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    European Heritage Open Days 2013 | An East Belfast Experience | Part I

    Originally posted online on 18 June 2014 at rmchapple.blogspot.com

    (http://rmchapple.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/european-heritage-open-days-2013-east.html)

    If youre interested in what may be broadly termed heritage issues, you are probably familiarwith European Heritage Open Days, where buildings of historic worth, which are notgenerally publicly accessible, are open for one weekend in September. This year the EOHDevent in Northern Ireland were boasting of 410 properties and events opening for free onSaturday 14th and Sunday 15th September. Regular readers of this blog may just recall myattempts to get out and see some of these on my doorstep in 2012. In terms of the number ofproperties I got it see, it was an unmitigated disaster as I got to see just one building. However,it was a pretty special one: Parliament Buildings at Stormont, the seat of our LegislativeAssembly.

    This year I promised myself that Id do better. This year Id get my children enthused andexcited and wed see some cool stuff! Saturday 14thSeptember came round and I was excited!Turns out I was pretty much alone in my exhilaration, anticipation, and eagerness as there wasa distinct lack of enthusiasm from Chapples Minors. Undeterred, I set forth alone with myEOHD guide book open to the East Belfast pages. Purely on the basis of the fact that Id notreally known anything aboutNetherleigh House,I decided Id head there first. Netherleigh istoday the headquarters of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment. It wasoriginally built around 1875 as the family home of William Robertson. He was the Robertsonof the well-known Belfast merchant group Robertson, Ledlie, and Ferguson, owners of theBelfast landmarkBank Building.While original plans do not appear to survive, the design ofthe mansion is, on stylistic grounds, attributed to the architectural firmLanyon, Lynn, and

    Lanyon.In particular, the design is attributed toWilliam Henry Lynn,based on similaritiesbetween the detailing at Netherleigh and other examples of his work, for example at Hill HeadHouse, Ballymena, and Belfast Castle. Examples of these similarities include the sweptchimney stack caps, the pierced balustrade above the entrance, and the decorative fluting onthe oak shutter boards. The Robertson family appear to have lived at Netherleigh until around1905/6, when it was bought by the Reid family. By 1921 the house was the property ofLt-Col.Samuel Hall-Thompson.Hall-Thompson held a number of political offices including Memberof Parliament for Belfast Clifton from 1929 to 1953, and was Minister of Education from 1944to 1950. Hall-Thompson sold Netherleigh to the adjacentCampbell Collegein 1929. From thenuntil Campbell was evacuated to the relative safety of Portrush in 1941, Netherleigh functionedas a junior boarding house for the school. From the evacuation of the school until 1946 thehouse was occupied by HM Government as part of the war effort, and was used as aconvalescent hospital for American officers. The guide tells a story of one officer who took hisown life by hanging himself above the back stair, giving the house its resident ghost. In 1946several temporaryNissen hutswere erected in what is now the visitor car park. As is the wayof such temporary structures, they remained in place until coming to the attention of anarsonist in 1974. The Ministry of Education took possession of the house in January 1947, andit remained in use as their headquarters until June 1962 when they moved to theDundonaldHouseon theStormont Estate.There is a delightful story of Hall-Thompson, the former ownerof Netherleigh, returning as Minister of Education, only to find that his new office was his oldbedroom. After the Ministry of Education moved out in 1962, the property remained vacantuntil 1966 when it was used byThe Old Campbellian Societyas their Sports Club. They soldthe premises to the current occupants in 1974, and construction on the present-day complexbegan in 1976. Unfortunately, the house did not receiveListed Buildings statusuntil 1986, bywhich time parts of it had been demolished, including the ballroom, joined to the main houseby an enclosed, covered walkway, along with the kitchens and servants quarters. Similarly,

    http://rmchapple.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/european-heritage-open-days-2013-east.htmlhttp://rmchapple.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/european-heritage-open-days-2013-east.htmlhttp://rmchapple.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/european-heritage-open-days-2013-east.htmlhttp://www.discovernorthernireland.com/niea/ehod.aspxhttp://www.discovernorthernireland.com/niea/ehod.aspxhttp://rmchapple.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/parliament-buildings-stormont-estate.htmlhttp://rmchapple.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/parliament-buildings-stormont-estate.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherleigh_Househttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherleigh_Househttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherleigh_Househttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_of_Enterprise,_Trade_and_Investmenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_of_Enterprise,_Trade_and_Investmenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_Buildings,_Belfasthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_Buildings,_Belfasthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_Buildings,_Belfasthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lanyon,_Lynn_and_Lanyonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lanyon,_Lynn_and_Lanyonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lanyon,_Lynn_and_Lanyonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lanyon,_Lynn_and_Lanyonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Henry_Lynnhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Henry_Lynnhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Henry_Lynnhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Hall-Thompsonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Hall-Thompsonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Hall-Thompsonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Hall-Thompsonhttp://www.campbellcollege.co.uk/http://www.campbellcollege.co.uk/http://www.campbellcollege.co.uk/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissen_huthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissen_huthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissen_huthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dundonald_Househttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dundonald_Househttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dundonald_Househttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dundonald_Househttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stormont_Estatehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stormont_Estatehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stormont_Estatehttp://www.oldcampbellians.co.uk/http://www.oldcampbellians.co.uk/http://www.oldcampbellians.co.uk/http://www.doeni.gov.uk/niea/other-index/content-databases/content-databases-build.htmhttp://www.doeni.gov.uk/niea/other-index/content-databases/content-databases-build.htmhttp://www.doeni.gov.uk/niea/other-index/content-databases/content-databases-build.htmhttp://www.doeni.gov.uk/niea/other-index/content-databases/content-databases-build.htmhttp://www.oldcampbellians.co.uk/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stormont_Estatehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dundonald_Househttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dundonald_Househttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissen_huthttp://www.campbellcollege.co.uk/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Hall-Thompsonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Hall-Thompsonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Henry_Lynnhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lanyon,_Lynn_and_Lanyonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lanyon,_Lynn_and_Lanyonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_Buildings,_Belfasthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_of_Enterprise,_Trade_and_Investmenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherleigh_Househttp://rmchapple.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/parliament-buildings-stormont-estate.htmlhttp://www.discovernorthernireland.com/niea/ehod.aspxhttp://rmchapple.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/european-heritage-open-days-2013-east.html
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    the original outhouses and an extremely large glasshouse were also demolished. Today thehouse is what one would expect from a working government building clean, modern officefurniture, hard-wearing carpets, and fire door keep closed signs screwed onto historic oakdoors.

    Original front entrance to Netherleigh House.Note the pierced balustrade over the portico and the swept

    chimney stack caps.

    Note the fluting on the oak shutter board,a characteristic of the work of architect

    William Henry Lynn.

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    Anteroom directly inside the small entrancehallway. It still retains its oak panelling, shutter,

    arched recess and fireplace.To retain the symmetrical appearance

    of the room, the door on the left of theback room is false.

    If you look closely, youll see that this is the same room as before,but how it was in the 1920s. I love the idea (but not the practice)

    of the two skin rugs the Bengal Tiger and the Polar Bear as

    symbols of the reach of empire. Its, perhaps, a bit cluttered for mytaste,but its certainly more vibrant than what it is today.

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    Reception room with original fireplacesurviving. The roundel at the top includes the

    initials WJR, for William Robertson,the original owner.

    The same room as it was in the 1920s sadly, all thosebeautiful book cases and display cabinets are gone now.

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    The main staircase

    The main stairwell is built in oak and surrounded on all sides by well-made oak panelling.Originally, this was polished and must have gleamed like anything. Unfortunately, someboorish jobsworth decided that it was a fire hazard and that removing it would give the

    occupants an extra 30 seconds to escape in the event of a fire, so it had to go! I dont want tocome across as valuing a building more than human life, but if were going to go down thisroute, is there really any point in keeping original features in a listed building? May as welltear them all down and build soulless, but very safety conscious, cages for us all instead. Thetop of the stairs is today blank, but it once held a classically-inspiredsculpture in fibreglassbythe remarkably talentedJo Hatty.Unfortunately, it appears not to have been to everyonestaste and has been taken down.

    The landing at the top of the stairwell is decorated

    http://www.johatty.com/uploads/3/1/3/3/3133412/3202632.jpghttp://www.johatty.com/uploads/3/1/3/3/3133412/3202632.jpghttp://www.johatty.com/uploads/3/1/3/3/3133412/3202632.jpghttp://www.johatty.com/index.htmlhttp://www.johatty.com/index.htmlhttp://www.johatty.com/index.htmlhttp://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PDqLNhgOcRo/Uvf1pVaGXKI/AAAAAAAAGq0/baB5xQu2MUw/s1600/DSC_0024.JPGhttp://www.johatty.com/index.htmlhttp://www.johatty.com/uploads/3/1/3/3/3133412/3202632.jpg
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    with a series of round-headed arches with cherubroundels in between another common Lynn motif.

    The stairwell is lit by this beautiful gabled rectangular lanternlight, decorated with foliage and swagging.

    A conference room as it is today

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    ... and as it was back in the 1920s

    Overall, Im afraid that visiting Netherleigh was both beautiful and sad. It is wonderful thatthis house is still in use, still functioning, and still being cared for. However, it is difficult tocheer too heartily, when you see the photographs of the place in all its Victorian andEdwardian glory. I know we cant (andshouldn't) preserve all worthy old piles in aspic forever,but the shift from the splendid height-of-Empire clutter to todays clean lines and businessapproach seems particularly harsh and jarring. All that said, it was a lovely experience toget inside the building, workplace for so many civil servants, but not available to most outsidethat group.

    It was almost 5pm by the time I left Netherleigh and I despaired for my chances of seeing

    another building still open at that hour. Even though I thought it beyond hope, I scanned thepages of the EHOD brochure and much to my delight and surprise found that there wasone place still open! The lovely, wonderful Strand Cinema now The Strand Arts Centre[Website|Facebook|Twitter]would be open and giving tours until late in the evening. TheStrand is my local cinema Ive seen no end of movies there, but it has always been as a payingcustomer, never getting to glimpse behind the scenes. This was an opportunity I wasn't goingto squander.

    The Strand is the sole survivor of Belfasts pre-War cinemas. It was built in 1935 and wasoriginally operated by the Union Cinemas Group. Before its construction, this was the site ofStrandtown House, the home of Gustav Heyn, founder of both the Headline ShippingCompanyandBelfast Steamship Company.The Strand cinema was designed byJohn McBride

    Neill,a local architect who became the foremost cinema architect in Northern Ireland. Amonghis creations were theCurzon Cinemaon the Ormeau Road, and theMajestic Cinema,on theLisburn Road. Neills short biography on the Dictionary of Irish Architects website is wor threading, if for no other reason than creating the opportunity to encounter this line: A bachelor,he retired when he was sixty, freeing himself to indulge in Continental travel, music, sailingand making model aeroplanes sounds like a great way to spend your days! VeryArt Decoinstyle and inspiration, the Strand incorporated elements inspired by the nearby Harland andWolff shipyards, including curved walls and portholes in the foyer. There are also portholes inone of the ground floor screens that were intended to be backlit and give the impression thatthe audience was aboard an ocean liner itself a very deco theme.

    When it opened, on the 7thof December 1935, its first feature film wasBright Eyes,starring

    the lateShirley Temple.If you know only one thing about Shirley Temple, its probably thatshe sang the song On the Good Ship Lollipop this is the movie it appeared it. Bright

    http://www.strandartscentre.com/http://www.strandartscentre.com/http://www.strandartscentre.com/https://www.facebook.com/StrandCinemaBelfasthttps://www.facebook.com/StrandCinemaBelfasthttps://www.facebook.com/StrandCinemaBelfasthttps://twitter.com/StrandCinemahttps://twitter.com/StrandCinemahttps://twitter.com/StrandCinemahttp://www.shipsnostalgia.com/showthread.php?t=3152http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/showthread.php?t=3152http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/showthread.php?t=3152http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belfast_Steamship_Companyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belfast_Steamship_Companyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belfast_Steamship_Companyhttp://www.dia.ie/architects/view/3987/NEILL-JOHNMCBRIDEhttp://www.dia.ie/architects/view/3987/NEILL-JOHNMCBRIDEhttp://www.dia.ie/architects/view/3987/NEILL-JOHNMCBRIDEhttp://www.dia.ie/architects/view/3987/NEILL-JOHNMCBRIDEhttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Curzon-Cinema-Ormeau-Road/132119270150274https://www.facebook.com/pages/Curzon-Cinema-Ormeau-Road/132119270150274https://www.facebook.com/pages/Curzon-Cinema-Ormeau-Road/132119270150274http://www.flickr.com/photos/gerryward/3045793805/http://www.flickr.com/photos/gerryward/3045793805/http://www.flickr.com/photos/gerryward/3045793805/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Decohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Decohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Decohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2cofIBTIWMhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2cofIBTIWMhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2cofIBTIWMhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_Templehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_Templehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_Templehttp://youtu.be/I2cofIBTIWM?t=33m19shttp://youtu.be/I2cofIBTIWM?t=33m19shttp://youtu.be/I2cofIBTIWM?t=33m19shttp://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024914/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024914/http://youtu.be/I2cofIBTIWM?t=33m19shttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_Templehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2cofIBTIWMhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Decohttp://www.flickr.com/photos/gerryward/3045793805/https://www.facebook.com/pages/Curzon-Cinema-Ormeau-Road/132119270150274http://www.dia.ie/architects/view/3987/NEILL-JOHNMCBRIDEhttp://www.dia.ie/architects/view/3987/NEILL-JOHNMCBRIDEhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belfast_Steamship_Companyhttp://www.shipsnostalgia.com/showthread.php?t=3152http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/showthread.php?t=3152https://twitter.com/StrandCinemahttps://www.facebook.com/StrandCinemaBelfasthttp://www.strandartscentre.com/
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    Eyesalso won Temple an Oscar the first ever given to a child, for her portrayal of ShirleyBlake. Finally, if you do watch the movie, you may feel that you recognise Rags the dog thisisTerrywho played numerous canine roles in her career, but none more famous than Toto inThe Wizard of Oz.

    In October 1937 Union Cinemas Group were taken over byAssociated British Cinemas(ABC),who ran the Strand until 1983 when it closed. From the following year until 1986 the theatrefunctioned as a live performance venue for musical events and cabaret. After a brief hiatus, itreopened in 1988 as a four screen cinema. In part, this was achieved through dividing the mainauditorium horizontally into two with the main screen serving what had been the balcony anda smaller screen serving the stalls. The Strand underwent major renovations in 1999 to restoreand maintain it

    The Strand Arts Centre from across the road, with one of theHarland and Wolff cranesjust visible in the background.

    Totally Hollywood carpets specially commissioned for theStrand in the 1980s.

    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024914/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024914/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1206094/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1206094/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1206094/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABC_Cinemashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABC_Cinemashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABC_Cinemashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samson_and_Goliath_(cranes)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samson_and_Goliath_(cranes)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samson_and_Goliath_(cranes)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABC_Cinemashttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm1206094/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024914/
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    Screen 2 with its 14ft deep stage from the days it was used as aconcert venue. The porthole theme can just be glimpsed in the

    circular windows of the emergency exits, to the right of the stage.

    Projector system for Screen 3.

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    The master projectionist at work, queuingup the next feature presentation.

    35mm film stock of trailers that has to be

    manually spliced onto the front of everynew movie but soon to be a thing of the past.

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    The last hurrah!: containers of film waiting to be returned todistributors after their runs have completed, again once the cinema

    goes digital this will be a thing of the past.

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    My good friend the projectionist keeping notes between showings.Note the Tipp-Ex marks on the wall left by projectionists who

    occasionally used it to mark where the advertising rolls met the mainbody of the film, or where individual smaller reels of film were spliced

    together to make the single large show reel. This was done to ensureease of finding the join between the two, as they had to be separated

    back into their smaller components at the end of the run.

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    A cinematic archive twenty years of movie posters.

    A movie rewinding in the much morespacious Screen 1 projection booth.

    When the tour was over and the rest of our small tour group had dispersed, I was lucky enoughto be invited up into the projection booth for Screen 1. This was the original projection boothfrom the buildings days as a single-screen venue and gives a much better idea of how theoriginal cinema would have looked and felt. While the various projection machines are not theoriginal 1930s examples, they are quite ancient in their own right. This presents a significantproblem as the company who manufactured them went out of business in the 1960s, andsourcing spare parts is becoming increasingly difficult. Added to this are the manifoldpressures of doing business in the modern world. For example, distributers are retreating fromthe difficulty and cost of producing physical prints of movies and the public are increasinglywooed by the large multi-screen theatres with the latest in 3D technology, and all the

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    hallmarks of the modern cinema experience. It may lack the character of a place like theStrand, but you cant argue with the economics of the situation. For this reason the Strandcinema has transformed itself into a not-for-profit cinema and arts centre. Part of theirprogramme includes bringing back live music acts, specialist cinema events, along with talentnights, and a variety of stage and screen classes. From a heritage aspect, its fantastic to seethe building being kept alive and the business continuing to thrive. As part of this drive to keepabreast of modernity and maintain marketplace relevance, the cinemas are themselves goingdigital and that, unfortunately, means the loss of the current projection system. Im told thatone will be retained for display and that another may be kept operational for occasional useon special occasions. The new system will merely involve the plugging in of a computer harddrive. Im sure an older generation lamented the arrival of the talkies and colour and felt thatmechanised projectors diluted the warmth and charm of proper, old-school, cinema whenthey did away with the hand cranked variety. Still, it is difficult not to feel a sadness at the endof this particular era. As I am writing this piece (November 2013) theyre all gone - the Strandis digital now! The photographs I publish here must be among the last if not the very last records of the cinema as it was. Splicing 35mm film with a hand cutter and sticky tape is over.Breaking it back down from a full-movie show reel into individual reels for transport is done.Goodbye. I feel truly honoured that I managed to make this last chance to see event andprovide some record of its passing. For all my sadness at seeing it go, Im delighted that thisbeautiful Art Deco building is still in existence and still doing well as a cinema may youcontinue to show great movies and may you continue to be a vibrant part of living in EastBelfast!

    Well, that was how I spent my Saturday. In the next part, I discuss the other heritage sites wegot to see and how I bribed and cajoled my children into accompanying me.

    Notes:I am indebted to all the people who worked so hard to make European Heritage Open Days2013 such a success in Northern Ireland, especially the tour guides who took such time and

    effort explaining their buildings to the public. I am also indebted to those who providedphotocopied guides to the various buildings. I have shamelessly reproduced much of theirknowledge and research here, though I make no claims to ownership of the material withoutit this post would have been a much poorer piece! Thank you all.

    If I could be permitted to make a direct appeal to the owners of the Strand, Id beg them tolose the psychic I feel my stress levels rise every time I drive by and see the signsup, heralding the prospect of another charlatanscamming the public.Seriously theyre notreal! No matter how much it is dressed up as just a bit of fun and what harm can it do? theyare often playing with the emotions of vulnerable people, looking for hope and solace. At thekindest level, these are delusional people who believe that they can speak to spirits; but at theirworst they are thieves and confidence tricksterswho steal money and hope. What would I

    suggest you use to fill the space? Well not them for a start. If pushed, Id prefer to see thepsychics replaced with physics something along the line of the wonderful RoyalSocietyChristmas Lectures(check out any ofthese videos). It could be brilliant! Crowds wouldflock from all corners to see that! Any Northern Irish town with more than a pub and a pumpto its name can probably boast of the appearance of some peripatetic fake psychic. But a goodspeaker about science? Where would you find one of those for your entertainment? Itd be nighon unique. Id be the first in the queue with my kids for every new show and Im willing to betthat plenty of other people would too! All done! End of slightly ranty plea! Sorry I just dontlike psychics!

    http://www.erinpavlina.com/blog/2010/09/anatomy-of-a-psychic-scam-3/http://www.erinpavlina.com/blog/2010/09/anatomy-of-a-psychic-scam-3/http://www.erinpavlina.com/blog/2010/09/anatomy-of-a-psychic-scam-3/http://www.alternet.org/belief/i-was-one-americas-top-psychics-and-all-them-complete-fraudhttp://www.alternet.org/belief/i-was-one-americas-top-psychics-and-all-them-complete-fraudhttp://www.rigb.org/christmas-lectureshttp://www.rigb.org/christmas-lectureshttp://www.rigb.org/christmas-lectureshttps://www.google.co.uk/search?q=royal+society+christmas+lectures&oq=royal+&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j69i59j0l2j69i61l2.2906j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#newwindow=1&q=royal+society+christmas+lectures&tbm=vidhttps://www.google.co.uk/search?q=royal+society+christmas+lectures&oq=royal+&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j69i59j0l2j69i61l2.2906j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#newwindow=1&q=royal+society+christmas+lectures&tbm=vidhttps://www.google.co.uk/search?q=royal+society+christmas+lectures&oq=royal+&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j69i59j0l2j69i61l2.2906j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#newwindow=1&q=royal+society+christmas+lectures&tbm=vidhttps://www.google.co.uk/search?q=royal+society+christmas+lectures&oq=royal+&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j69i59j0l2j69i61l2.2906j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#newwindow=1&q=royal+society+christmas+lectures&tbm=vidhttp://www.rigb.org/christmas-lectureshttp://www.alternet.org/belief/i-was-one-americas-top-psychics-and-all-them-complete-fraudhttp://www.erinpavlina.com/blog/2010/09/anatomy-of-a-psychic-scam-3/