DON’T FORGET THE SCONES: Lavish afternoon teas are among the activities of the Princeton branch of the English-Speaking Union, which also focuses on educational events including an annual Shakespeare competition and scholarships to summer programs in England for New Jersey high school teachers.

By Anne Levin

For more than a century, the English-Speaking Union has been holding educational and cultural exchange programs, lectures, and other events geared to Anglophiles across the nation and abroad. Prominent among them is the Princeton branch, which recently began its 2021-22 speaker series with a talk on the early years of author Agatha Christie.

Princeton is one of 65 independently run branches throughout the United States. The mostly virtual gatherings will resume October 10 with a talk on “The Mitford Sisters,” and continue throughout next spring with topics ranging from “The Psychology of Alfred Hitchcock” to “The Sport of Cricket.”

Membership is open to anyone. “Princeton being the international hub that it is, we have a large contingent of expats,” said Christian Kirkpatrick, branch president. “We have people who may have spent a significant amount of time in England. And we have people who are just Anglophiles.”

The branch has a number of members who are from England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. “I think, probably, members throughout the country feel a connection to England,” said Kirkpatrick, a writer and former editor. “But not all of the chapters are as British-centric as our branch.”

As important as the lectures, lavish afternoon tea spreads, holiday gatherings, and garden parties held by the Princeton branch are the educational programs. The group does tutoring in English for non-native speakers, and awards scholarships. A key event is the Annual Shakespeare Competition, in which high school students compete for a chance to go to the national competition in New York City. The winner can go to England to study Shakespeare at London’s Globe Theatre.

Another focus is T-Lab, in which the group sends New Jersey high school teachers to summer programs at the University of Oxford, University of Edinburgh, and the Globe Theatre. Airfare and lodgings are paid for, and classes are free. Subjects include theater, history, and literature.

Like most every other organization, the group has had to gather virtually during the pandemic instead of meeting at is usual site, All Saints’ Episcopal Church.

“Although we can’t meet together and have our lavish refreshments afterward — tea sandwiches, cookies, pastries, and always sherry, there is one advantage,” said Kirkpatrick. “We can get speakers from anywhere. Last year we had several from the U.K. So we have been able to expand our reach in that way. We’re hoping that eventually we can go back to meeting in person, but if we can’t, we’ll just continue online.”

The group meets about once a month during the academic year. Kirkpatrick finds speakers at Princeton University, Rutgers University, The College of New Jersey, and Westminster Choir College, and also draws from interviews on National Public Radio and articles she reads in publications like The Economist. Past topics have included Jane Austen, Brexit, and The Beatles. The group has hosted Scottish dance demonstrations, and performances of selections by Gilbert & Sullivan.

“I think knowing something about another country and having some sense of its history gives one a perspective on one’s own country,” she said. “I just love England’s culture and history, and I try to keep up with its contemporary goings-on.”

For more information, email Princeton@esuus.org.