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Meeting report archive

Reminiscences of Wargrave (1950 - 1969)

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Di Evans

12 December 2023

Di Evans told us about Wargrave through the eyes of a fourth-generation villager with stories of school and work in the village during the 1950s and 1960s. It's the place she will always call home

Brunel and the Great Western Railway

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Lionel Williams

14 November 2023

Lionel Williams charts the years from the railways’ inception to the British Rail era. The talk looks at Brunel’s forward-thinking ideas and the legacy that he left, enabling the GWR to be one of the most progressive railways of its age

Royal Blue coach services

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Peter Delaney

10 October 2023

Peter, the archivist for the Thames Valley and Great Western Omnibus Trust - who is also the society secretary - recounted the history of Royal Blue - from horse drawn carriages to the express coach services which ran to the holiday areas of the south and west of England

History of Greyfriars Church, Reading

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Malcolm Summers

12 September 2023

Originally part of Reading’s Franciscan Friary, the church building has had a ‘chequered’ career, including being town hall, poor house and a prison. Starting with the medieval foundation, Malcolm Summers told the story of one of Reading’s oldest buildings

Local History Visit to Chiltern Open Air Museum

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Peter Delaney

10 July 2023

In July, Wargrave Local History Society members made a visit to a place of local history interest, and this
year this was to the Chiltern Open Air Museum, near Chalfont St Giles

Wycombe Unmasked

A-000278

William Reid

13 June 2023

The June meeting of the Wargrave Local History Society was William Reid’s presentation on Wycombe
Unmasked. William is a trustee of The High Wycombe Society, and he enlightened us about many aspects
of the town’s past

The History of Yeomanry House, Reading

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Katie Amos

9 May 2023

Set in the Castle Hill area of Reading, Yeomanry House was previously home to the Berkshire Family History Society and the Berkshire Register office. Katie Amos revealed the origin of its name, links to a school, the military and weddings

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

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Jane Burrell

11 April 2023

Jane gave an overview of the CWGC from its founding and principles to the present day. She illustrated this by showing the sites cared for in the UK and internationally and explained how to find out where relatives are buried

The Annual General Meeting - 2023

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Committee

14 March 2023

The Society's AGM and review of the year, followed by a “Bring and Tell”

Suffragettes

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Dr Margaret Simons

14 February 2023

Having told us about Reading in World War 1, this time Margaret will tell us about the campaigns over half a century to enfranchise women in Britain, culminating in The Representation of the People Act just over 100 years ago, in 1918

Jane Austen's Schooldays in Reading

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Joy Pibworth

10 January 2023

Jane Austen's family had several connections to the parish of Wargrave, whilst she and her sister Cassandra were educated at a school in Reading's Abbey Gateway.
Joy returned to tell of this period and how it influenceed Jane's novels.

Christmas Party - 2022

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Christmas Party

13 December 2022

Christmas Party followed by a presentation "From the Archives"

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