We have an exciting programme of talks, events, courses and specialist group meetings – watch this space for updates. Talks are held at the Conquest theatre in Bromyard unless otherwise specified – everyone is welcome welcome, members free, guests £6.00. Tea, coffee, snacks and a full bar are always available together with a raffle – a good social evening with an interesting talk. It would be helpful if you can pre-book before the event through the theatre booking system. This saves queuing at the box office before the start of the talk. Even though there is no charge for members, a complete list of those attending is required for fire safety reasons. Members will receive an email with a password allowing free booking. Book online: https://conquest-theatre.co.uk or Tel: 01885 488575 – Saturday and Wednesday mornings.
| Date | Speaker | History Society Events 2025 | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st March | Rob Walker | Stained Glass in Bromyard – tea, coffee and biscuits will be served at half time. £10.00 per person, booking essential before 14th February. To book please email anna.ross@live.co.uk. Payment can be made online or at the LHS or HOBS. | Local Family and History Centre, Sherford St 14:00 – 16:00 |
| 12th March | Chris Wilkinson |
|
Conquest Theatre – 19.30hrs |
| 9th April | Will Motley | Wenlock Abbey/Priory – the whole history including Milnes Gaskell family from the 19th century | Conquest Theatre – 19.30hrs |
| 14th May | James Wright | Historic Building Mythbusting – Go to any ancient building and there will be interesting, exciting, and romantic stories presented to the visitor. They are commonly believed and widely repeated – but are they really true? These stories include those of secret passages linking ancient buildings, spiral staircases in castles giving advantage to right-handed defenders, ship timbers used in the construction of buildings on land, blocked doors in churches which are thought to keep the Devil out and claims to be the oldest pub in the city. James will explain the development of such myths and investigate the underlying truths behind them. Sometimes the realities hiding behind the stories are even more interesting, romantic, and exciting than the myth itself… | Conquest Theatre – 19.30hrs |
| 11th June | Summer programme | Wenlock Priory – Provisional | TBA |
| 9th July | Summer programme | Lord Leyster’s Hospital – Nine hundred years ago the chapel was built. Then in the 1300s the Guilds built a half-timbered building – some of the most important examples of intact medieval architecture in Europe. Guided tour and lunch | TBA |
| 13th August | Summer programme | Violette Svabo Museum – Provisional | TBA |
| 10th September | Richard Willmott | Thomas Traherne, Herefordshire’s greatest writer? An Introduction. – Thomas Traherne lived in Hereford as a boy during the sieges of the Civil War. After studying at Oxford, he became rector of Credenhill and an extraordinarily prolific writer and poet. Only a small amount of his work was published in his lifetime (he died aged 37) and the story of the gradual identification and publication of his work between the 1890s and 1990s is a remarkable one: one work was rescued from a bonfire at a rubbish tip and identified many years later in Canada! The aim of my talk will be to introduce Traherne within his seventeenth-century context and hopefully encourage some of you to delve deeper into his writings. | Conquest Theatre – 19.30hrs |
| 12th September | Summer programme | Gloucester History Festival – Heritage Day. Dozens of events, talks and walks in medieval Gloucester. | |
| 8th October | Philip Hart | Great Lakes steamers – provisional | Conquest Theatre – 19.30hrs |
| 10th November | AGM | AGM at the Falcon Hotel – Oak Room. Members will receive agenda and supporting documents by email prior to this. | Falcon Hotel 19:00 |
| 12th November | Mike Thexton |
Pan Am flight 73 hostage learns from hijacker why life was spared -provisional
|
Conquest Theatre – 19.30hrs |
