2024 talks

Talks are held on the third Monday of the month at the Brindle Community Hall, Water Street, Brindle, nr Chorley, PR6 8NW. starting at 7:30pm unless otherwise stated.

2024 planned programme*

*This was the programme published at the start of the year. Note that some talks may have been changed or cancelled.

Date	Title	Description
15 Jan	The Appley Bridge meteorite. The space rock that hit Lancashire Russell Parry	This is the fascinating story of the Appley Bridge meteorite which fell in 1914 as told through newspaper reports and archive documents of the time. The meteorite explosions, the fireball, the confusion with enemy zeppelins and the confiscation of the meteorite by the police will all be revealed. The speaker will bring samples of 4.5 billion year old meteorites and be available to answer any questions afterwards. He has also written a book about the Appley Bridge meteorite as well as a radio dramatisation of the story, which has been broadcast by the BBC. Signed copies of the book will be available for purchase.
19 Feb	Annual General Meeting	The AGM will be followed by a historical quiz
18 Mar	The man who shod warhorses Martin Jones	The intriguing story of the Westhead family from the West Lancashire villages around Ormskirk will be told in four parts. Part one will explain how several documents and letters were found and saved whilst part two provides the family history from 1851 to 1913. The wartime experiences at home and in France between 1914/16 are described in part three and the final part explains how the family coped with the death of a husband and father after the war.
15 Apr	Viking Voices Vincent Atherton	The historical novel, Viking Voices, describes the adventures of a group of Hiberno-Norse Vikings in Ireland and England in the tenth century culminating in the burial of the Cuerdale Hoard, the largest Viking treasure ever found in Western Europe. The author will give a presentation which describes the actual history behind the novel in a light hearted manner.
20 May	Cotton Town Chronicles Peter & Barbara Snape	Cotton Town Chronicles is a folk-song-based presentation using a multi-media format which provides an interesting overview of working life during the age when cotton and coal were dominant. It is a journey in which key moments of social history provide the context for the song to take centre stage. It’s both a social history synopsis and a look at Lancashire Life during this time period through a different lens.
17 Jun	The battle of Bamber Bridge Professor Alan Rice	This second world war battle wasn’t against Nazis. It was between black and white GIs stationed in Bamber Bridge in 1943. Whilst the locals welcomed the black troops, the Military Police were mainly white and the relationship between the two groups was fraught. When black soldiers stood up to the racism and discrimination they suffered, one of them was shot dead during a clash and more than 30 others were court-martialed for mutiny. Eighty years later, they have yet to be exonerated.
16 Sep	The Brindle estate Darren Cranshaw	Until 1572 the manor and estate of Brindle was held by the Gerards of Bryn until Sir Thomas Gerard unwisely supported the cause of Mary Queen of Scots and was imprisoned in the Tower of London. He forfeited his lands to the Cavendish family (Dukes of Devonshire), who held onto the estate until recent times. We will hear some of the history of this ancient estate and of the characters involved.
21 Oct	Medieval Manuscripts Brian Farrimond	Medieval, illuminated manuscripts are an absorbing resource for providing an insight into everyday life at the time. The speaker will bring examples of leaves from medieval manuscripts and, through an illustrated talk, explain how they were produced, why they were made and what they contain.
18 Nov	The legacy of Frank Hornby Les French	Most people of a certain age (especially boys) will have played with toys produced by the company founded in 1901 by Frank Hornby of Maghull, near Liverpool. Meccano and Hornby train sets were always high up the Christmas list of many boys and the company still survives today, although the it has been through several changes over the decades. Current brands include Airfix, Scalextric and Corgi. The speaker will bring along exhibits and articles from the Frank Hornby Heritage Centre.