Our Guest Speakers

Rayleigh Windmill is the tallest windmill in Essex, with a history dating back to 1809. Mike’s presentation starts by showing how a windmill works, before moving on to cover the history of Rayleigh Windmill and some of the goings on over the years! The presentation moves on to show images from the 16th of April 2018, when the sails were “put back”after restoration. Then there are images of how the Windmill is used today and finally, the story of the Millers sack.

Over the past eight years Sandra Lawrence has spent her waking life sometimes literally digging out new information about the life and gardens of Ellen Ann Willmott, including documents, objects and over 10,000 photographs. Her biography Miss Willmott's Ghosts was published in 2022 but the work is by no means over. This talk will cover Willmott's life, gardens, and the story so far.

RAF 'Special Duties' Service and SOE (Special Operations Executive) - the part they played in Allied support of The Resistance organisations during WW2

A colourful introduction to the history and heritage of our 2000 mile canal network, with remarkable engineering, architecture and landscapes. The talk looks at locks, bridges, cottages, warehouses, aqueducts, tunnels and, of course, a few boats too 

The beautiful timber-framed buildings for which Lavenham is so famous are the legacy of a thriving industry in cloth production, unrivalled anywhere in the Country. It's cloth merchants made Lavenham one of the wealthiest towns in Tudor England. This talk by Jane Gosling, former Manager of the National Trust’s Guildhall, explores their rise to fame, the houses they left behind, and the inevitable crash that followed.

Today's presenter is Debbie Spice, an  an extremely versatile performer whose  extensive training and experience means she can access many styles of singing including Musical Theatre, Operetta and Popular music. Debbie is currently an active performer for professional opera company ‘Figaro and Friends’

Vivid and amusing portraits can help us see how different post war prime ministers have played the role. What are the characteristics of a great leader and what kind of rank order emerges?

A history of the Royal Gunpowder Magazines and Purfleet-onThames, together with an assortment of artefacts on how we use to live.

Toby Faber is the grandson of the founder of Faber & Faber, one of London’s most important literary publishing houses. This talk traces its history through its illustrations, covers and designs and looks at some of its most famous artists.

Brixton - From Riots to Recovery

10th April 1981 is an important date in Black British history. Brixton in South London became the scene of unrest that exposed the realities of the prejudice and discrimination that the Caribbean community had tolerated. The impact of the 'Uprising' still resonates today. But, despite its difficult often challenging past, Brixton is a place of change, opportunities, and celebration.

Our speaker Angela Morgan will take you on an informative and entertaining virtual tour of Brixton with glimpses of its past, the present and potentially the future of this famous residential and shopping area.

This talk charts Becket’s rise from being a reluctant scholar who loved sports to being one of the most powerful men in the land. It follows his disputes with Henry II culminating in his shocking end and it tries to find the man behind the robes of office he loved so much. It is a story of great drama, but a human one, nonetheless.

Harlow is rightly known as 'Sculpture Town', thanks to a growing collection of around 100 public works of art on continual display in its streets and public places. But how did this come about? Peter will trace how the new town's master planner, the renowned architect Frederick Gibberd, saw public art as integral to his conception of the town, and how that legacy has been developed since. He will also look at how the very plan of Harlow is itself something of a work of art, based on Gibberd's close understanding of the Essex landscape.

Sarah will talk about all the naughty bits of history that we probably didn’t learn about at school! She will reveal some royal scandals and secrets including a look at the role of royal mistresses. We all enjoyed Sarah’s previous talk on kirtles and corsets and this one sounds as though it will be equally entertaining.

The art work and stories behind peculiar pub names.Have you ever wondered why we have so many pubs called 'The Red Lion' or 'The Crown'? Have you ever heard of 'The Bucket of Blood' or 'The Cow and Snuffers'? Come along and John will enlighten us.

In March 1939, Alfred Hitchcock left England for the lure of Hollywood. Over the next 36 years, he would direct 36 movies, Find about the documentary he made with Sidney Bernstein during World War II as well as the Oscar nominations he received. Do you recall The Alfred Hitchcock Presents TV series which spanned 10 years and starred many unknown up and coming actors? After all this finally became Sir Alfred Hitchcock, knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, in January 1980.

During 1917 violent revolutions tore Russia apart and set in place a communist regime. The murder of the Imperial family at Ekaterinburg in 1918 shook the world and still inspires a terrible fascination today. The beauty and innocence of the Romanov children would become emblems of a world that vanished forever.

How does history shape our landscape? Essex is particularly fortunate in this respect in that its settlement patterns can be traced back to the fifth century and its place names reveal the hidden origins and nature of the landscape around us. We will also discover what remains of our East Saxon origins today.