From the Mercury to the Buccaneer: The Life and Times of Robert Blackburn

Professor Robert Blackburn of King’s College London will give an illustrated lecture on the work and life of his Grandfather, Robert Blackburn (1885-1955)

The lecture will be part of the Robert Blackburn Centenary programme, running from 2010 until 2014, to celebrate the achievements of Robert Blackburn, who was the first Yorkshire resident to build and fly a powered aeroplane in 1910. He also established the Blackburn factory site at Brough in 1916, which is still operating under BAE Systems today, and produced over 80 different Blackburn aeroplanes such as the Mercury, Kangaroo, Bluebird, Skua, Beverley and Buccaneer.

Robert Blackburn has worked at King's College London for over 25 years, where he is Professor of Constitutional Law and also Director of both the Centre for Political and Constitutional Studies and the Institute of Contemporary British History. He is the author of numerous books and articles on political and constitutional affairs and is a Solicitor and Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. His current research activities include leading a major project on codifying the UK constitution for a parliamentary inquiry into the subject, and preparing a book on the influence of Magna Carta today in advance of its 800th anniversary.

This lecture is free to attend and we welcome both Members and Non Members. RSVP via our website, call +44 (0)20 7670 4345 or send your name and contact details to [email protected] to reserve your seat at this lecture.