Wednesday 9th July 2025 at 2:30pm The Blitz as a Catalyst for Greening London This talk on the Blitz describes how the devastation of bombing during the Second World War created opportunities for new parks and gardens and includes some surprising stories of what once lay beneath some of London’s well-loved parks. This is a … Read more
Wednesday 11th June 2025 at 2pm The Most Heroic Failure Shackleton’s Antarctic Sir Ernest Shackleton, an Anglo-Irish polar explorer, is renowned for his leadership of three British expeditions to Antarctica, most famously the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition (1914-1916) aboard the Endurance, a journey that became a tale of remarkable survival and perseverance. Jeremy Holmes will reveal … Read more
Wednesday 14th May 2025 at 2pm The Spice of life! Spices make up an important part of our lives. From cookery to medicine and perfumery -modern science has a lot more to learn from these pearls of our natural environment. Speaker – Luke S Degan This is a “face to face” talk at … Read more
Wednesday 9th April 2025 at 2pm Royal Weddings at Windsor Castle Dr Brigitte Mitchell is a member of the Windsor Local History Group. She will reveal her findings from her research in to 21 weddings, from 1121 to 2019, with some right royal scandals! Most recently, St George’s Chapel saw the occasion of the marriage … Read more
Wednesday 12 March 2025 at 2pm The Hidden Rivers of London We are all familiar with “Old Father Thames”, but of course, every river has its tributaries that feed in to them. Alan Fitzgerald has investigated these sources, many of them hidden from view, with their own fascinating stories. Alan will enlighten us about the … Read more
Wednesday 12 February 2025 at 2pm Local Astronomy Past and Present Stewart Coulter will tell us about Astronomy, and in particular, our local Astronomy group, including; intriguingly, how the first telescopic observations of the moon took place nearby! Stewart will also let us know how we, the general public, can visit observatories and public observation … Read more
Wednesday 8 January 2025 at 2pm Grandfather’s Somme experience Tony Ferguson recalls the life of his Grandfather Andy Symington. Volunteering to join the Irish Fusiliers, he went on to participate in the Battle of The Somme, the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War. His story continues as we discover the impact of … Read more
Wednesday 11th December 2024 at 2 pm A Victorian Christmas Our very own author, Denise Beddows, has been researching how Christmas was celebrated in Victorian times. She will be looking at traditional foods, decorations, parlour games and other celebrations, as well as how the German traditions gradually took over (influenced by Prince Albert). We’ll have … Read more
Wednesday 13th November 2024 at 2 pm Sing with Mandy – an afternoon of folk songs Amanda Shora will come to play and sing some folk songs, and we’ll have some audience participation in well-known folk songs with a wide selection from light-hearted to melancholic, including sea shanties. Amanda has played at many folk clubs … Read more
Wednesday 9th October 2024 at 2 pm Winter Visitors Redwings, Fieldfares and Whooper Swans are among the many birds that call Britain home in the Winter, arriving from further North to enjoy our milder weather. Ailsa Claybourne will talk about many of our visiting birds, and explain how to identify Winter migrants in your garden and … Read more