Talk and Tea: Ada Lovelace in Somerset

In this revealing talk, discover the untold story of Ada Lovelace’s connection to Porlock, a place she called her summer home for 15 pivotal years. Best known as the world’s first computer programmer, Ada was an early Victorian mathematical visionary, a scientific collaborator and a woman ahead of her time.

The talk will explore her ground-breaking work with Charles Babbage, Michael Faraday, and John Herschel, the creation of a remarkable arboretum in the woodlands of Ashley Combe. This talk will also explore her friendships with two of Somerset’s most influential figures: Frederic Knight, the man who shaped Exmoor, and Andrew Crosse, the radical Quantocks scientist experimenting with electricity in the Quantocks.

Presented by Jeff Cox, Trustee of the Dovery Manor Museum and former BBC foreign news producer, whose family founded the West Somerset Free Press in 1860.

This is a rare chance to learn more about 'The Enchantress of Numbers' and her connection to the local landscape here in Somerset.