Events

Trip to Birmingham Guinea Gardens and Birmingham Botanical Gardens, all day, led by members of Birmingham Guinea Gardens and the Botanical Gardens tour guides (lunch at the Botanical Gardens: members can bring packed lunch or eat in the cafe).  Prices: Members: £13.50/£11.50; Non members: £15.50/£13.50.  The cheaper price is for concessions.  These prices do not include lunch.  Car parking charge of £2 per day.

Edgbaston Guinea Gardens is a collection of Victorian gardens created for the benefit of the shopkeepers and workers from the Jewellery Quarter and have existed for over a century. Find out about the history of the gardens with guide and allotmenteer Carol Dealey and explore some of them for yourself.

After lunch at the nearby Botanical Gardens (not included in the price) we will take a guided tour of Birmingham Botanical Gardens, which were founded in 1829.  The Gardens were designed by J.C. Loudon, a Scotsman who was a leading garden planner, horticultural journalist and publisher.

Booking details are included on the Birmingham Gardens Booking Form

Compton Verney Archaeology, 2 pm to approximately 4.30 pm

Join Hilary Calow, Compton Verney Archaeology Volunteer, as she brings Compton Verney’s archaeological past to life.  Hilary will explain how evidence of archaeological activity, including Roman, Anglo Saxon and medieval settlements, has gradually been coming to light. We will also visit Capability Brown’s Georgian Chapel and learn how Compton Verney was turned into an experimental station for smoke screen camouflage during World War Two.  Hilary will give a guided tour of the grounds, accompanied by visual aids and the chance to handle archaeological finds.  The price includes a cream tea in the grounds of Compton Verney at the end of the tour. 

This visit takes place entirely outside.  Parking and toilets available at the Welcome Centre.   The walk takes place on mostly flat, grassy ground and paths. There are no stiles and all gates are accessible by wheelchairs/scooters. The total distance walked is about 1.5 miles. Compton Verney has slopes for wheelchairs.

Price

There are 2 prices for members and 2 prices for non members, as Compton Verney has a reduced price if you are a Compton Verney member. WLHS Members' price is £17.75 (or £10 if you are a CV member).  Non WLHS members' price is £19.75 (or £12 if you are a CV member).  Members of WLHS affiliated history groups are eligible for the WLHS members' price.  This price includes a cream tea, served outside under partial cover, at the end of the outing.

Booking details are included on the Compton Verney Booking Form.

Edgehill Battlefield Walk, This outing was originally run in May but we have decided to repeat it due to popular demand.  A morning outing followed by optional lunch.  Led by Martin Russell, the Vice President of Shipston and District Local History Society (this finishes at the local pub and members can choose to stay for lunch if they wish).  Price: £7.20 WLHS members, £9.20 non members.  

Join Martin Russell, Vice President of Shipston and District Local History Society, as he takes us on a tour of the Edgehill Battlefield.  The Battle of Edgehill, which took place on 23rd October 1642, was the first pitched battle of the English Civil War and took place in fields between the villages of Kineton and Radway between the Royalists, gathered on the Edge Hill escarpment, against Essex’s parliamentary forces gathered in the fields below.

The morning will start in the garden of The Castle Pub, which enjoys spectacular views of the battlefield.  Assisted by maps and drawings, Martin will bring the battlefield to life and plot the course of the battle for us as we then explore by car and on foot some of the key areas in the battle, including Red Lane, Kineton and Radway.

Booking details are included on the Edgehill Battlefield Booking Form.

Middleton Hall, Tamworth: A morning tour of the hall followed by members' choice of packed lunch or lunch in the restaurant, with access to the hall and gardens for the rest of the day.  Full details and prices to be confirmed.

Edgehill Battlefield Walk, 37 people, including many from our associate history societies, enjoyed a morning outing followed by optional lunch.  The 3 hour outing was led by Martin Russell, the Vice President of Shipston and District Local History Society.  Martin took us on a tour of the Edgehill Battlefield.  The Battle of Edgehill, which took place on 23rd October 1642, was the first pitched battle of the English Civil War and took place in fields between the villages of Kineton and Radway between the Royalists, gathered on the Edge Hill escarpment, against Essex’s parliamentary forces gathered in the fields below.

By first using the spectactular scenery seen from the Castle Pub at Edgehill, Martin brought the battle to life with detailed, but always interesting, information about the military history of this battle and the strategies employed by the two sides.  Assisted by maps and drawings, Martin plotted the course of the battle for us and we went on to explore by car and on foot some of the key areas in the battle, including Red Lane, Kineton and Radway.

This outing was very popular and is being repeated on Saturday 16th July to give those who missed it the first time a chance to attend.

Annual General Meeting. Following our AGM, Maria Tauber of Warwick University gave a talk on Sir Roger Newdigate of Arbury.  

This talk looked at his media engagement and how different types of oral, manuscript and print media helped shape his image and role as MP. 

Image is of Sir Roger Newdigate in the LIbrary at Arbury, Arthur Devis, public domain

Annual Members' Meeting.

We were treated to two short presentations by members, on aspects of current research.

'Rokeby Camp, Rugby', Christine Howling considers this local example of the 1946 Squatters' Movement.

'Warwickshire’s pioneering role in the development of dog shows’, In the month that Crufts is hosted by the N.E.C. at Bickenhill, Ruth Barbour discusses the county's contribution to the development of dog shows.

Image: Article 10/09/1946, courtesy of the Rugby Advertiser & Warwickshire World

Late Medieval Towns in Arden, Dr Andrew Watkins.  

Dr Andrew Watkins discussed the origins, nature and location of towns in the County's northern portion.

Image is courtesy of Coleshill Civic Society

The Black Book of Warwick, Emma Bromley. 

Emma Bromley shared her research on this Elizabethan manuscript for the Corporation of Warwick (later known as Warwick Town Council). Originally intended for use as a minute book, it evolved into the personal diary of the town clerk, who recorded notable events. This book provides a fascinating contemporary account of Tudor life in Warwick.  

Image: 'The Black Book of Warwick’ CR 1618/W19/6

Courtesy of Warwick County Record Office

John Hall, Master of Physicke, Dr Paul Edmondson. 

Nearly 100 of us 'tuned in' on Zoom to hear Dr Paul Edmondson of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust discuss recent research into the medical practice of John Hall, a Stratford physician and son-in-law of William Shakespeare. We enjoyed an insight into medical practice and the social and intellectual climate of early modern Stratford-upon-Avon and learnt about his clients, many of whom came from well-known families of the day.  Few of us will forget some of the more fantastic cures used by John Hall in his casebook.

Image: ‘A Doctor Casting the Water’ by Osias Dyck c.1660 STRST: SBT 1994-17 Courtesy of Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

Warwickshire Women and the Fight for the Vote, Members were treated to a lively, interesting talk by Professor Sarah Richardson of Warwick University.  She examined Warwickshire’s thriving female political culture and its contribution to the cause of universal suffrage and provided a series of 'pen portraits' of some of the key Warwickshire figures, peppered with illustrations of original documents from sources such as Warwickshire County Record Office.  A very enjoyable talk and we had nearly 50 'devices' logged onto this online presentation.

Image: ‘Anne Justins, the First Woman Mayor of Stratford-upon-Avon 1928’ Photographer: Ernest Daniels Courtesy of Stratford Town Council & Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

St Leonard’s Church, Over Whitacre and St John the Baptist Church, Lea Marston

Our last outing of the season took place on a lovely autumn sunny day and was attended by nearly 40 people. 

The outing was led by one of our members, Rita Poulson, who is local to the area.  The present church of St Leonard's, in the Baroque style, was built in 1765 although a chapel has existed in Over Whitacre from as early as 1203.  Rita gave us a lively history of this beautiful chapel on a hill, as well as telling the stories of the many characters connected with the church during its history.  We then visited St John the Baptist Church in Lea Marston which was the Estate Church for the nearby Hams Hall Estate, belonging to the Adderley family.  Members learnt that a chapel has existed in Lea Marston as early as 1252, with the south wall of the nave dating from the medieval period.  Much of the existing church was altered by the Arden Adderley family in 1876/7 under architect Frederick Preedy.

Bagot's Castle, Baginton, 

We enjoyed a sunny afternoon and a successful outing recently when we visited Bagot’s Castle, Baginton. 

The Bagot’s Castle archaeologist, Nicholas Palmer, took the group on a tour of this 14th Century castle which now stands in ruins.  The original building could have been constructed on the site in the 11th century, at the time of King Henry I. It was rebuilt in the late 14th Century by Sir William Bagot, a distinguished nobleman.  As well as finding out about the history of the castle itself, our members enjoyed a tour of the wider site, which included an Anglo Saxon site, fishponds, 18th century bowling green and a 20th century tank testing site.

Napton on the Hill church and village, 2 pm

Members enjoyed a sunny afternoon and a successful outing recently when we visited Napton on the Hill.

The outing began at St Lawrence’s Church, where villager Monica Evans gave an entertaining talk about the history of this church, which was built in the 13th century but has seen many alterations since, particularly in Victorian times.  We enjoyed seeing the marks in the porch where villagers in times gone by had sharpened their arrows before their compulsory archery practice, and viewing the two stone alters that had escaped the destruction of such objects in the Reformation of the 16th century. 

John Evans then took the lead on a History Walk around the village, starting with the World War 2 Observer Post, from which Napton Windmill (now a private residence), the canal, and countryside as far as Coventry can clearly be seen.  The walk took in landmarks such as the old school buildings, old chapels, pillory green, old bakery and other shops, old pub and memorial trees and finished at the Church, where refreshments on such a hot day were very welcome.  

Fire of Warwick Walking Tour, 2 pm to 4 pm, Meet at Pageant Gardens, Warwick.

The Fire of Warwick was a major conflagration that swept through Warwick on 5 September 1694 and lasted for six hours. The fire started when sparks from a lighted taper blew onto the thatched roof of one of the houses opposite the Lord Leycester Hospital.  Members followed the route of the fire with 'Unlocking Warwick' and WLHS member Sue Rigby and Unlocking Warwick Treasurer Paula Fletcher.  We were also joined by WLHS member Steven Wallsgrove, who explained the relief and reconstruction efforts, showing us facsimiles of surveys, claims for compensation, and other documents held by the County Record Office. Those attending all enjoyed the tour, our first since 2019.  A fuller report on the day, written by our Chairman, John Wilmot, can be found by clicking on the following link: Fire of Warwick outing report.