Chance encounter at Lancaster Castle leads to talk on Sir Richard Owen in his home city

Leah George Demetriou met Dr Christopher Tinmouth on a guided tour of Lancaster Castle. She was researching Owen and he was the guide.

So Chris, chairman of the Friends of Lancaster City Museum, invited Leah to give a talk later, which more than 30 members and friends attended.

Leah, 23, said Owen (1804-1892) rose from being an anonymous figure to become possibly the greatest anatomist in Victorian England.

He was born in Thurnham Street and attended Lancaster Free School, predecessor of Lancaster Royal Grammar School.

He was a school mate of the scientist William Whewell (1794-1866) and they were lifelong friends. LRGS has a Whewell Society for pupils.

Owen was best-known for coining the term ‘dinosaur’ in 1842 and waged a 40-year campaign, which led to the foundation of the Natural History Museum in 1881 after which he was knighted.

On leaving school at 15, he became a surgeon's apprentice at Lancaster Castle Prison before studying at Edinburgh University and moving to St Bartholomew's Hospital, London.

Later, he led fossil reconstructions, including that of the dinosaur.

Leah said that, because Prince Albert admired his work, Queen Victoria gave Owen a grace-and-favour home, Sheen Lodge in Richmond Park, where he died.

He was the first to be awarded the Linnean Medal and Leah is a Fellow of the Linnean Society and a volunteer at the Natural History Museum.

After her talk, Leah and Chris dined at The Sir Richard Owen pub in Lancaster.

Leah is planning a regular series of Owen lectures.