Events

Arbury Hall, Nuneaton.  2 pm to 5 pm.  

Our day will begin with a guided tour of Arbury Hall at 2 pm (arrival from 1.45 pm).  This beautiful Elizabethan mansion house was transformed into the Gothic style by Sir Roger Newdigate during the second half of the 18th century, and featured in George Eliot's novels as Cheverel Manor.  Sheila Woolf, WLHS member, will be one of our tour guides.  After the tour we will enjoy afternoon tea in the onsite tea rooms and you are then free to explore the 18th century landscaped gardens at your own pace. The gardens close at 6 pm.

Accessibility

The tour of the Hall is all on ground floor level apart from the Gallery which is accessed via a flight of stairs, the Tea Rooms are also upstairs, and the venue does not have a lift.  However, the Gallery is a small part of the tour and tea can be served downstairs for those with mobility needs (please let me know when booking of any mobility needs). The paths around the vicinity of the hall are gravel and therefore it can be difficult to push wheelchairs, there are also some steep and uneven slopes around the grounds.

 For more information please visit the Arbury Estate webpage

Dogs

Assistance dogs only.

Transport

Full directions will be provided with confirmation of your booking.  The nearest train station is Bond Street, Nuneaton, CV11 4BU. 

Price

The price for this trip is £22 for members and associate members, £24 for non members.  This price includes refreshments.  Please book by 5th June.  You can either print off the booking form and return it to me (address on booking form) or pay by BACS and email me with your booking request (rowanfisher367@gmail.com).  BACS payments to Acct Name:
Warwickshire Local History Society, Acct. No. 00010015 Sort code: 40-52-40, Account type: Business: use YOUR SURNAME as reference please. 

Please note it is not always possible to provide a refund in the event of non attendance.

Shipston on Stour guided history walk and visit to Shipston Museum.  1.30 pm to 5 pm.  

We will meet at Shipston Museum at 1.30 pm where we will join historian and Shipston Museum trustee Martin Russell on a history walk around Shipston.  Some of you may remember Martin as he was our guide on the Edgehill Battlefield event a couple of years ago.  We will learn about Shipston-on-Stour’s history, which begins in prehistoric times. Following light refreshments at the Black Horse (included in the price), we will finish the afternoon by visiting Shipston Museum, which showcases artefacts from Shipston and surrounding villages from prehistory to post medieval times. The afternoon will end at approximately 5 pm.

Accessibility and toilets

The first part of the afternoon is a walking tour which covers about 1.5 miles and will last at least 1 hour, including talking points.  Shipston is flat and the walk will be taking place through the town on pavements.  There will not be an opportunity to sit down on the walk, unless you bring a camping chair/stool or similar.  There are public toilets available before the walk starts and at the Black Horse, where we will be stopping for refreshments.  Most of the collections in Shipston Museum are on the first floor and there isn’t a lift, but there is a presentation that can be shown to those unable to access the first floor via the stairs.

Dogs

Assistance dogs only.

Transport and parking

Full details will be provided with confirmation of your booking.  There is plenty of parking (free and pay and display) in Shipston. There are buses to Shipston from Stratford and the nearest train station is Moreton-in-Marsh, approximately 8 miles from Shipston.

Price

The price for this trip is £18.20 for members and associate members, £20.20 for non members.  This price includes refreshments.  Please book by 30th June.  There are 30 places on this tour.  You can either print off the booking form and return it to me (address on booking form) or pay by BACS and email me with your booking request.  BACS payments to Acct Name: Warwickshire Local History Society, Acct. No. 00010015 Sort code: 40-52-40, Account type: Business: use YOUR SURNAME as reference please. 

Please note it is not always possible to provide a refund in the event of non attendance.  This event will go ahead except in extreme weather conditions so please dress appropriately.

Image: Manor House and Sheep Street, copyright John Sutton, creative commons

The Lady Katherine Leveson Foundation, Temple Balsall.  1.30 pm to 5 pm. 

Join WLHS member Marion Keeley on a tour of the Old Hall, previously the senior court for the  Knights Templar in Warwickshire, followed by a tour of the Church and Almshouses.  Refreshments available.

Full details, prices and booking form will be available in due course.

Christmas Outing: Venue tbc

Full details, prices and booking form will be available in due course.

Winterbourne House, Birmingham. 10.30 am to 2 pm.

30 of us enjoyed a guided tour of Winterbourne’s seven acres of beautiful botanical gardens followed by the opportunity to explore this Edwardian Arts and Crafts house at our own pace. 

We explored the woodland walk, strolled through the hazelnut tunnel and crossed the 1930’s Japanese Bridge in this hidden gem of a garden.  The house was built for John Nettlefold, a pioneer of early housing reform in Birmingham at a time when the city had a serious lack of decent homes for working people, and the house contains interesting exhibitions about this, as well as being a light and airy example of an Arts and Crafts house.

'Caring for the Community: The Leigh Family's Legacy' by Sheila Woolf

Join Sheila Woolf, Chair of the Stoneleigh History Society, as she delves into the Leigh family's enduring commitment to Stoneleigh's welfare. From Sir Thomas Leigh's 16th-century arrival to the Second World War, the Leighs significantly influenced village life, helping to shape institutions like the church, almshouses, school, club, inn, and even a workhouse. Drawing from the Leighs' detailed notebooks, this talk offers unique insights into the villagers' lives and their connection to the "big house."

This talk will follow a short AGM, starting at 7.15 pm.

Image: Thomas, Lord Leigh of Stoneleigh (1594 - 1671) courtesy of Lamport Hall

'Discovering Harbury's Heritage' by Bill Timson, Chair of Harbury Heritage Centre

Join us as Bill Timson, Chair of Harbury Heritage Centre, shares the challenges and triumphs of establishing the Harbury Heritage Centre, a hub dedicated to preserving and celebrating the rich history of Harbury village. Find out about the fascinating stories and events that shaped Harbury, hear about the recently published book, Life in Victorian Harbury, and understand how the Heritage Centre aims to connect with all ages through events, fundraising, and outreach.

'Life in Roman Alcester', by Alan Godfrey

We enjoyed Alan Godfrey, Chair of Alcester and District Local History Society's talk on “Life in Roman Alcester”. Alcester became a small Roman town, dating from the Roman invasion of AD 46 when a fort was built on a hilltop to the south of the town, to defend the river crossing. Two Roman roads crossed in Alcester; the Icknield Street running north to south connecting Lichfield with Cirencester, and the Salt Way linking Droitwich with the Fosse Way. The town was later protected by walls and gates, and the earlier fort was abandoned.

'Three Warwickshire Parish Churches' by Dr John Hunt (online meeting).

'Are cemeteries everywhere enclosed, churches properly built and furnished and sacred vessels properly guarded?' Researching parish churches in the western midlands.

Over 60 of us enjoyed this online talk, given by Dr Hunt, as he looked at the history of three Warwickshire Parish Churches: Berkswell, Ansley and Tysoe.  He explored themes from the article he wrote for WLHS’s Warwickshire History Journal recently, which investigated the origins, settlements, structural history and patrons of these three churches.  Dr Hunt  also highlighted work he has undertaken elsewhere in the West Midlands.

Lord Leycester Hospital, Warwick.  

Nearly 50 of us enjoyed visiting this medieval treasure in the heart of Warwick and learning about its history on a guided tour with the brethren from the Lord Leycester Hospital.  Following the building of the original chapel, in 1123, the medieval Guilds built the half-timbered buildings as a centre to govern the town, house travellers and provide support to the deserving poor. In 1571 Robert Dudley, Queen Elizabeth I’s favoured courtier, established a community of Master and Brethren in the old Guild buildings.  Today the Hospital is run by the Master, a retired military officer, and still houses ex-servicemen and their wives.

The Gunpowder Plot in the Midlands, by Mairi Macdonald

Sutton Park: The origins, components and afterlife of a medieval deer park, by Mike Hodder

All Saints Church, Burton Dassett 2 pm to 5 pm

60 of us joined Dr Stephen Wass for a talk in the beautiful surroundings of All Saints Church, Burton Dassett, a stunning church with medieval wall paintings.  We heard about the historic background to the shrunken village and church of Burton Dassett before Stephen focused on the archaeological excavations in the graveyard and 'village green' outside the churchyard wall together with the recording and re-interpretation of the 'holy well'. After delicious refreshments, Stephen took us around the outside of the church and there was an optional walk up to the nearby beacon. A big thank you to the All Saints' Church team for the afternoon.

Two Newdigate Ladies, by David Paterson

Two members of the Newdigate family owners of the Arbury estate, a century apart. Lady Elizabeth (1683-1765) and Mrs Maria Newdigate shared two attributes. Each when chatelaine of the estate during the minority of their sons successfully managed the estate following less good management by male predecessors. They had an enlightened approach to the education of children living on the estate. Lady Elizabeth founded the Chilvers Coton Charity School for thirty poor children. A century later Maria supported both this school and the one at Astley. The difference in their titles reflected the failure of the direct male succession within the family and therefore the extinguishing of the baronetcy. Maria probably influenced two other significant women: her niece Jessie Boucherett, an early campaigner for women’s’ rights and the daughter of Robert Evans, the excellent land agent. Marian Evans’s time exploring the Arbury library helped her to develop her literary career as George Eliot.