Boats of the River Thames

Dan - who grew up in Wargrave and worked on the river - recounted some of his experiences of times on the river

Christmas Party - 2016

Christmas get-together

My Experiences as a Vicar's Wife from Germany

Barbara shared some of her recollections of life at the vicarage - from her perspective of one who was not familiar with the vicarage, let alone English village life. What were the expectations in 1971? Cucumber sandwiches on the vicarage lawn? How did she learn what to do with 'church hankies'? Whatever was she expected to reply when asked by a parishioner 'Is Father in?' Are Anglicans Protestants or Catholics? Why could nobody she asked in Germany tell her what the Church of England was about?

The Preservation of Archive Records

Sue is the conservationist at the Berkshire Record Office and told us about the ways in which the archives are preserved for the future

Wargravians and World War 1

The village war memorial records the names of those who died during the war, but they were not the only villagers involved in 1914-18. We heard about some of those who died and some of those who survived the conflict

Chawton

This year we visited Chawton, once home of Jane Austen (Jane's aunt and uncle had lived in Wargrave and another relation was vicar of Wargrave). In the morning, we had a guided visit to Chawton House, an interesting house, housing the Chawton House Library and then after a break for lunch, we visited the Jane Austen House Museum

The Work of the Finds Liaison Officer

Thousands of archaeological objects are discovered by metal-detector users and members of the public every year. These finds can tell us about the past - how and where people used to live and the types of objects they made and used. The Portable Antiquities Scheme ensures these are recorded, which is the work of the Finds Liaison Officer, David is the person responsible for East Berkshire (and Surrey) and told us of his work and some of the items discovered

Henley Workhouse - the Story of Townlands

Valerie, a Henley local historian, told us about the history of, and life in, Henley's Workhouse

100 Years of Reading Shopping

Ann is one of the librarians at Reading Central Library and has made a study of shops and shopping over the past century, she told us of their history and the changes in shopping habits

The Annual General Meeting - 2016

The AGM - review of the year, followed by John Fryer reminiscing on his life in Wargrave before and just after the War

Large, Dark and Handsome - The Revd James Austen Leigh of Knowl Hill

Ann has gathered together aspects of the Austen Leigh famiily of Scarletts, Kiln Green (with its connections to Jane Austen) and the building of St Peter's Church in Knowl Hill

Families and Aspects of the History of Hennerton

Phil has been researching the history of the house at Hennerton and some of those people - notably the Rhodes family, who lived there. Their lives impacted on more than just the local area and Phil shared with us what he has discovered about six such characters