WTHSoc February 2025 Meeting Details

Date - 28 Feb 2025
Time - 20:00 (Doors open 19:30)
Location - Weston Turville Village Hall
Title - “Caversham Park”
Speaker – Dr. Stephen Goss
Entrance - £2 members, £3 visitors

 

 

WESTON TURVILLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY

 

“Caversham Park”

Dr. Stephen Goss

Meeting on Friday 28th February 2025

Photo of main building in Caversham Park, Reading. Yablochko
Caversham Park, first recorded in the Domesday Book, has been a pivotal site in English, British, and international history for nearly a millennium. It was the seat of the “best knight whoever lived”, The Manor of Caversham played a significant role during the Reformation and was owned by cousins of Elizabeth I, who guarded Mary, Queen of Scots.

The estate hosted the first two Stuart Kings and later imprisoned Charles I. It was involved in the Glorious Revolution, the War of Spanish Succession, and had connections to the American War of Independence.

During the First World War, Caversham Park served as a refuge, and in the Second World War, it was taken over by the BBC, becoming a center for intelligence throughout the war, the Cold War, and the 'War on Terror'.

An academic historian published in peer-review journals who has been a popular speaker in local historical societies and community groups for a decade.

The meeting starts at 8pm in the village hall and is open to all. Entrance £2 for members and £3 visitors. Doors open at 19:30 for welcoming refreshments.  For further information about the Society visit the Society’s web page www.WTHSoc.org.uk or email Secretary@WTHSoc.org.uk

 

Popular posts from this blog

WTHSoc September 2024 Meeting Details

Image
 Date - 27 Sep 2024 Time - 20:00 (Doors open 19:30) Location - Weston Turville Village Hall Title - “Henry VIII and the Art of Kingship” Speaker – Siobhan Clarke Entrance - £2 members, £3 visitors     “ Henry VIII and the Art of Kingship” Siobhan Clarke Meeting on Friday 27 th Sep 2024 No English king is as well-known to us as Henry VIII. He is famous for six marriages, breaking with the Pope, dissolving the monasteries and creating the Church of England; and for his ruthless elimination of those who stood in his way. But he was also an enthusiastic patron of the arts whose palaces, tapestries and paintings enriched the Tudor court and began the Royal Collection. The forces that influenced Henry’s life can be seen in the works he commissioned, by artists such as Pietro Torrigiano, Hans Holbein and Giralomo da Treviso. They tell us much about his kingship and (unintentionally) his insecurities. Ultimately, each...
Read more

WTHSoc June 2024 Meeting Details

Image
  “ AGM + Weston Turville Criminality Part 1 ” Adrian Randall Meeting on Friday 28 th Jun 2024 Another AGM already. We are always hopeful of beating our 8 minute record. The quicker the AGM, the more time there is for this talk by Adrian, our Webmaster. This talk was originally intended as a presentation we had ready in case of an emergency. The research into crimes relating to Weston Turville and it’s residents became too interesting to potentially be left on the shelf. We have had to focus in on the 19 th Century crimes committed by a single individual, considered “The King of the Vagabonds”. This talk has an accompanying book containing the materials there was no time to include in the presentation. It will be on sale at the meeting for £12 (£10 a copy for members). Adrian lived in Weston Turville 1989 – 2019, and still keeps in touch. His previous talks related to the Cold War and the more obscure...
Read more

WTHSoc October 2024 Meeting Details

Image
Date - 25 Oct 2024 Time- 20:00 (Doors open 19:30) Location - Weston Turville Village Hall Title - “Another Icarus” Speaker – Roy Smart Entrance - £2 members, £3 visitors “Another Icarus” Roy Smart Meeting on Friday 25 th Oct 2024 The tale of aviation pioneer Percy Sinclair Pilcher and his wonderful sister, Ella, whose noble quest for flight ended tragically at Stanford Hall, on the banks of Shakespeare’s Avon; the first Englishman to die in the cause of ‘the conquest of the air’ when on the cusp of becoming the most famous name in aviation history.   Roy has been a popular speaker at our society, presenting “Wallis Simpson & the Abdication crisis” in 2020 and “David Beatty - Last Naval Hero” in 2018. Roy Smart   was a Naval Officer, Fleet Air Arm pilot and air director of many great national memorial events including the televised   D Day, VE and VJ Day   commemorations attended by the Queen an...
Read more