The local history society of Purley on Thames
Meetings are held at The Barn, Goosecroft, Purley on Thames RG8 8DR
Friday 17th January, 7:30 pm. TBA. The booked speaker, Caroline Piller, has had to postpone her planned talk on Horse Dealing in Reading until later in the year.
Friday 21st February, 7:30 pm. Katie Amos: Tilehurst’s Big Houses: Dellwood, The Laurels and Kentwood.
Friday 21st March, 7:30 pm. TBA
Meetings are held at The Barn, Goosecroft, Purley on Thames RG8 8DR
Friday 19th January, 7:30 pm. Nick Brazil: Swan Upping – a 900-year Royal Tradition
Friday 16th February, 7:30 pm. Sarah Somerville: The History of Shaw House in Newbury
Friday 15th March, 7:30 pm. AGM followed by Richard Marks: Biscuits for Queen Victoria – the story of the early days of Huntley and Palmers
Friday 19th April, 7:30 pm. Dr Stephen Goss: From Doomsday Book to listening in for doomsday: Caversham Park’s 930 years at the centre of history
Saturday 8th June, 1:00 pm. D-Day Commemoration Event
Friday 7th June, 7:30 pm Rain or Shine Theatre Company: The Importance of being Earnest (A Trivial Comedy for Serious People) by Oscar Wilde
Friday 12th July. Outing by coach to Chiltern Open Air Museum
Friday 20th September, 7:30 pm. Members’ meeting – Hobbies and Collections
Friday 18th October, 7:30 pm. Ellie Thorne: The Shops, Trades and Businesses of Pangbourne, 1949 to the Present Day.
Friday 15th November, 7:30 pm. Richard Marks: Berkshire’s Forgotten Railways
Friday 20th December. Social: Christmas Party
Meetings are held at The Barn, Goosecroft, Purley on Thames RG8 8DR
Friday 20th January, 7:30 pm. Mike Cooper: Tilehurst in the Second World War
Friday 17th February, 7:30 pm. Richard Marks: The History of Sutton Seeds of Reading
Friday 17th March, 7:30 pm. AGM followed by John Chapman: Getting to Know You: how Purley people communicated with the rest of the world
Friday 21st April, 7:30 pm. Catherine Sampson: The River Estate in Images
Monday 8th May, 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Small Coronation display on King Charles III & past Coronations in the Barn as part of wider Coronation celebrations in Purley.
Friday 19th May, 2:00 pm. Visit to Purley Hall and its grounds with refreshments afterwards in the Barn. Advance booking required.
Friday 16th June, 7:30 pm. Rain or Shine Theatre Company: The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare. Tickets are available to purchase from David Downs. Proceeds will go to local good causes.
Friday 15th September 2023, 7:30 pm. Members’ Evening: Fish & Chips supper, followed by “Coronation and Jubilees”. Advance booking required.
Friday 20th October 2023, 7:30 pm. Rob Wallace: Roads Built and Unbuilt in the Purley Area.
Friday 17th November 2023, 7:30 pm. Peter Halman: The Thames from Oxford to Windsor: shaping history through the centuries.
Friday 8th December 2023, 7:00 pm. Rain or Shine Theatre Company’s Christmas production: Frankenstein – a comic take on Mary Shelley’s classic Gothic novel.
Friday 15th December 2023. Christmas Party – Supper and quiz. Advance booking required.
Meetings back in the Barn
Friday 21st January, 7:30 pm. Ann Smith: A Virtual Walk round Historic Shops in Reading
Friday 18th February, 7:30 pm. Catherine Sampson: A Stroll through Berkshire’s Churchyards
Friday 25th February, 2:30 pm and 7:00 pm (ticketed). Rain or Shine Theatre Company: Around the World in 80 days
Friday 18th March, 7:30 pm. AGM followed by a talk from David Downs: Who Killed Arthur Oliver
Friday 22nd April, 7:30 pm. Rob Wallace: The Thames Before Time
Thursday and Friday 2nd & 3rd June. Exhibition of Purley on Thames during the Queen’s Reign, at the Barn
Friday 3rd June, timing TBC (ticketed). Afternoon Tea and Vintage Fashion Show
Saturday 16th July, 7:30 pm (ticketed). Rain or Shine Theatre Company: The Recruiting Officer
Friday 16th September, 7:30 pm. Catherine Sampson: Royal Weddings
Friday 21st October, 7:30 pm. Katie Amos: The History of Yeomanry House
Friday 18th November, 7:30 pm. Jo Alexander-Jones: More than Biscuits, Beer and Bulbs: Reading’s other industries
Friday 2nd December, 7:00 pm (ticketed). Rain or Shine Theatre Company: Sherlock Holmes and the Music Hall Mystery
Friday 16th December, 7:30 pm. Christmas Party in the Barn. Hot buffet and Christmas Quiz 🎄
There will be an extra meeting on Friday July 17th, as very few of us are going anywhere at the moment.
The meeting will be on Zoom again. The Zoom session will open at 2:30 pm, and the meeting will start at 3:00 pm. Please let Catherine know (chairman@project-purley.net) if you want to join the meeting, and she will send out an email with the link to those who have registered an interest.
Rob Wallace will give a talk on Chalk Caverns and Commandos – Reading underground.
2020
18th December 2020, 7:30 pm Murder Mystery Play ‘Family Fortunes’ by Shinfield Players. This replaced the quiz previously advertised, which will be rescheduled to 2021. Details
20th November 2020, 3:00 pm Talk by Ben Viljoen: Purley Hall and the history of its landscape (on Zoom)
16th October 2020, 3:00 pm Talk by Richard Marks: Bomber’s Moon (on Zoom)
18th September 2020, 3:00 pm AGM, followed by talk by Catherine Sampson: Royal Women (on Zoom)
17th July 2020, 3:00 pm Talk by Rob Wallace: Chalk Caverns and Commandos (on Zoom)
19th June 2020, 3:00 pm Talk by Mike Cooper: History of Tilehurst (on Zoom)
22nd May 2020, 3:00 pm Talk by Debbie Kennett: DNA for Beginners (on Zoom)
17th April 2020, 3:00 pm Talk by Catherine Sampson: Purley in Colourised Images (on Zoom)
21st February 2020, 8:00 pm in the Barn Talk by David Downs: Do you know why you’re here?
17th January 2020, 8:00 pm in the Barn Talk by Bill King: Dad’s Underground Army
2019
13th December 2019, 7:30 pm
Christmas Party at the Barn
29th November 2019, 7:30 pm
Rain or Shine Theatre Company: Wind in the Willows
15th November 2019
Mike Cooper: Queues, U-Boats and useless mouths: Food in WW2
18th October 2019
Talk: John Leighfield CBE: Putting Berkshire on the map: From Gough to Google
20th September 2019
Talk: Clive Williams OBE: The Nabobs of Berkshire and their houses
21st June 2019
Barbeque
7th June 2019
Rain or Shine Theatre Company: As You Like It
12th April 2019
Dr David Peacock: Place names of West Berkshire
15th March 2019: AGM and Talk
7:30 pm: AGM
8:00 pm, Corry Starling: Mapledurham Mill
15th February 2019
Debbie Kennett: DNA testing for beginners
18th January 2019
Joy Pibworth: Jane Austen and the Thames Valley Austens
Meetings back in the Barn from November 2021. If we have to go back to Zoom, members who wish to attend should contact Catherine Sampson (chairman@project-purley.net). A link and password to the meeting will be sent out in advance.
Friday 22nd January, 4:00 pm. Dan Allen: The Battle of Maiwand. Note earlier time than usual. (On Zoom, session opens 3:30 pm)
Friday 19th February, 3:00 pm. Dr John Evans: Caversham Court and its History. (On Zoom, session opens 2:30 pm)
Friday 19th March, 3:00 pm. Christine Wootton: It started with a letter from Colditz. (On Zoom, session opens 2:30 pm)
Friday 16th April, 7:30 pm. Simon Wenham: More than 3 men in a boat – the rise and fall of pleasure boating on the Thames. (On Zoom, session opens 7:00 pm)
Friday 14th May (2nd Friday), 7:30 pm. Bill King: The home front in World War Two. (On Zoom, session opens 7:00 pm)
Friday 11th June, 7:30 pm. AGM, followed by a talk by Dan Allen: Women in the Victorian Army at 8:00 pm. (On Zoom, session opens 7:00 pm)
Friday 23rd July, 7:30 pm. Rain or Shine Theatre Company: She Stoops to Conquer. In the Barn, tickets from Rain or Shine website or 0330 660 0541
Friday 17th September, 8:00 pm. Joy Pibworth: Reading in the time of Jane Austen’s school days.
Friday 22nd October, 8:00 pm. West Berkshire Museum Collections
Friday 19th November, 7:30 pm. David Downs: History of Reading Football Club (In the Barn!)
Friday 17th December, 7:30 pm. Project Purley Christmas Party. This year the usual bring-a-dish buffet is bring replaced with a curry night, with a choice of curries, naan bread, vegetable dishes and rice, with desserts or mince pies to follow. Members should still bring their own plates, cutlery, glasses and drinks.
Postponed until February 2022. Rain or Shine Theatre Company: Around the World in 80 days
Meetings on Zoom: Members who wish to attend should contact Catherine Sampson (chairman@project-purley.net). A link and password to the meeting will be sent out in advance.
17th January 2020, 8:00 pm in the Barn Talk by Bill King: Dad’s Underground Army
21st February 2020, 8:00 pm in the Barn Talk by David Downs: Do you know why you’re here?
20th March 2020 AGM and meeting AGM postponed, meeting cancelled due to coronavirus
17th April 2020, 3:00 pm Talk by Catherine Sampson: Purley in Colourised Images (on Zoom, session opens 2:30 pm)
22nd May 2020, 3:00 pm Talk by Debbie Kennett: DNA for Beginners (on Zoom, session opens 2:30 pm)
19th June 2020, 3:00 pm Talk by Mike Cooper: History of Tilehurst (on Zoom, session opens 2:30 pm)
17th July 2020, 3:00 pm Talk by Rob Wallace: Chalk Caverns and Commandos (on Zoom, session opens 2:30 pm)
August: Summer break
18th September, 3:00 pm AGM, followed by talk by Catherine Sampson: Royal Women (on Zoom, session opens 2:30 pm)
16th October, 3:00 pm Talk by Richard Marks: Bomber’s Moon (on Zoom, session opens 2:30 pm)
20th November, 3:00 pm Talk by Ben Viljoen: Purley Hall and the history of its landscape (on Zoom, session opens 2:30 pm)
18th December, 7:30 pm Murder Mystery Play ‘Family Fortunes’ by Shinfield Players. This replaces the quiz previously advertised, which will now be rescheduled to next year. Details
The meeting dates for 2019 are:-
18th January
Talk: Joy Pibworth: Jane Austen and the Thames Valley Austens
15th February
Talk: Debbie Kennett: DNA testing for beginners
15th March: AGM and Talk
AGM: 7:30 pm
Talk: 8:00 pm, Corry Starling: Mapledurham Mill
12th April
Talk: Dr David Peacock: Place names of West Berkshire
7th June
Theatre: Rain or Shine Theatre Company: As You Like It
21st June
Social: Barbeque
20th September
Talk: Clive Williams OBE: The Nabobs of Berkshire and their houses
18th October
Talk: John Leighfield CBE: Putting Berkshire on the map: From Gough to Google
15th November
Talk: Mike Cooper: Queues, U-Boats and useless mouths: Food in WW2
29th November, starts 7:30 pm
Theatre: Rain or Shine Theatre Company: Wind in the Willows
13th December, starts 7:30 pm
Christmas Party at the Barn