with !! are optional, but cost-free: delegates wishing to attend these events will need to sign up for them in advance
Events in italic are not part of the conference itself: these are other events happening in Durham (which may or may not be of interest to delegates!)
***All other events are open to all delegates***
Items in purple are alterations since the original draft timetable was published in March 2022.
All events take place at the Teaching and Learning Centre [TLC] on South Road, unless stated otherwise
Saturday, 9th July 2022
Likely to be the day of the Durham Miners' Gala: in which case the city will be very busy and difficult to navigate that day – please see above!
Sunday, 10th July 2022
Preliminary events: for Trustees, and for participants in the Graduate and Teachers's Workshops.
§ 9:00-10:30 Graduate Student Workshop (Palace Green Library)
§ 9:30-10:30 Trustees' Meeting (Collingwood College)
§ 10:30-11:00 Coffee/tea break for Graduate-Workshop Participants and Trustees
§ 11:00-12:30 Graduate Student Workshop (Palace Green Library)
§ 11:00-1:00 Trustees' Meeting (Collingwood College)
§ 1:00-2:00 Lunch for Graduate-Workshop Participants and Trustees
§ 2:00-3:30 Graduate Student Workshop (Palace Green Library)
§ 2:00-3:30 Trustees' Meeting (Collingwood College)
§ 3:30-4:00 Coffee/tea break for Graduate-Workshop Participants and Trustees
§ 4:00-5:30 Graduate Student Workshop (Palace Green Library)
§ 4:00-5:00 Trustees' Meeting (Collingwood College)
£ 6:00-8:00 (optional) Three-course buffet-style evening-meal (John Snow College)
Monday, 11th July 2022
The main academic programme of the conference begins…
9:30- Registration – Teaching and Learning Centre, South Road, Durham
10:30-11:00 Coffee/tea break
11:00-12:30 Welcome, Conference Opening and Presidential Address (TLC lecture-theatre 500)
12:30-2:00 Lunch
2:00-3:30 Session 1
3:30-4:00 Coffee/tea break
4:00-5:30 Session 2
£ 6:00-8:00 Three-course buffet-style evening-meal (John Snow College)
7:30–9:00 Reception in the Cathedral Cloisters (event sponsored by the Institute of Medieval and Early Modern Studies)
9:00–10:15 Concert in the Cathedral Nave, performed by the Northern Consort (event sponsored by the Faculty of Arts and Humanities)
Tuesday, 12th July 2022
9:00-10:30 Session 3
10:30-11:00 Coffee/tea break
11:00-12:30 Plenary Session: Panel Discussion (TLC lecture-theatre 500)
12:30-2:00 Lunch
2:00-3:30 Session 4
3:30-4:00 Coffee/tea break
4:00-5:30 Session 5
!! 5:30-7:00 Guided walk around the city (meet at the TLC Reception) – please sign up via the Hub; and then confirm your booking at the Conference Registration desk: the cost will be £8 per person
£ 6:00-8:00 Three-course buffet-style evening-meal (John Snow College)
5:30–11:00 Bar open (John Snow College)
£ 7:30-10:30 Dinner in the Great Hall of the Castle (with sit-down by 7:30)
Wednesday, 13th July 2022
9:00–10:30 Session 6
10:30–11:00 Coffee/tea break
11:00–12:30 Session 7
12:30–2:00 Lunch
1:15–2:00 Members’ Parliament (TLC lecture-theatre 500)
2:00–3:30 Session 8
3:30–4:00 Coffee/tea break
4:00–5:15 Refugee Tales, with Patience Agbabi, preceded by a visit from the Vice-Chancellor of Durham University, Professor Karen O'Brien (TLC lecture-theatre 500)
5:15–6:15 Reception (to follow the Reading) (TLC Top Floor)
£ 6:00–8:00 Three-course buffet-style evening-meal (John Snow College)
5:30–11:00 Bar open (John Snow College)
7:30–8:30 Polyglot Miller's Tale Reading (TLC lecture-theatre 500)
9:00–11:00 LGBTQIA+ Event in Castle: Bishop's Dining Room
Thursday, 14th July 2022
The last day of the conference itself…
9:00-10:30 Session 9
10:30-11:00 Coffee/tea break
11:00-12:30 Session 10
12:30-2:00 Lunch
2:00-3:30 Session 11
3:30-4:00 Coffee/tea break – TLC
4:00-5:30 Plenary Session: Biennial Lecture (TLC lecture-theatre 500)
£ 6:00-8:00 Three-course buffet-style evening-meal (John Snow College)
£ 7:00-10:30 Conference Dinner in the Great Hall of the Castle (preceded by drinks in the Tunstall Gallery – for those attending this dinner only – with sit-down by 20:00)
5:30-11:00 Bar open (John Snow College)
Friday, 15th July 2022
A day for delegates to explore some of the local sights on (optional) excursions… Also an opportunity to visit Palace Green Library
£ 9:30- All-day excursion to Alnwick Castle and Gardens
£ 9:30- All-day excursion to Rievaulx Abbey and Helmsley – TBC
£ 9:30- All-day excursion to Hadrian’s Wall (Vindolanda and Housesteads) – TBC
!! 10am-11am OR 11am–12pm OR 12pm–1pm OR 2pm–3pm Visit to Palace Green Library: with introduction to the university's manuscripts by Richard Gameson (Please sign up via the Conference Hub)
Events in Durham during the NCS Congress
As it happens, the NCS Congress will coincide with two other major events in Durham's calendar:
- The Durham Brass Festival, 10th–17th July
- Durham City Run Festival, 15th–16th July
Registration for the 2022 Congress is now open.
It will close on Monday, 27th June.