Thatcham Historical Society

Archaeology of the District

Dr Nick Young will present the archaeology of the area starting from the stone age going to the present. Malcolm Langford will be present with a selection of artefacts from his collection. Maps and photographs will show where the items were found, what they looked like and their importance.

Newbury & Thatcham, a comparison

Local historians Sue Broughton, Graeme Stewart, Bill Butler, Alf Wheeler and Dr Nick Young will present a history of the pubs of Thatcham. Associated coaching industry will be looked at as well as some of the trades such as white and black smiths. A connection between a member of the church with a local pub will be discussed and the talk will finish with a quick quiz, “Guess the pub!”

See www.paml.info for more details.

The Peter Allen Memorial Lectures (PAML) kicked off today, 5th May 2012, with local MP, Mr Richard Benyon, kindly giving an overview of the event, a background to the late Peter Allen and then introducing the talks. The event, now in its third year started with two talks on “Trades” with over 50 people attending.

A reception with local civic dignitaries, where people can share their memories of Peter and of Thatcham’s past. After the reception, local historian Bill Butler will present a talk on the history of religion in Thatcham.

• 26th May 2012,
• 6.30pm (Reception)
• 7.15pm (Talk)
• St. Mary’s Church, Church Gate Thatcham, RG19 3PN

Thatcham Town Mayor, Lee Dillon, will talk about the history that councillors have played in our past. Some of the more notable members will be discussed in detail. The second talk, presented by local historian John Trigg, looks at the Mount family and their progression from Thatcham to Downing Street.

• 19th May 2012, 10.30am - 12.40pm
• Memorial Hall, Brownsfield Road, Thatcham, RG18 3AG