Henley: the Victorian and Edwardian Town

Henley modernised rapidly in Victorian and Edwardian times. The population grew, new suburbs developed and town life became more liberal. The streets were improved, its centre was relocated and a modern drainage system was installed. What brought this about, who were the agents of change, and how did the town react?

The Mill at Sonning Theatre

The present mill at Sonning dates from the 18th Century but it ceased milling flour in 1969. Tim and Eileen Richards transformed it into a theatre, which opened in 1982. Sally Hughes, their daughter, now runs it. She explained how, with its popular theatre/dining format, The Mill welcomes returning audiences and has won awards

Visit to Hall Place, Burchetts Green

August is a month when the Society does not have a formal meeting, but on one of the hottest days of 2025 a group of members had an informal visit to Hall Place, at Burchetts Green

Visit to Tilford Rural Life Museum

Members of Wargrave Local History Society made a visit to the Rural Life Museum at Tilford (just
south of Farnham) in Surrey

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