Events

Winterbourne House, Birmingham. 10.30 am to 2 pm.

Enjoy 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 your own pace. 

Wander along the woodland walk, stroll through the hazelnut tunnel and cross 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.

Refreshments (not included in the price) are available at the Winterbourne tea rooms on site.

Accessibility

The house has a lift to the first floor and there are accessible toilets.  Some areas of the gardens are not suitable for wheelchairs, mobility scooters or walking aids but the guided tour of the garden can be modified to accommodate.  There are some uneven and gravelled areas in the garden. For more information please visit https://www.winterbourne.org.uk/accessibility/

Dogs

Only Assistance Dogs are permitted on site

Transport

Full directions will be provided with confirmation of your booking.  The site is well served by train and bus services and there is a free car park for those who want to travel by car. 

Price and how to book

The price for this trip is £16.50 for members and associate members, £18.50 for non members.  This price does NOT include refreshments.  Please book by 2nd May.  You can either print off the booking form and return it to Rowan Fisher (address on booking form) or pay by BACS and email Rowan 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.

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.  2.30 pm to 5 pm.  

Enjoy a tour of the market town of Shipston with Shipston Museum trustee Martin Russell before visiting the recently reopened Shipston Museum, showcasing artefacts from Shipston and surrounding villages from prehistory to post medieval times, including a handling collection containing local artefacts dating back to Roman times. This outing will be preceded by an optional pub lunch, in lieu of afternoon tea.

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

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.

'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.

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.

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

The Gunpowder Plot in the Midlands, by Mairi Macdonald

Harbury Village and Heritage Centre

With the help of the enthusiastic and knowledgeable volunteers from Harbury Heritage Centre we stepped back in time to learn about the history of Harbury village and its inhabitants on an informative walking tour of the village.  We then enjoyed delicious refreshments and a chance to browse the historical documents in their collection, including photographs and maps.

Holy Trinity Church, Sutton Coldfield

We enjoyed an entertaining afternoon led by one of our members, Stella Thebridge, who has been heavily involved with the restoration of  this beautiful church.  We learnt about the history of Holy Trinity Church from its founding in 1250 with its rich heritage of stained glass, memorials, unique woodwork and glorious painted ceilings.

Roman Mancetter Visitor Centre and St Peter’s Church

An entertaining day at Mancetter VIsitor Centre, learning about about Mancetter’s role as a town of front line strategic importance during the early years of the Roman invasion and then the history of the medieval town and guild, all within the beautifully maintained late medieval church of St Peter. We heard compelling arguments to support the claim that Boudica's last battle was fought nearby and enjoyed learning more about the Mancetter martyrs.  We were fortified with excellent refreshments, and many of us expressed a wish to return.

Following the Society AGM, Louise Essex, Warwickshire Libraries Senior Librarian Local Studies, gave an overview of the county library local studies collections including the Warwickshire Local Studies Collection based in Nuneaton. The talk covered the types of resources available to researchers freely available in libraries, the overlap between Record Offices and Local Studies Collections, and the importance of donations of material.  Louise highlighted the more unusual and interesting items within the collections, such as board of health maps, trade directories, sanitation records and photographs.

Members' Evening 

At our members’ meeting two short papers were presented

Robert Howe  - talking about Harvey Bloom antiquarian author and rector of Whitchurch.  

Robert Howe spoke about James Harvey Bloom(1860-1943) rector of Whitchurch (near Alderminster) and antiquarian. His peers thought well of him, but he is now largely forgotten and ignored. He left behind a mass (perhaps muddle is a better word) of papers across several archives. Robert is setting up a database of Bloom’s writings which will enable future researchers to make better use of them. 

Colin Clay – following on from our recent archaeological interest on the use of LIDAR in investigating landscape using the large iron age fort at Wappenbury as an example.

Colin Clay, a member of Lighthorne History Society, one of our member societies, shared with us how from a desktop and using free software he had been able to study the changing landscape of Warwickshire. He does this using a combination of old maps, aerial photography (including some taken by the Luftwaffe pre-second World War) and the new technology of LiDAR. This latter process provides glimpses of by-gone landscapes: forgotten Roman roads and as at Bidford the change of course of a road (in this case leading to a crossing over the river); vanished lakes such as the mere surrounding Kenilworth Castle; altered settlements such as the deserted medieval village at Wormleighton (owned by the Spencer family).  He finished by showing us the dramatic LiDAR pictures of Wappenbury which ‘removed’ the trees that hid the slight univallate hill fort. The view of the Holloway leading to the south entrance was particularly dramatic.

'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.

'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