2026
Next event
7 February (Sat) The Archives and Hedgerley – Callum Walker
Join Callum Walker, Community Engagement Officer at Buckinghamshire Archives
as he discusses their work, their history, and what the upcoming archives move from
Aylesbury to High Wycombe means for the county. Callum will also explore some
interesting parts of history in the local area with reference to the historic documents
kept in the archive.
Callum Walker graduated from the University of Nottingham in 2019 with an MA in
English, focusing on medieval literature and English place names. He has worked for
Buckinghamshire Archives since 2022.
Upcoming events
2026
18 February (Wed) The Most Heroic Failure of Modern Times – Shackleton’s Antarctic – Jeremy Holmes
When Ernest Shackleton set off to cross the Antarctic for the first time in 1914, he was already a celebrated explorer, but his ship quickly got trapped and then crushed in the ice. He and his crew camped for months on the ice with only rudimentary supplies, until he decided to sail a lifeboat 750 miles to South Georgia – a feat never before attempted. Arriving exhausted they had to climb a mountain range before eventually finding a remote whaling station and ultimately returning to rescue their comrades. Shackleton’s leadership became the stuff of legend; this talk explains why.
Jeremy Holmes was a management consultant for most of his career, but latterly CEO of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and COO of Universities UK. About 25 years ago Jeremy was given a management book about Shackleton and his leadership skills which he found quite inspiring.
Jeremy is now retired and gives talks on a variety of subjects – for pleasure and to raise funds for a couple of charities of which he is a trustee (including the Quaker International Education Trust). Long, long ago Jeremy went from a grammar school to Oxford, where he won a scholarship and took a Double First in English Lit.
24th March (Tues) THE PRINCES IN THE TOWER: HOW HISTORY’S GREATEST COLD CASE WAS SOLVED Philippa Langley
HHS MEMBERS ONLY Tickets £10 Please see attached Booking Form
One of the most memorable HHS meetings in recent years was held on the 6th November 2013. The discovery of the remains of Richard III in a Leicester Council Office Car Park was in the news. I contacted the Richard III Society to see if they could recommend a speaker. They advised that, by chance, Philippa Langley who inaugurated the quest for Richard III’s lost grave happened to be in London that month promoting her book The Search for Richard III The King’s Grave and would be delighted to visit Hedgerley Historical Society. The rest as they say is History!
With King Richard III laid to rest, Kingfinder Philippa Langley turns her attention to one of our most enduring historical mysteries: the disappearance of the sons of King Edward IV of England, more commonly referred to as the ‘Princes in the Tower’.
Over the last ten years, The Missing Princes Project has undertaken the first-ever international cold case investigation into this mystery and pulled back the curtain of history to reveal the most extraordinary story. Undertaking archival searches around the world, the project, with its 300+ members, has discovered not only proofs of life for both Princes but overwhelming evidence from the reigns of Richard III and Henry VII that not only did the Princes live on but each went on to challenge the first Tudor monarch for the throne of England. The totality of evidence revealed in Philippa’s talk is remarkable. Following the discovery of King Richard III’s grave in 2012, The Missing Princes Project is again rewriting the history books.
Philippa’s talk is fully illustrated. There will also be a book sale and signing with Philippa at the end of the evening. We look forward to an extraordinary event and to welcoming Philippa back again to the Society in celebration of our 50th anniversary year.
HHS 