Wargrave Local History Society
Meeting report archive
Maiwand: The battle and the Great Game
A-000289
Mike Cooper
9 April 2024
The Maiwand Lion in Forbury Gardens, Reading commemorates a battle fought in Afghanistan in 1880. The lion is posed snarling defiance to the north – towards Russia
Mike Cooper’s talk looked at the Battle of Maiwand against the background of Anglo-Russian rivalry in Asia – The Great Game – and the history of the lion itself
Brunel and the Great Western Railway
A-000284
Lionel Williams
14 November 2023
Lionel Williams charts the years from the railways’ inception to the British Rail era. The talk looks at Brunel’s forward-thinking ideas and the legacy that he left, enabling the GWR to be one of the most progressive railways of its age
Royal Blue coach services
A-000283
Peter Delaney
10 October 2023
Peter, the archivist for the Thames Valley and Great Western Omnibus Trust - who is also the society secretary - recounted the history of Royal Blue - from horse drawn carriages to the express coach services which ran to the holiday areas of the south and west of England
History of Greyfriars Church, Reading
A-000282
Malcolm Summers
12 September 2023
Originally part of Reading’s Franciscan Friary, the church building has had a ‘chequered’ career, including being town hall, poor house and a prison. Starting with the medieval foundation, Malcolm Summers told the story of one of Reading’s oldest buildings
The History of Yeomanry House, Reading
A-000276
Katie Amos
9 May 2023
Set in the Castle Hill area of Reading, Yeomanry House was previously home to the Berkshire Family History Society and the Berkshire Register office. Katie Amos revealed the origin of its name, links to a school, the military and weddings