The History of Marlow 1651–1803: War to War

After the turbulence of the Civil War, Marlow’s fortunes and development stepped up apace as the Georgian building boom and major new industries transformed the town. Several larger than life individuals arrived from all directions to make their mark

Reading Library photograph collection

Reading Library holds over 20,000 photographs of the Berkshire area. Katie Amos showed us how to access them and showcased a selection of the images, including some of Wargrave and the 80th anniversary of VE Day

Suttons Seeds

Suttons Seeds has been a household name for 200 years, establishing a brand that is a cornerstone of British farming and horticulture. Dr. Richard Marks will demonstrate how, from its humble beginnings, the company became not only a cornerstone of British horticulture but also of global significance

Annual General Meeting 2025 and Memories of The Holt and Wargrave

The Society’s March meeting began with the Annual General Meeting, Maureen Prince then recalled for us her upbringing and experiences whilst living at The Holt and in Wargrave

The life and travels of the wife of a Bridge Engineer

Julia Freeman is a ‘local’, having lived in Wargrave for 43 years. She tells us about her life as the wife of Anthony Freeman, who was the third generation of bridge builders in his family’s highly respected firm, Freeman Fox and Partners

The River Thames – liquid history

Graham took us to one of the most well-known sections of the river, Windsor and Eton, and told us tales of locks and boats, of swimmers and divers, of bridges and ferries

Christmas Party - More from the Archives

The December meeting was the Christmas Party. Peter Delaney presented some items from the Archive. This time, instead of
photographs and documents, they were examples of 3-dimensional objects in the society’s collection

Hall Place to Berkshire College of Agriculture

The BCA site is known to have been occupied from at least the early 13th century. Diving into the archives, Simon and Janet shared what they know of the family that lived there for almost 200 years, show us some of their archival photographs and tell us how the site’s rich agricultural history continues today

Alf Beckford, a true Wargravian

Maureen Prince, who was born and grew up in the parish, shared
some of her family history, starting with her father, Alf Beckford

Cliveden: power politics and scandal

The Society resumed its meeting programme after a summer break with a presentation
by Peter Hague about Cliveden - the house itself and some of its owners and occupants

Local History Walk around Woodley

A historic walk around Woodley with our guide Ann Smith

Visit to Pendon Museum and Dorchester Abbey

In July, the Wargrave Local History Society visited Pendon
Museum in the village of Long Wittenham, and Dorchester Abbey