Dr Jeremy Lloyd played a key role on some of the largest building projects in the country for over 35 years. These have included large shopping centres like Bluewater, major infrastructure schemes like the Jubilee Line, and new city quarters such as Stratford City/London 2012 Olympics and Wembley. He has seen at first hand the trials and tribulations of the planning and design process that supports such projects and the way in which this shapes our towns and cities.

He has developed a diverse series of over 50 talks, usually with a historical theme, but related to a wide range of subjects including architecture, transport, social history, inventions and our seas.

The talks are purposefully designed to engage with a wide non-technical audience using a highly visual format mixing attractive images and video alongside interesting tales and humour.

Jeremy lives in Nottingham with his wife and fills his semi-retirement with reading, music and walking amongst other things. It's a hard life!

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Theme A – Cities and Architecture (17 talks)

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The Busman’s Holiday – An Alternative Port Guide – a wander through our ports of call to find the unusual and odd buildings, spaces, and structures off the beaten path.

Skyscrapers – Tall Tales and Lofty Ambition - our cities' skylines are increasingly dominated by tall buildings. What has driven this obsession with height? Is there any limit to man's ambition? And, experience what is it like to jump off the tallest building in the world.

Houses of the Holy - Churches and Cathedrals - can you tell your Baroque from your Rococo? How did our Medieval forefathers build these giant structures? And, what will Gaudi's masterpiece look like when it is finally finished? Find out in this exploration of churches and cathedrals.

Earth, Wind and Fire - Building Disasters – what does it take to live with the threat of tornadoes, wildfires, and tidal waves? Why has our risk of dying in a fire fallen by 80% since 1980? And, how does a skyscraper survive an earthquake? This talk looks at how buildings are designed to respond to extreme events and the disasters that have prompted change.

Park Life – The Green amid the Grime - what does New York's Central Park have to do with an industrialist from Derby? What is the High Line? Find out the fascinating background to our parks and see the transformation of the London 2012 site into the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Seats of Power – Castles, Palaces and Parliaments – a common thread links these often-majestic buildings as the places where we, the “commoners”, were ruled from. Learn about the turbulent history that led to the changes in the structures that house Monarchs, Lords, Presidents, and Governments.

Less Is More – 20th Century Architecture – the last 100 years or so has witnessed a dramatic shift in architecture, moving rapidly from classically inspired stone buildings to the post-modern “blobitecture” of buildings like Gateshead’s “The Sage”. This talk explores how and why this happened and examines the best and worst of modern architecture.

Be Our Guest – The Bellagio, Butlins and B&Bs – the story of those buildings that are our home from home from time to time. Peek inside all manner of strange and luxurious hotels, and find out how Gilbert & Sullivan, President Herbert Hoover and the Mafia all helped contributed to the making of our modern hotels.

Norwegian Wood – Nordic architecture is so different from our own with timber cabins and Stave Churches. What caused this divergence in style? How did Lord Nelson, Kaiser Wilhelm and Adolf Hitler contribute to the architectural landscape? And, what lurks in the basement of many public buildings?

Melting Pot – Spanish architecture ranges from Roman lighthouses to Gaudi’s Modernist houses, Moorish Palaces to Calatrava’s Valencia Opera House. Take a journey through this rich architectural landscape and learn how it has been transformed by invaders, gold from the Spanish Main and hordes of tourists.

Cultural Superpower – Throughout history Italy has been the birthplace of many architectural innovations that have shaped our world. Despite its turbulent past it has the greatest concentration of World Heritage Sites. So, what has driven this over-achieving?

Antoni Gaudi – Madman or Genius? – uniquely synonymous with a style and a city, Gaudi’s legacy is instantly recognisable and yet his most famous creation is not even due to be completed until nearly a century after his untimely death. What shaped the man and his architecture? How was he viewed by his contemporaries?

Norman Foster – Britain’s “Starchitect” – from humble birth to earning international fame and a title, this talk traces Lord Foster’s rise to the pinnacle of his profession and the landmark buildings that are his enduring legacy. What shaped the man and his architecture?

Welcome to the Show - Building Stadia and Theatres – from the Olympics to Othello, Live Aid to Luciano Pavarotti, our great sporting and cultural endeavours are hosted in these “cathedrals” of our time. But what are the origins of these complex buildings and how have they been shaped by tragic events like Hillsborough and Heysel?

A Tale of Two “Follies” – the millennium celebrations spawned many iconic buildings like London’s Dome and Eye, the product of a political project akin to “Yes Minister”, under huge media scrutiny and ridicule. How do these “follies” look 20 years on? Money pits or money spinners?

Span, Decks, and Suspenders – The story of Bridges - Man's ingenuity has led to some of the world's most iconic, amazing and downright scary structures. What was it like to live on London Bridge? Why was the Golden Gate nearly painted with black and yellow stripes? And, how do you make a bridge from cardboard?

Iron Man – Gustave Eiffel, creator of the eponymous tower – the most famous building in the world - and yet there is so much more to this man of many talents, from the Statue of Liberty to Porto’s Bridges, the Panama Scandal to understanding flight.

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Theme B – Transport (7 talks)

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Express - From The Rocket to a rocket, the rivalry and competition at the heart of the race for pace on tracks. What was the Flying Hamburger, can we travel at 760mph in a train and was the Mallard really the fastest steam engine?

Lighter Than Air - A tale of balloons, blimps and airships, from aerial dominance to disaster, war to weather forecasts and from the ground to the edge of space. Learn how Japan bombed the USA in World War 2 and how you make a cow fly!

Pull the Other One – Man has devised all manner of cable-pulled system to get us to the tops of mountains and across great valleys. Go on a tour to visit some of these amazing cable cars and chair lifts and the fabulous vistas they pass through.

To Boldly Go – Neil Armstrong’s first step on the Moon was the end of a 2,000-year journey. Who were the early pioneers of rockets and space? How had Russia managed to beat America into space? And, how did Jules Verne inspire the Moon landing?

Go Anywhere – The story of those unusual craft that get to those hard-to-reach places. How did the composer Rachmaninoff help develop the helicopter? Was Sir Christopher Cockerell really the inventor of the hovercraft? And, who was “Little Nellie”?

The Cycle of Life – How the bike changed the World - Why did a poor harvest lead to the invention of the bicycles? How did it lead to the bra? And, can a man really cycle at over 150 mph? This talk traces the development of the bicycle, its impact on the world and the strange things people do on them.

Future Motoring - What does the future hold for the car and will driverless vehicles lead to a revolution in our lives, cities and ultimately the world order? Whose fault is it if driverless cars crash? Will your next car be made by Apple?

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Theme C – Inventions and Social History (13 talks)

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The Billion Dollar Brick – How Lego conquered the World – how has a small plastic brick from the middle of rural Denmark conquered the world, inspired generations of architects, engineers and artists and still sells in the billions each year over half a century after its creation?

The “Family” Business – The Mob, Mafia, Cosa Nostra, Honoured Society. Many labels but why did it emerge from Sicily and take root in the USA? Why is it so hard to eradicate organised crime?

Cheap Flights – Hopping on a plane to the sun is now commonplace and cheap. How and why have fares halved in a generation? Who are the colourful characters that have shaken up the airline business and brought us flights for £1?

Bananas to Bankers – The story of the transformation from redundant docks to glass skyscrapers housing our major banks. See how regeneration happened on a truly epic scale and in little more than a decade. A story featuring Tarzan, the Roux Brothers, Rupert Murdoch and an American called “Gee Whizz”.

Track and Race – The Olympic “circus” descends on a different place every two years, bringing fifteen minutes in the Sun but also a myriad of challenges and a large bill for the host nation. What does it take to win and hold the Games? Why do it at all?

Read All About It – Newspapers have given us Page 3 girls, Profumo, phone-hacking, and Press Barons. How did the business start and what keeps the presses rolling?

Retail Therapy – From Marketplace to Mall – Shops and shopping are the lifeblood of our towns and cities. What used to be a matter of survival is now a leisure pursuit. How did we go from the medieval market square to our modern cathedrals of consumerism? Is the High Street going to die?

Window on the World – Maps have shaped our understanding of the world we live in. They have both guided and misguided us. Find out how the Greeks calculated the size of the earth, why Greenland looks so big and how maps helped create the conflicts in the Middle East?

Pros and Cons – Scammers and their scams. How do they con us? What are the warning signs we should look out for? And, who are the best (worst?) con artists who have stolen billions and destabilised entire countries?

Lick me ‘til Ice Cream – Brits devour an average of 7 litres of the stuff annually, but how did it come about? Why are we so hooked on our scoops, and is octopus the world’s worst flavour?

Do Keep In Touch – we now have the means to communicate with practically everyone on the planet, in many cases instantly. Who do we have to thank for shrinking the world whilst cursing us with full inboxes?

Peas in Queues – our behaviour is governed by a series of social rules and conventions. But, how did they come about in the first place and why do other countries do things so differently?

The Fourth Dimension – last Wednesday, in ten minutes or come July. We have developed ways to measure, record and communicate time, but how did these inventions and conventions come about?

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Theme D – All at Sea (9 talks)

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Banks, Bights and Batteries - So fundamental to Britain, its history, and our cruise, yet how much do we really know about the North Sea, its riches and the battles fought over its control?

Mare Nostrum – Tales from the Med – Holy Wars, holidaymakers, and hot lava, all play a part in the story of the Mediterranean. Find out what lies beneath the clear blue waters, how hippos got to Crete and America dropped nuclear bombs on Spain.

A Light in the Darkness – what did it take to build the Eddystone lighthouse in the middle of the sea in the 17th century? Who were the intrepid pioneers who risked life and limb to achieve it? And, what does it have to do with seven ounces of lead and a dovetail joint?

Pillage, Plunder and Pugwash – Were pirates’ heroes or villains, freedom fighters or bandits, dictators or democrats? The murky tale of piracy, complicit governments, and their transformation into comedic incompetents in books and on screen.

Here be Monsters – The story of man’s journey from fearing whales as terrifying monsters to almost driving them to extinction. How and why did we exploit these majestic creatures, and what led to the demise of industrial whaling and attempts to restore the population?

Top of the World – there is a long history of Arctic exploration littered with extreme hardship, heroic failure, and great tragedy. Find out what it takes to travel to the end of the earth in a frozen land of ice and darkness.

Hannibal, Hydra and Hans Solo – the Baltic Sea, Cold War frontline, home of the Hanseatic League and a unique environment, but there is so much else going on above and beneath the surface of this chilly sea.

Spits, Silt and Sea-Snot – what exactly is the Black Sea and what is going on beneath the surface? Why has it been fought over for centuries?

Peck, Packet and Point - So fundamental to Britain, its history, and our cruise, yet how much do we really know about the Irish Sea, its story and how it shaped the country?

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Theme E – The Natural World (6 talks)

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Go Bananas – funny yellow fruit or staple food for millions? How did a humble south Asian plant conquer the globe and become the second most grown fruit?

World Wide Web Makers – we share the planet with quadrillions of spiders, and yet most people know relatively little about their lives. Learn what happens when you give them LSD, blast them into space, or throw one out into the winter snow.

Going for Gold – we wear it, bury it in vaults, try to make it, and even eat it. But, what is gold and why is man so desperate to have it?

See Through – our modern world is built on glass and yet we don’t really see it. How did we bend it to our will, toughen it to coat our phones, stretch it to carry immense volumes of data at light speed and use it to study distant planets?

Tread Lightly - Sweden is ranked as one of the "most sustainable nations in the world". What does this mean in practice and what can we learn from the land of Greta Thunberg, Grönska and Panta?

Tread Lightly - Iceland is ranked as one of the "most sustainable nations in the world". What does this mean in practice and what can we learn from the land of Fire and Ice, clean air and sulphur water?

I have spoken on 20 cruises since 2018 for seven different cruise lines including Cunard, Saga, Fred Olsen, P&O, Marella, Ambassador and Tradewinds. I am booked to speak on a Regent Seven Seas cruise Summer 2024.

I can undertake itinerary specific and general assignments with over 50 talks to draw from which can in many instances be customised to the cruise.