Weston Turville Historical Society

WTHSoc May 2025 Meeting Details Date - 30 May 2025 Time - 20:00 (Doors open 19:30) Location - Weston Turville Village Hall Title - “The Walls Have Tongues” Speaker – Sue Flipping Entrance - £2 members, £3 visitors   “The Walls have tongues” Sue Flipping Meeting on Friday 30 th May 2025 If you know how to look, you'll find that many of our medieval churches are covered with graffiti – deliberate markings in the fabric of the church. The marks range from clumsy, hand-drawn shapes to images of mythical creatures to elegant geometric designs. As part of a nationwide project to record the graffiti, I've personally surveyed dozens of churches over seven years, climbing towers rich in pigeon poo, crawling around dusty pews and lying prone to examine strange marks at church mouse level. By recording everything, we hope to make sense of the mix of religious belief, folkl...

Date - 25 Apr 2025 Time - 20:00 (Doors open 19:30) Location - Weston Turville Village Hall Title - “Boudica of the Iceni” Speaker – Don Chiswell Entrance - £2 members, £3 visitors Thornycroft’s statue: Boudica and her Daughters (1902). Photo by Paul Walter Discover the fierce warrior queen, Boudica, whose revolt in AD   60/61 nearly toppled Roman rule in Britain!   Who was she? Why did she dare to challenge the might of Rome? What led to her eventual defeat? Boudica's closest approach to Weston Turville was likely during her attack on Verulamium (modern-day St Albans), just 25 miles from here. The exact location of Bodica's defeat on Watling Street is unknown, one suggestion is Arbury Banks, Hertfordshire - 52 miles away. Join us for an enthralling evening with Don Chiswell, an experienced and captivating speaker known for his fascinating take on historical events. With over 20 years of experience, Don is renowned fo...

Date - 28 Mar 2025 Time - 20:00 (Doors open 19:30) Location - Weston Turville Village Hall Title - “Discovering the Invisible” Speaker – Keith Westcott Entrance - £2 members, £3 visitors Join Us for a Fascinating Journey! Starting as a plumbing apprentice after leaving school at fifteen, Keith faced a tough road to the top. Along the way, he balanced the stresses of creating multimillion-pound businesses with exciting hobbies like racing motorbikes (MotoX), playing lead guitar in rock bands, and deep-sea diving on shipwrecks. A European specialist in heating engineering, a passionate metal detectorist and Time Team Detecting Team Manager. Keith is also a keen amateur archaeologist and advocate of responsible detecting. He made headlines with his discovery of a huge Roman villa at Broughton, Oxfordshire. Keith wrote and teaches the first-ever course on Metal Detecting for Archaeological Projects at the University of Oxford. His talk will be a whistle-stop tour covering: • ...