Previous Events and Lectures | Huntingdon Local History Society

Previous Society Lectures and Events

Here’s what you have missed:

2026 Lectures and Visits:

15th January – Zoom Lecture – Kings College and 15th Century Cambridge, Philip Saunders
16th January – Visit – Kings College and Chapel, Cambridge
28th January – Zoom Lecture – Newmarket’s Place in Racing History, Michael Sutterill

2025 Lectures and Visits:

8th January – Zoom lecture – Reading and Writing in 18th Century Huntingdonshire, John Broad
15th January – Visit to Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology with display of Huntingdonshire artifacts
13th February – Zoom lecture – Antiquarians, Architects and Archaeologists: rediscoverers of early stone sculpture in Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire, Paul Everson
26th February – Visit to Huntingdonshire Archives, to see documents from the estate archive of the Duke of MAnchester, of Kimbolton Castle, with introductory talks by Alan Akeroyd, Archives Manager, and Esther Bellamy, Collections Archivist
12th March – Lecture – Brampton to St Ives, identifying the watermilling landscape alon the Great Ouse, Bridget Flanagan and Keith Grimwade
9th April – Lecture – Kimbolton Airfield and the 379th B omber Group USAF, Chris Bates
13th May – Annual General Meeting and talk by Liz Hodgkinson: A Mink Coat in St Neots
28th May – Visit – St Mary’s Church, Godmanchester, with talk by Ken Sneath on the history of the church, and rediscovered Ice House , Godmanchester, with a talk by Beth Davies on Ice Houses
12th June – Visit – a walk arund Great Gidding, with historical display about the village by the Great Gidding Local History Group
8th July – Visit – Place House and Groulds and St Andrews Church, Great Staughton, with talk by Anthony Withers
3rd September – Visit – Milton Hall, Peterborough, with guided tour by William Craven
1st October – Goodliff Presentations by the President, Countess of Sandwich, followed by a lecture Hinchjingbrooke durng the Civil Wars, by Stuart Orme, Curator Cromwell Museum
12th November – Lecture – Farm Hall, Godmanchester, House of Spies, Roger Leivers
10th December – Lecture and Social, Medieval Christmas Customs: Lords of Misrule and Boy Bishops, Chris Carr (Briga and Friends), followed by the Christmas Social

2024 Lectures and Visits:

10th January – Zoom lecture – Coins, Cloth and Commerce at Anglo Saxon Buckden, Graeme Clark
25th January – visit to Peterborough Museum, with talk on Archive Enhancement Project and workshop.
13th February – Zoom lecture – Educating Huntingdonshire – School Records for the Loc Historian, Hannah Bethel-Vaughan.
6th March – visit to Pepys and Old Libraries, Magdalene College, followed by a walk around Castle End, Cambridge.
13th March – Robert Pepys and his house at Brampton: A newley discovered document, Ken Sneath.
10th April – Benefiting the Soul – Life, Religion and the Church in Late Medieval Huntingdonshire Joanne Sear.
8th May – Annual General Meeting
22nd May – visit to Farm Hall, Godmanchester.
7th – 9th June – Weekend visit to Wiltshire (Hughenden, Steam Museum Swindon, Avebury, Wiltshire Museum, Case Flight of Locks and Canal Museum, and Lacock Abbey and village.
12th June – Zoom lecture – Finding Collyweston Palace Chris Close
20th June – visit to Collyweston village and church.
29th June – Society stand and display at Huntingdonshire History Festival.
10th July- visit to Northamptonshire Archaeological Research Centre, d excavationsat the Chester House Estate.
8th August – visit to Kimbolton church and exploration of the village
26th September – Zoom lecture – Treasures of Ramsey Abbey, Ian Mason.
16th October – Goodliff Presentations and lecture by Viscoountess Hinchingbrooke: Alberta Countess of Sandwich, with and AI demonstration.
13th November – evening lecture – Great Staughton and its People, Anthony Withers.
18th December – Christmas Musical evening with Music by Tapestry Singers

2023 Lectures and Visits:

11th January – Zoom Lecture – Exploring Traditional Wildflower Names, Twigs Way
8th February – Zoom Lecture – 1-6 Muttongate Huntingdon, the Inside Story, Emma Harris.
22nd February – Presenation and Workshop by the Museum of London Archaeology on small finds from the A14 Excavations.
8th March – evening lecture – Fletton – Building the Brickopolis, Sadie Macmullon.
30th March – visit to Huntingdonshire Archives: Archive Sources for Landscape History.
19th April – evening lecture – joint meeting with Cambridge Antiquarian Society (Ladds Lecture): Going to Church in Medieval England, especially Huntingdonshire Nicholas Orme.
10th May – AGM and evening lecture – a Romano British Coin Hoard from Huntingdonshire, Claire Hardy and Rodney Scarle.
7th June – visit to Needingworth village, led by Peter Cooper.
28th June – visit to Doddington and Great Paxton churches.
20th July – visit and boat trip to Grantham Canal at Woolsthorpe.
24th August – visit to Northborough church and Manor House.
2nd September – excursion (with CHCT and CALH): Lincoln Cathedral.
11th October – evening lecture, Ramsey Tunnels and the Great Whyte, Clive Beeke.
1st November – Goodliff Presentations and talk by Viscountess Hinchingbrooke: Introducing Alberta Countess of Sandwich
10th December – Christmas Social and talk on Victorian Christmas in Huntingdonshire, Liz Sthill-Davies

2017 Lectures and Visits:

12th January – evening lecture – Stained Glass in Huntingdonshire Churches. Revd Steven Day
9 February – evening lecture – Hemingford Manor House. Diana Boston
9 March – evening lecture – Railways in Mid Anglia. Tony Kirby
6 April – evening lecture – Fen Drainage, the People who Drained the Fens. Dr Philip Saunders
12 – 15 May – Society long weekend, exploring the Cotswolds.
25 May – Society AGM
15 June – A midsummer evening saunter around Elton
20 July – Visit to Leicester Cathedral and the Richard III Centre
9 August – Walk around St Neots and a visit to the Museum
13 September – Visit to Little Stanmore Church and Strawberry Hill House
12 October – Presidents Lecture and Goodliff Award Ceremony
9 November- evening lecture John Berridge of Everton and the Evangelical Revival. Nigel Pibworth
7 December – Society Christmas Social and Musical Evening – Huntingdon Town Hall Assembly Rooms

2016 Lectures and Visits:

14th January – evening lecture, “Mammoths in the Great Ouse Valley”. Dr Chris Thomas
11th February – evening lecture, “Roman Roads in Huntingdonshire and Peterborough: an aerial perspective”. Mr Rick Kelly.
10th March – evening lecture, “Revising Pevsner” Dr Charles O’Brien
23rd March – afternoon visit to Must Farm, Bronze Age site, archaeological excavation of one of the most important Bronze Age sites near Peterborough.
14th April – evening lecture, “Religious Life in mid-Victorian Huntingdonshire”, Professor David Thompson
13th May to 16th May, Society long weekend visiting “The Castles of Kent”.
26th May – Society AGM and the chance to view the recently purchased 16th Century map of Little Gidding.
7th June – visit to the Church of St Mary’s, Conington and the turf maze at Hilton.
5th July – visit to Pepys House and Hinchingbrooke House.
11th August – visit to Lincoln Castle and Cathedral.
7th September – visit to Woburn Abbey and gardens.
13th October – evening lecture “Excavation of the Spitfire at Holme Fen”, Anthony Haskins, archaeologist at Oxford Archaeology East.
10th November – Goodliff Awards 2016 and President’s Lecture, “The four disasters that made London what it is today”, Dr Simon Thurley.
8th December – Christmas Musical Evening and Social. An evening with the “Tapestry Singers” in the Assembly Room at Huntingdon Town Hall.

2015 Lectures and Visits:

8th January – evening lecture, “The Lost Forests of Medieval Huntingdonshire”, Jason Peters
12th February – evening lecture, “Parochial Tyranny? The Village Constable in 17th & 18th-century Huntingdonshire”, Dr Evelyn Lord.
12th March – evening lecture, “The Huntingdonshire Manor and its Records”, Dr Philip Saunders.
9th April – evening lecture, “The Secrets Behind your Front Door”, Melanie Backe-Hansen.
8th May to 11th May, Society long weekend visiting Shropshire.
21st May – Annual General Meeting in the Huntingdon Town Hall
27th June – visit to the area ‘In and Around Kings Cross, London’.
22nd July – visit to Castor House, a classic Queen Anne house and gardens
20th August – visit to Ramsey Walled Garden, Mortuary Chapel and Rural Museum
8th September – visit to Molesworth Church and Catworth
15th October, 2015 President’s Address, Dr Simon Thurley, “The English Market Town, past, present and future”, and Goodliff Awards presentation.
12th November – evening lecture, “450 Years of Education in Huntingdonshire”, Mr Peter Downes.
7th December – Christmas Musical Evening and Social, an evening with Hinchingbrooke School Music Group in the Assembly Room at Huntingdon Town Hall.

2014 Lectures and Visits:

9th January – Lecture – The Benevolent Earl: Lord Sandwich and St edward’s Home for Boys , David Cozens
13th February – Lecture – Whitney Photographs of a Bygone Huntingdonshire, Alexa Cox
13th March – Lecture – The Townsends of Huntingdonshire: A Microhistory, Ian Beckwith
10th April – Lecture – Dorothy L. Sayers and the Nine Tailors, Peter Clayton
8th to 11th May – Weekend Excursion – Hampshire and Dorset, includingn visits to Stoke Bruerne Canal Museum, Oxford, Mapperton, Winterborne Minster, Norton Park, Winchester, Hillier’s Gardens Romsey, Porchester, Portsmouth Dockyard Museum and Clandon Park
21st May – Annual General Meeting, with Local History Quiz
7th June – Display – First World War Centenary, Huntingdon Library
17th June – A walk around the village of Denton and a visit to the Church, led by Twigs Way
31st July – Visit – the City of Derby
19th August – Visit – Rivenhall, Coggeshall and Layer Marney, Essex
9th September – Visit to Flag Fen, Peterborough
9th October – Presidents Lecture – French Fancies: Oliver Cromwell at Home, Simon Thurley
13th November – Lecture – From Ice to Flight, the latest from The Great Fen Project, Louise Rackam
9th December – Musical evening with Hunchingbrooke School Orchestra and Choir, followed by a Social Evening

2013 Lectures and Visits:

10th January – Lecture – In and Out of Huntingdonshire Workshouses, Liz Carter
14th February – Lecture – Beavers, Giant pelecans and Burials – Prehistoric secrets of Nedginworth Quarry and Willingham Mere, Robin Standring and Chris Evans
14th March – Lecture – History and the Media in the 21st Century, Nick Barratt
11th April – Lecture – Lancelot Brown, the Omnipotent Magician, Jane Brown
10th to 12th May – Weekend Excursion – Birmingham Region, including Lichfield, Tamworth Castle, Attingham Park, Shrewsbury Abbey, Wroxeter Roman City and Baddesley Clinton
23rd May – Annual General Meeting with Local History Quiz
26th June – Visit – Island Hall, Godmanchester
9th July – Visit – Fotheringhay Church and Nassington Prebendal Manor
8th August – Visit – Houghton Hall, Norfolk (including pictures from the Hermitage)
17th September – Visit – Guyhirn Chapel, Octavia Hill birthplace and Wisbech Museum, and Upwell Church
10th October – Lecture – Recent Archaeology at Ermine Street, Huntingdon, Chris Thatcher
16th November – President’s Lecture – Building England: Architecture, Landscape and English Exceptionalism, Simon Thurley
5th December – Christmas Musical Evening with Music by Huntingdon Regional College Music School, followed by Social Evening

2012 Lectures and Visits:

12th January – Lecture – The Medieval Leper – The Huntingdon and Norwich Evidence, Elizabeth Popescu
9th February – Lecture – Cattle, Corn, Coal and Clay: The Shaping of St Ives, Bob Burn-Murdoch
8th March – Lecture – Robert Hutchinson, Architect, David Hufford
12th April – Lecture – Huntingdonshire’s Corn, Windmills and Millers, Peter Filby
May – Weekend Excursion – Cardiff and South Wales, including Cardiff Castle, Llandaff Cathedral, NAtional Museum of Wales, Leigh Court BArn, Spetchley park Gardens and, en-route, Glocester Cathedral
24th May – Visit – Peterborough Museum
16th June – Visit – Wret Park and the De Grey Mausoleum
17th July – Visit – The Emplins, Gamlingay
30th August – Visit – Excavations and Water Newton
18th October – President’s Lecture – The Beginnings of English Architecture, Simon Thurley
8th November – Lecture – The Rise and Fall of Stpurbridge Fair, Honor Ridout
7th December – Christmas Musical Evening with Hinchingbrooke School Musicians

2011 Lectures and Visits:

13th January – Lecture – The Parliamentary Archives and Communities, David Prior
17th February – Lecture – Spaldwick Excavations – from Prehistory to Middle Ages, Susan Clelland
17th March – Lecture – The Waldens of Huntingdon and Doddington, David Edwards
14th April – Lecture – The last Archbishop’s Visitation: William Sancroft and Huntingdonshire in 1686, Alan Richardson
May – Weekend Excursion – Sheffield, including Bolsover Castle, Reneshaw Hall, Quarry Bank Mill Stayal, Tatton Park and Haddon Hall
31 May – Visit – The Ramsey Abbey Walled Garden
23rd June – Visit – St Albans and Verulamium
20th August – Visit – Royal Gunpowder Mills, Waltham Abbey
27th September – Rippington Manor, Great Gransden
13th October – President’s Lecture – Henmry VIII’s Nonsuch Palace: a Secret Revealed, Simon Thurley
3rd November – Ladds Lecture – Edmund Tyrell Artis – Antiquary and Palaeolontologist, Geoffrey Dannell
3rd December – Christmas Lecture and Social – An Anglo Saxon Feast, Debby Banham, followed by Christmas Social

2010 Lectures and Visits:

14th January – Lecture – The Archaeology of the Stow Longs to Tilnrook Pipeline, Rob Atkins
25th February – Lecture – The Drainage of Huntingdonshire Fens, Keith Hinde
18th March – Lecture – The Huntingdon House of Correction and New Prison, Mary Eiloart
22nd April – Lecture – The Whittlesey Straw Bear, Brian Kell
May – Weekend Excursion – Sussex, including Standen House, Sackville College, Battle Abbey, Bateman’s, The Royal Pavilion Brighton and Polesden Lacey
2nd May – Visit – Guided walk around Godmanchester, led by Ken Sneath
2nd June – Visit – Chiswick House
8th July – Visit – Somersham Palace House
8th August – Visit – Guided walk of Huntingdon Commons, led by David Cozens
7th October – President’s Lecture – From Boom to Bust: the Politics of Heritage 1997 – 2009, Simon Thurley
4th November – Lecture – Archeology of the Stow Longa to Tillbrook Pipeline, Rob Atkins
3rd December – Christmas Musical Evening – The City of Ely Waits, followed by Christmas Social