How did the Underground manage during the years of the Blitz: what damage was done, how people sheltered from air raids and what uses were found for all those abandoned stations.

Thursday November 12th

Netherne - Farmland to hospital

to conservation village.

Liz Bonsall - Chaldon

History Group.

January 2027

No Meeting this month.

Thursday February 11th 2027

Place Farm, History and Archaeology
Peter Connelly - East Surrey Museum
 

Thursday March 11th 2027 Homes under the Hammer - Blechingley 1835

David Martin
 

Thursday April 8th 2027

Mudlarking on the Thames

Foreshore

Alan Robson

Thursday May 13th 2027

The Limpsfield Air Raid Shelters

Rob Davey

Thursday June 10th 2027

Visit to the Priest's House,

West Hoathly. Open to Members

Thursday July 8th 2027

History of Sport in Blechingley

Roger Packham The Bourne Society.

Thursday September 9th 2027

Vera Lynn

Virginia Jones

(Vera Lynn's Daughter)

Sun October 11th 2027

12 Noon: AGM

Subscriptions are Due!

Venue to be announced

Whats On - Our Programme

2026/2027 Season:

We are very pleased to present a complete programme for the forthcoming season - details below.

This season we hope to have the talk on Netherne postponed from earlier in 2026. In addition we will be looking at topics to do with Blechingley's history including Sport in the Village, Place Farm and the 'Village Sale' of 1835. We will be looking at Limpsfield's Air Raid Shelters, Mudlarking on the Thames, arranging a visit to the Priest House in West Hoathly and for good measure hearing all about the force's sweetheart, Vera Lynn.

All in all a varied and intriguing programme.

Meetings are held in Blechingley Village Hall, behind Lawrences the antiques dealer, in the High Street (postcode RH1 4PA) on the second Thursday of the month at 8pm unless otherwise noted. Free Car Parking available on site.

You may attend any meeting as a guest for £3, but why not consider joining the society for just £10 per season

Previous seasons

Here is a link to the titles of previous talks going back to 2010. The 'Audio' Column indicates that a recording is available. Copies of the Parish Magazine articles for many talks are also available.  – please use the Contact Us page to request copies of either.

2025 - 2026

Thursday December 10th 6 - 8 pm

Historical Society Christmas Party at a local house, open to members.

Carriages at 8!

Programme 2026 - 2027
All Meetings are at 8pm unless otherwise noted. More details will follow soon.

October 2026

Annual General Meeting at Sandhills

September 2026

The War Memoirs of Tom Mitchell - Richard Fowler and Daphne Constable

August 2026

No Meeting

July 2026

RAF Kenley - Linda Duffield of the

Kenley Revival Group

June 2026

Blechingley in old picture postcards - Roger Packham

May 2026

Talk Postponed

April 2026

The Cranston Library, Reigate (1701) and its Blechingley connections

Dr Hilary Ely

March 2026

Upstairs, Downstairs, a Servant's Lot

Dr Judith Hill

February 2026

Farthing Downs - Tom Oliver

January 2026

Talk Postponed

December 2025

Christmas Party

November 2025

Sand Mines in Godstone, A caver's perspective

Peter Burgess (The Wealden Cave and Mine Society)

Next Meeting:

Next meeting: Our next meeting will be on Thursday, November 12th at 8pm in the Village Hall. Liz Bonsall will be telling us all about Netherne - farmland to hospital to conservation village. This is the story of an area that for centuries was farming land in the most northerly part of the ancient parish of Merstham, became the site of Netherne Hospital from 1909 to 1994 and is now an interesting conservation village.

Guests welcome at £3, membership is £10 for the year (which will include all of the coming season to September 2027.