23/06/2026 David Worsfold
Fleeing Hitler - the Civilian stories
Who were the 20,000? David will speak about the exodus of civilians to the Atlantic ports as well as the SS Madura's famous passengers. He will tell the stories of individuals from that of a 10 year old girl to the plight of the world's richest man.
28/07/2026 Richard Pusey
Captain James Cook and his Three Voyages
A change to our previously published talk.
Join Cpt James Cook on his expeditions to New Zealand and the East coast of Australia and his search for the Northwest Passage.
22/09/2026 Julian Whybra
History in the Landscape
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.
27/10/2026 Sandra Lawrence
The Folklore of Fungus
A return of Sandra Lawrence who previously spoke to us about Warley Place. She warns us that this talk has some gruesome photos with some rather rude looking fungi. Thsi makes her talk sound even more intriguing.
24/11/2026 Sarah Slater
Secrets, Scandal and Salacious Gossip of the Royal Court, 1660 to 1830
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.
26/01/2027 Andrew J Baker
The Crumbling of Old Certainties; British Politics in Turmoil
What factors lie behind the recent upheavals that we faced; Brexit, the NHS, Covid, foodbanks? Come and hear Andrew's views on these points. An established favourite, Andrew always has interesting points to make about our politcal situation.
23/02/2027 Imogen Corrigan
Thomas Becket
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.
23/03/2027 Susan Pettit
Historic Gardens in Essex
25/05/2027 Stuart & Helen Overton-Smtih
The Life and Strife of Honeybees
Stuart and Helen who started beekeeping some years ago will share their love of bees with us and hopefully make us more aware of the vital role they play in our ecosystem. The couple will have bee related products to buy witheither cash or card.