The life and times of Oliver Cromwell will be at the heart of a new series of lectures by the Cromwell Museum in Huntingdon - presented online through Zoom because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Four talks, given by experts on the period, will take place on Wednesday nights Between January 13 and February 3, in what was meant to have been the first year of a series of live lectures put on in association with the Friends of the Cromwell Museum.

Money raised by the lectures will help fund the future development of the museum.

Stuart Orme, curator of the Cromwell Museum says: “It’s a real privilege to have four such knowledgeable speakers talk on these diverse and fascinating topics, all relating to the life and times of Oliver Cromwell.

“This year’s programme will be a bit different due to current circumstances, in that we will be conducting all the talks via Zoom rather than in person, to keep everyone safe during the pandemic.”

The first talk, on Wednesday, January 13 at 7.30pm, is by Paul Lay, historian and editor of History Today. Providence Lost: Cromwell’s Western Design looks at Cromwell’s disastrous attempt to seize Spain’s Caribbean territories and the impact on his regime.

The second, on Wednesday, January 20 at 7.30pm, is led by the historian and author Andrea Zuvich and examines Sex and Sexuality in Stuart Britain, lifting the bedsheets of people in the 17th century and unveiling the saucy secrets of the Royal Stuarts.

Producing convincing historical fiction is the theme of the third talk, Imagining the Cromwells, on Wednesday 27 January at 7.30pm. Miranda Malins, who has recently published a bestselling novel about the Cromwell family, discusses the challenges of producing convincing fiction about historical figures.

The final talk, on Wednesday, February 3 at 7.30pm, is by Steve Ellis and Mark Beattie-Edwards with the theme of The London: Cromwell’s Mary Rose, which investigates the marine archaeological project to excavate one of Cromwell’s remarkably well preserved warships, which sank off Southend.

Tickets cost £5 per talk (£4 for students), but a discounted season ticket for all four is available for £17 (£13.50 for students). Additional discounts are available for members of the Friends of the Museum.

Further information and booking is available from the museum’s website at www.cromwellmuseum.com.