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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 £2, but why not consider joining the society for just £8 per season
Audio recordings and copies of the Parish Magazine articles for these talks are available – please use the Contact Us page to request copies
2023/2024 Season:
We are very pleased to present a complete programme for the forthcoming season - details below.
We hope you will agree that there is once again a good mix of subjects and speakers.
This season we will as always be covering topics specific to Blechingley's history, including the Risbridger family, the Drew family, local hospitals and post WW2 farming in the area. In addition we hope to look at neighbouring areas including Chaldon, Nutfield, Gatton Park and East Surrey Museum.
Our first meeting has the intriguing title 'Corsets and Cameras: 19th Century Costume for dating old photographs which will be of interest to anyone who has been researching their family history.
The committee remain conscious that COVID has not gone away entirely, meaning the format of the meetings may be slightly different to previous years and could also result in postponement and/or cancellation at short notice.
2019 - 2020
Speaker
| Date
| Subject
|
Jane Lewis. Surrey History Centre
|
9th November 2023
| "Corsets and Cameras" 19th Century Costume for Dating Old Photographs |
Venue advised
to Members |
14th December 2023
|
Christmas Party 6pm at Local Historic House
|
Annie Risbridger Hind
|
11th January 2024
|
"The Risbridgers in Bletchingley"
|
Peter Connelly (Curator)
|
8th February 2024
| East Surrey Museum |
Bob Evans
|
14th March 2024
| East Grinstead: 'Weird, Wealden and Wonderful' |
Chaldon History Group
|
11th April 2024
|
Medieval Chaldon
|
Bletchingley Farmers
|
9th May 2024
|
Farming in Bletchingley - post-war changes and challenges
|
Dame Sarah Goad |
13th June 2024
|
The Drew Family of Blechingley House
|
Alan Mortlock |
11th July 2024
|
History of Gatton Park with a nod to Capability Brown
|
John Berge
|
12th September 2024
| Bletchingley Hospitals
|
Venue to be announced | SUNDAY
13th October 2024 NOON
| Annual General Meeting and Visit to Local Historic House (at NOON) |
2020 - 2021
October 2021
Annual General Meeting and Visit to Local Historic House
September 2021
Three Hundred Years of Prime Ministers 1721-2021
Bob Evans
August 2021
No meeting
November 2020 - July 2021
All meetings postponed
Next meeting: Understanding Medieval Chaldon 1066-1266
Madeline Hutchins and Liz Bonsall explore what is known about Chaldon (and south-east England) in this period. Using evidence from the archives and local history centres they talk about what life was like in Chaldon from the mid 11th century to the mid 13th century. Some questions explored include who might have built the church and commissioned the mural and what manor houses, villages and towns were nearby.
2021 - 2022
October 2022
Annual General Meeting and Visit to Local Historic House
September 2022
Anne of Cleves: Flanders Mare or Bletchingley Beloved?
- Bob Evans
August 2022
No meeting
July 2022
Village Anecdotes - Various Speakers
June 2022
"Herbal Leys, Hedges and Herbivores" - Conservation Initiatives at Sandhills Farm - isit led by Chris Mighall
May 2022
1921: A Book, A Bell and a Memorial - Daphne Constable
April 2022
The Conservation Areas of Tandridge District - Bob Evans
March 2022
Public Art in Surrey - Bill O'Brien
February 2022
The Downlands Trust - Conserving Our Chalk Grassland
- Peter Wakeham
January 2022
Postponed
December 2021
Christmas Party - postponed
November 2021
Merstham High Street - Chris Green
Previous seasons
Listed here are our more recent talks.
2022 - 2023
October 2023
Annual General Meeting and visit to St Mary's Church
September 2023
Gazettes, Chronicles, Standards and Expresses - Bletchingley through old newspapers - Roger Packham
August 2023
No Meeting
July 2022
Bletchingley Village Anecdotes (part 2)
-Led by Richard Fowler
June 2023
New Towns: Past, Present and Future
- Bob Evans
May 2023
Brewer Street Farmhouse
- Chris French
April 2023
Desmond Tutu in Bletchingley
- Various Spreakers
March 2023
The Grange (and Book Launch)
- Dave MacLeave
February 2023
Titsey: medieval Knights, Bishops and Bankers to the King
-Stephanie Allen
January 2023
Old London Bridge: 600 Years of Residence and Retail
- Chris Green
December 2022
Christmas Party
November 2022
"Biggin on the Bump" - The Story of RAF Biggin Hill
- Bob Ogley
© 2023
October 2020
Annual General Meeting - held virtually
April - September 2020
All meetings postponed
March 2020
Tales of the Caves: the Mines and Quarries between Reigate and Godstone - Peter Burgess
February 2020
Fuelling The War - Bletchingley's Secret Pipeline -
Tim Whittle
January 2020
Merstham in Old Picture Postcards - Liz Bonsall
December 2019
Christmas Party at Tollsworth Manor
November 2019
The History of Tollsworth Manor - Gordon Gillett
