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21 February The Bulstrode Brasses – Richard Emerson
This talk is about the Bulstrode Memorial Brasses of St Laurence Church, Upton – the elaborate metal motifs that originally adorned the graves of one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in South Bucks. It will look at the brasses themselves, at the secrets such brasses may reveal, and at the people that the Bulstrode brasses depict. The talk will not only focus on the males but on their wives too, who often have an even more interesting story to tell. It will also explain how the brasses link Upton and Hedgerley in a seemingly unique way.
Richard Emerson is a retired freelance writer and editor who spends much of his time researching the history and heritage of St Laurence Church, Upton, the wider Upton district (much of it a conservation area), and the people who link them. Richard uses the information he gleans to write newsletters, give talks and launch the occasional heritage project.
17 January (Wed) The Lesser Known Grand Houses of South Bucks – Mike Dewey
What have a heart-throb film star, an apothecary to royalty, a British Army General, and a Minister in a Labour government got in common – they all feature in our talk on January 17 by Mike Dewey.
For his talk ‘The Lesser Known Grand Houses of South Bucks and Their Occupants’ Mike will select three historic mansions and tell us about the people who have lived there over the centuries since they were built. These are not National Trust properties and are not generally open to the public.
Mike’s career was as a materials scientist and technologist and since retiring he has developed a hobby in local and family history. He also volunteers at the Bucks Free Press local newspaper, for whom he writes weekly articles under the heading of Nostalgia.
Past events 2023
18 January (Wed), Metro Land to HS2 Oliver Green ZOOM
15 February (Wed), Zeppelinand the Gotha Raids in WW1 Harvey Watson
15 March (Wed), The Harry Kirby Memorial Lecture, Beacons of the Past update Dr Wendy Morrison ZOOM
19 April (Wed),Harefield Light Railway Keith Piercy
3 May (Wed), Outing, Brickyard tour – Bellingdon Brick Works11am Bricks in buildings predating the 19th century include subtle colour shades and glazes that come from the way the kilns were fired, using wood. Henry George Matthews established the brickworks that bears his name in 1923 and the traditional techniques that he used have been passed on to his descendants who still run the works today. Henry’s Grandson Jim Matthews will lead a guided tour of one of the last remaining producers of hand made bricks.
17 May (Wed),AGM, Charles Rennie Mackintosh Rene Hume ZOOM
18 May (Thursday), Outing, History Machine Mini-Bus Tour of Historical Sites in Hillingdon Paul McGarrity Closing date 28/02/23 10am – 3.30pm Uxbridge Station forecourt Limited numbers Booking deadline 28/02/23 Join buildings archaeologist Paul McGarrity for a walking tour of Uxbridge before boarding a minibus for a tour of some of the historic buildings of Hillingdon including Manor Farm and Ruislip Motte and Bailey, Eastcote House gardens, Barra Hall, Cranford Park and Harmondsworth Barn
20 May (Sat), Hedgerley Study Day ‘Agricultural roots: Farming in Hedgerley through the ages‘
As a part of what we hope will become an annual fixture, the Hedgerley Historical Society will hold its ‘History Day’ on 20th May, 2023. Last year we gave advice to those seeking to research the history of their own homes. This year, our theme will be: “Agricultural roots: Farming in Hedgerley through the ages”.
We will meet at 11am for coffee and a talk from the very popular local historian Julian Hunt. After a light lunch, Julian will lead us in a walk around Hedgerley to discuss some of the local farms, followed by a site visit to Tara, formerly Colley Hill Farm, (transport required). We will finish at 4pm. The cost will be £10, to include refreshments and lunch.
As with most villages, agriculture has been the main source of livelihood in Hedgerley since antiquity. We know that the area was occupied during the iron age, with a fort close by on the border of the parish, and those early settlers will certainly have been farmers. We know that in mediaeval times the traditional method of open field farming was used in the area, with families allocated their own narrow strips of land. The hallmark ridge and furrow pattern which the ploughing created is still faintly visible during the winter months in the valley between Hedgerley and Gerrards Cross.
Later, several significant farms emerged in the area: among them Slade Farm, Court Farm, Metcalf Farm and Colley Hill Farm. The workers required for the farms lived in the cottages within the village. As today, much of the land in the parish was used for pasture, but we know that in Victorian times a third or so of the land was devoted to arable crops. It is likely that potatoes, turnips and beans were also grown for local consumption. Horse or oxen-drawn ploughs would of course have been employed, until the invention of the steam engine in the nineteenth century, when at first a pully system, and later tractors, very gradually took over.
Join us in May to learn more about this fascinating part of Hedgerley’s history.
6 June (Tuesday), Outing, Haddenham Museum and Village Tour 10am, Stephen Sharp Booking deadline 17/05/23 Join volunteers from Haddenham Museum to explore the Museum and a walk around this historic Buckinghamshire village
21 June (Wed), Broadway, A Cotswold village Julian Hunt
25 June (Sunday), Outing, High Wycombe Cemetery Tour Sally Scagell Free Booking required Closing date 21/06/23 “Good Mourning” A tour of the older parts of High Wycombe Cemetery covering the stories of some of Wycombe’s past families who chose to make this their last resting place. Sally Scagell has been researching the graves in High Wycombe Cemetery over the past 15 years and every headstone has a tale to tell.
12 July (Tuesday), Outing, A Summer Evening at Bekonscot Brian Newman Smith, 6pm for 6.30pm Brian will describe the development of this historic model village and show us how the models are made and maintained.
19 July (Tuesday), Outing, The Restoration of Church Gardens Harefield. Arcadia Visitor Centre. Refreshments available. Kay McHugh, 6.30pm £10 pp Limited numbers – Free but Pre-Booking required – deadline 21/06/23 Kay McHugh (Head Gardener) will describe how in the past 20 years the gardens have been transformed from dereliction to the amazing garden we see today. After the talk explore the Walled Garden and Orchard.
21 July (Friday), Mikron Theatre Company present ‘Twitchers’
Nest(le) down with Mikron in this flight through birdwatching history, feathered with birdsong and laughter.You’ll be giggling from heron in and you won’t ‘egret coming! Tickets on sale shortly
9 August (Wed), Outing, Stratford-upon-Avon, Booking close 19 July Motts Travel £25 pp
Coach Outing Booking deadline19/07/23 An opportunity to explore a townsynonymous with William Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s Birthplace allows you to visit the house where the world’s most famous playwright was born and grew up to discover more about his early years. Other Shakespeare locations include Hall’s Croft (home to William’s daughter), Shakespeare’s New Place(the last chapter in his life), Anne Hathaway’s cottage (Shakespeare’s wife) and Mary Arden’s Farm (the childhood home of Shakespeare’s mother).
There are regular public 45-minute boat trips on the River Avon, sightseeing bus tripsand town and river walks.
20 September (Wed), HS2 Archeology in Bucks Doug Stukey
27 September (Wed), Outing (Self Drive), Frogmore Paper Mill, Hemel Hempstead TBA, Tour £12 Boat Trip £3.50 Bookings close 01/09/23 Paper making started at Frogmore in 1774 and commercial production ceased in 2000. Learn about the history of paper making and make your own by hand. Our visit will include a short cruise along the River Gade aboard canal boat Bryan Donkin.
11 October (Wed,) Outing, Reading Museum and Abbey Quarter Tour, Booking close 11 September, 10am – 12.30pm, £10 pp, Max 20 in each group
See Britain’s Bayeaux Tapestry and explore 200 years of Biscuit Town in Reading Museum’s Huntley & Palmer Gallery and discover Reading’s historic Abbey Quarter on a Guided Walking Tour around the grounds including Jane Austin’s schoolroom, the ruins of Reading’s Royal Abbey and the burial place of King Henry I.
18 October (Wed), Fashion on the Ration, Style in the Second World War Julie Summers
As the nation went into uniform and women took on traditional male roles, clothing and beauty began to reflect changing social attitudes. For the first time fashion was influenced not just by Paris and Hollywood but by the demands of industrial production and the pressing need to ‘Make-do-and-Mend’. It seems almost impossible to imagine nowadays, but the fashion editor of Vogue advocated sewing brightly patterned or coloured pockets in contrasting shades to liven up a dull skirt or pinafore dress and the War Office commissioned corsets for women in the services to have pockets for carrying loose change (bus money) as women in uniform were not allowed to carry handbags.
This lively talk with contemporary illustrations gets underneath the outer clothing and lays bare the facts behind fashion in the Second World War. Warning: contains Forces bloomers. Fashion on the Ration was named one of The Times books of 2015.
Julie Summers is the author of fourteen works of non-fiction, including the best-selling book Jambusters. She was recently listed in the Sunday Times as one of only four women in the top fifty historians in Britain. Jambusters inspired the ITV drama series Home Fires, which ran for two seasons in 2015-16 and had a regular television audience of over six million.
Born on the Wirral and brought up in Cheshire, Julie spent the first half of her career working in the art world. However, she had always wanted to be a writer. Her first book, Fearless on Everest was published in 2000, followed by The Colonel of Tamarkan (2005), a biography of Brigadier Sir Philip Toosey, the ‘real’ colonel who built the Bridge on the River Kwai. Her focus on the impact of the Second World War on the lives of ordinary people has been explored in subsequent books including Our Uninvited Guests: The Secret Lives of Britain’s Country Houses 1939 – 45 (2018). She has also written histories of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (2007) and the Royal British Legion (2021)
Julie’s book Dressed for War is a biography of the wartime editor of Vogue, Audrey Withers (2020) was optioned by Gaumont TV who are developing it into a drama series. She is currently working on a biography of British Vogue to be published by Weidenfeld in October 2024.
Julie is the former Royal Literary Fund Fellow at St Hilda’s College, Oxford, an honorary member of the British Alpine Club and a keen member of Falcon Rowing Club. She is delighted to have been appointed to be the Royal Literary Fund Fellow at Kellogg College from October 2023. She lives in Oxford and is the proud owner of two Border Terriers.
28 October (Sat), Autumn Lunch and Windsor Great Park Trees Julian Hight
4 November (Sat), Outing, Parliament Tour, Bookings close TBA
Discover the inner workings of UK Parliament and immerse yourself in the fascinating history of this world famous building.
15 November (Wed), Walking in the Footseps of an Edwardian Fiona Brewer and Paul Graham
Stephen Springall was an Edwardian born in nearby Iver Village and a passionate advocate for Rights of Way. His 1907 walk book ‘Country Rambles Round Uxbridge’ explored the local landscape such as Denham, The Chalfonts, Harmondsworth, Rickmansworth as well as Hedgerley. Many of his walks traversed the countryside and riverbanks of what is now known as the Colne Valley Regional Park. Learn more about the man and how through the changing landscape his walk book was brought into the 21st Century.
Fiona Brewer has worked for the charity, Groundwork South, for 10 years. During her time with the charity she has worked on a variety of projects for the Colne Valley Regional Park such as exploring responsible forage, discovering the Park’s industrial heritage, organising the Colne Valley Park Festival as well as working with Paul Graham to produce the walk book – ‘Walking in the Footsteps of an Edwardian’ based on Springall’s book ‘Country Rambles Round Uxbridge.’
Paul Graham has lived in Iver since 1980 and has been involved in helping preserve and encourage access to the countryside ever since. He joined the managing board of the Colne Valley Regional Park in 2012 and finds the time for practical outdoor work as well. Local History is another enthusiasm.
18th November 2023 (Saturday) Tour of John Lewis Heritage Centre Cookham Self Drive Free Limited numbers Booking required Closing date 15th November 2023
As well as being home to the business archives of John Lewis and Waitrose the heritage centre houses over 3,000 different textile designs dating from the 1790’s to the present day. These include designs by William Morris, C F A Voysey and Lucienne day. Designs for fabric used in Royal residences and the staterooms of the RMS Titanic feature in the collection. Between 1942 and 1956 Grove Farm (now part of the Heritage Centre) housed the Odney Pottery.
13 December (Wed), The Most Secret Airfield in WW2 Ian Griffith
This presentation is based on research carried out by Ian Griffith into the activities undertaken by the Special Duty RAF Squadrons at RAF Tempsford. It covers the role of the Special Operations Executive(SOE) in building an army of Special Agents and the role that RAF Tempsford played in dropping enemy agents into occupied territory.
Ian’s father-in-law Captain John Affleck, who lived in Mayflower Way, Farnham Common for many years was a pilot in 161 Squadron flying Lysanders and Hudsons into occupied territory. His story and achievements are featured including Operation Bludgeon where his Hudson got stuck in the mud in France. Operation Bludgeon is the most frequently mentioned operation in all the books on RAF Tempsford.
Ian Griffith worked in Sales and Marketing for ICI Paints Division for 20 years before joining The Chartered Institute of Marketing in Cookham as Marketing Director. Set up own business, Marketing Quality Assurance, in 1990 to provide training, assessment and accreditation services to companies in the Services Sector. Ian is a member of Burnham Beeches Rotary Club.20
September 2023 (Wed), HS2 Archeology in Bucks Doug Stukey
Of the 33 Buckinghamshire sites investigated by HS2 archaeologists, this presentation will focus on 13 excavations that produced significant evidence and expanded our knowledge of the county, with evidence from the Mesolithic to 19th C Victorian.
Doug Stuckey is from Somerset, with a sandwich degree in Aero Engineering. Doug spent half the time at university and half on the Concorde project at British Aircraft Corporation (1969 – 72). As a student he helped to excavate two Roman villa sites uncovered as the M5 was built through Gloucestershire. The small Trowel has been with him ever since. He has lived and worked in 9 countries across 4 continents, but still speaks Bristolian.17 May (Wed), AGM Charles Rennie Mackintosh Rena Hume ZOOM
Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928) was a Scottish architect, designer, water colourist and artist. His work, alongside that of his wife Margaret Macdonald was influential on European design movements such as Art Nouveau.
Rena Hume is a graduate of the Glasgow School of Art and as such lived and breathed in that building for years. After Art School Rena trained as a teacher and taught in Glasgow and Birmingham before moving to Chalfont St Giles in the 1960’s with her late husband and their two small daughters and soon became involved in village activities. initially as Chairman of WI through which she started a Cancer Prevention Group lecturing, mainly to women, on the importance of screening.
After her son was born Rena returned to teaching and joined the Art department at Chesham High School teaching Art and the History of Art to A level where she stayed for many happy years.
Wednesday 21 st December From Source to Sea – Tom Chesshyre
In the summer of 2016, a month after referendum in favour of Brexit, Tom Chesshyre took to the footpaths of England’s longest river. Beginning in Gloucestershire, where the source of the Thames is little more than a damp spot in a field, Chesshyre sets off along the 215- mile route aiming both to enjoy the scenery and appreciate the “golden thread of history” (Winston Churchill) that covers the story of England from pre-Roman days, through the signing of the Magna Carta, the dissolution of the monasteries, the Civil War, industrialisation, the rapid growth of urbanisation and current concerns: the likely consequences of leaving Europe being very much on people’s minds. It is a tale of a ramble along a river that has seen much while the water runs softly by minding its own business.
Encounters aplenty along the way bring colour to the walk, from fellow hikers to the chief helmsman of the river’s RNLI, down-and-outs, publicans, fishermen, boat builders, policemen and many others.
Tom Chesshyre is the author of ten travel books and worked on The Times travel desk for 21 years. He is freelance now, contributing to newspapers and magazine. He lives in Mortlake in London by the banks of the Thames.
Past events 2022
16th November 20022 Tales of a House Detective – Marian Miller
Other people’s homes are a constant source of fascination. This profusely illustrated talk will feature some of the buildings – not just houses – Marian has investigated and the sources she used. So, this talk is designed for those who’d just like a “look through the keyhole” as well as those seeking inspiration for research into the history of their own homes.
After 20 years as a commercial property solicitor Marian retrained, gaining an Undergraduate Diploma in Local History and an M.Sc in Historic Building Conservation. Whilst working as a Conservation and Design Officer with South Bucks District Council she was responsible for preparing several of their Conservation Area Appraisals. After a spell as an independent heritage consultant, she now volunteers, chiefly with the Buckinghamshire Historic Buildings Trust and the Buckinghamshire Archaeological Society.
June 8th London’s Great Railway Stations Oliver Green ZOOM
London has more main line railway stations than any other city in the world, all of them dating from the nineteenth century. The city’s earliest termini, London Bridge and Euston, opened in the late 1830s just as Queen Victoria came to the throne. The last main line to London was built to Marylebone in 1899 two years before Victoria died. In the 21st century London Bridge has just been completely rebuilt, St Pancras has reopened as an international terminus and Euston is being reconstructed for HS2. Is this the new age of the train?
Oliver Green has a history degree from Cambridge University and began his museum career at the new Museum of London in the 1970s, becoming the first curator of the London Transport Museum in 1980. Oliver has also managed museum and cultural services in Colchester, Poole and Aylesbury, returning to LTM as Head Curator in 2001. He is currently an independent historian, writer and lecturer specialising in transport and design history.
Talks Recorde Talks
Wednesday 21st December 2022 8pm Hedgerley Memorial Hall
In the summer of 2016, a month after referendum in favour of Brexit, Tom Chesshyre took to the footpaths of England’s longest river. Beginning in Gloucestershire, where the source of the Thames is little more than a damp spot in a field, Chesshyre sets off along the 215-mile route aiming both to enjoy the scenery…
Wednesday 18th January 2023 8pm Hedgerley Memorial Hall
Metro-Land to HS2 – Oliver Green Railways have had a key role in shaping the development of the country areas northwest of London in the twentieth century. This began when the Metropolitan, the world’s first underground railway, was extended beyond its original urban network of the 1860s to run through Middlesex, Herts and Bucks to reach…
The History of Holly Hill House, Stoke Poges – Mike Dewey
On Wednedsay 15 September at 8pm Mike Dewey will present the ‘History of Holy Hill House’. In recent years the site of the Sikh school in Hollybush Hill, Stoke Poges, has been the subject of much controversy. Originally part of the Stoke Park Estate the site was first developed in 1783. This talk will trace…
“An Underground Guide to 1950’s London”
On Wednesday 16th June at 8pm Nick Dobson will present”An underground Guide to 1950’s London”. Take the Time Tube Train back to London of the 1950’s and discover a decade during which wartime austerity gave way to growing optimism. This fully illustrated talk will reveal a City quite different from today’s London, but a City…
19th May 2021 Beacons of the Past – Investigating a prehistoric Chilterns
Beacons of the Past is a 3.5 year project part funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Chiltern Society, and the National Trust, amongst others. It’s purpose is to engage and inspire communities to discover, conserve, and enjoy the Chilterns’ Iron Age hillforts and their prehistoric chalk landscapes. Now at the project’s midpoint, Project…
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