Reading Abbey

Reading Abbey dates from 1121, the site has recently undergone a major conservation project. John is the secretary of the Friends of Reading Abbey and co-author of a book about the abbey, he enlightened us about its history

Heroes of Woodley Airfield

The road names of this part of Woodley are a tribute to interesting and pioneering aviation Joy told us of some of the people and aircraft associated with it

Berkshire during the Civil War

Joan, the President of the Berkshire Local History Association, made a return visit, this time she told us about Berkshire during the turbulent times of the Civil War period

The Annual General Meeting - 2020

The AGM followed by a dip into the Society's Archives

Georgian Cooking

Local historian Catherine made a return visit, this time she gave us an insight into the recipes used in the Georgian era

The Role of Women at Danesfield and Phyllis Court in Photographic Interpretation in WWII

Danesfield was the centre of interpretation for all Allied aerial photography in Europe in WWII and Aldon shared with us his research into some of the vital work that they carried out

Christmas Party - 2019

The Christmas get-together was followed by a presentation on 'Recollectons & Ramblings' from Tim Hodges

Sonning: The History Explored Through 10 Buildings

Diana, who has long been involved with the Sonning and Sonning Eye Society, told us of the story of our neighbouring parish by considering the history of 10 specific buildings

Caversham Court and its Gardens, and the families who lived there

Although now-a-days only the Thames-side gardens remain, the origins of Caversham Court date back to the 12th century. We heard something of the history of the site and also of the families who lived there

History of the NHS

The NHS was founded just over 70 years ago and village doctor Mark explored an aspect of its history for us

Selborne

This year we visited the Gilbert White House (Gilbert White's 18th century book on the Natural History of Selborne is a classic) and gardens, the adjacent Oates Museum (about the Victorian explorer Frank and Lawrence's expedition to the south pole), followed by afternoon tea, of course!

The Magic of the Auction

An evening with the auctioneer Thomas Forrester (formerly Thomas Plant)