History

What do we do?

This group explores events from the 19th century – events that changed the lives of average people.  We look beneath the layer of queens, kings and battles.  We are looking for the evens that affected the day-to-day lives of ordinary people in Victorian Britain.  Ours is a discussion group, not a lecture session. We choose a topic; each member researches the topic.  The shared discussion expands our personal knowledge.  If you are interested in discovering what made the people of Britain great, come and add to the discussion.

New members welcome.

What do we do?

We are looking at the era of English History 1714 – 1914 covering the Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian periods. Exploring subjects such as Arts and Culture, Notable People, Government, Law and Order and Science and Industry. Topics are chosen by those group members who wish to present a topic, with group discussion encouraged. New members welcome.

What do we do?

We are a mixed group, from those with more than 25 years of experience to those who have yet to begin. If you have ever wondered about your ancestors this is the group for you. We would love to help you get started. We also like to try to break through member’s own particular ‘Brick Wall’ which has proven very successful in the past. We are open to suggestions for topics for discussion.

What do we do?

To date we have discussed the origins of politics and government in Greece, participation in the political process and the legitimacy of governments. We are strongly in favour of universal Suffrage and maximising the participation of all people as voters. We have noted that there have always been elites in democracies and the importance of holding governments to account.

The Group will discuss Brexit, Health and Social Care, Poverty, and Conservatism in future meetings

What do we do?

We are studying the history of our Anglo-Saxon heritage (circa 460-1066) using Geoffrey Hindley’s book ‘A Brief History of the Anglo-Saxons’ as our guide. Appropriate, because we live in an area steeped in its history and relevant with the present activities of The Abbey of St Edmundsbury Heritage Partnership. It reveals the birth pangs of the English nation, post the Roman occupation, the influence of Christianity in the creation of our country and, our contribution to converting pagan Europe to Christianity. We meet every 4-5 weeks, on a Tuesday at 3.00pm, in members homes, and over a cup of tea and biscuits, discuss our findings and select on-going activity including, if practical, possible site visits. Its a break from, but strangely analogous to Brexit!!

New members are very welcome.

What do we do?

We discuss a wide range of maritime matters.
Flying boats, cable ships and cruise liners are some of the subjects for this year.

The meeting is usually a talk followed by discussion.
Members are welcome to give talks, but it is not essential.

What do we do?

Various aspects of military history are chosen by members for presentation and discussion.

New members welcome.

What do we do?

Each December the Group decides on the programme for the coming year. Members organise the visits to the church or village of their choice, finding a person to talk to the Group about its history, architecture and other features of interest. Coffee and an optional venue for lunch are normally organised.

What do we do?

This self-help group aims to give support to its members by sharing memories thus prompting recollections of our own past. Each month everyone reads something they have written and the Group discusses each piece and makes (helpful) comments. Some hope to publish, others just want to compile their life story for family and friends.
There is the occasional lunch or visit.

For your enjoyment, click below to see two small articles written by a member of this group. If you can imagine a Midwest voice telling the tale in that distinctive accent, well.. read it and see for yourself!
Click here for 1st Article and here for 2nd Article

And here is a poem written by Brenda Fraser-Newstead who has re-located and which she dedicated to Sue Rawlings, a member of the group, who passed away in Sept. 2016