THE Club met on the morning of Monday, September 21 to hear Malcolm Delingpole talk about the Elgin Marbles.

The Marbles originated at the Acropolis in Athens, that elevated place where stand the Parthenon and other remains from the ancient Grecian civilisation. The history is complicated, and includes a period of 1,000 years when the buildings were undisturbed.

Built as a Greek temple, the Parthenon at various times served as a church and as a mosque, and over the years many of its sculptures were defaced. In 1687, when under Turkish occupation, the Parthenon was attacked by Venetian forces. At that time the Turks were using the building as gunpowder magazine. The magazine was hit by a Venetian shell, and the building was badly damaged. Fortunately for succeeding generations, three years earlier a French artist and draughtsman named Jacques Carrey had produced many drawings of the sculptures on the Parthenon, which now provide a unique record of much of the Parthenon before the explosion.

In the 19th century poet Lord Byron thought the Parthenon's sculpture should be left to gracefully decay. Lord Elgin on the other hand, realising that the sculptures were eroding and that bits were being stolen, thought they were worth saving, and that they needed the protection of a museum. Eventually Elgin was permitted to buy the Marbles, and have them taken down and brought to Britain, where they remain. They were acquired by the British Museum in 1816. In the 1930s the Duveen Gallery, funded by Lord Joseph Duveen, was built at the British Museum to house the Parthenon sculptures. During the Second World War the sculptures were stored in an unused section of the London Underground for fear of bombing. Much of the British Museum including the Duveen Gallery was indeed ruined by bombing, but the

Marbles survived unharmed. It has been asserted by some that the

Marbles ought to be returned to Greece. However, they were legitimately acquired, and it can be argued that they are looked after better in the British Museum than they would be in Greece. The Greeks have in fact built a modern Acropolis Museum. That museum has its own set of problems, but we were told us that there is cooperation between the British Museum and the Acropolis Museum. Certainly the talk was fascinating. Malcolm is a skilful speaker with wide and deep knowledge of his subject. The talk was illustrated by excellent colour slides.

Malvern Link Probus Club meets on alternate Mondays at the Hall next to the United Reformed Church. Members assemble from about 9.30am onwards and meetings finish at about 11.30am. Retired professional and business men who might like to join the club are welcome to come along to see if they like it. Please speak to the Secretary Paul Dunleavey (01684 565190).

The next meeting will be on October 5 when Dr M E G Evans will give a talk entitled From Apes to Us.

PAUL DUNLEAVEY