NB Change to advertised programme: our October talk will be delivered by Professor Rosemary Collier on the history of the Wellesbourne Research Station, Roy Smart’s talk on Admiral David Beatty will now take place on November 18th.
As the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness is now upon us it seems appropriate that the topic of our October 21st meeting should be A Potted History of the National Vegetable Research Station at Wellesbourne, now the University of Warwick Crop Centre. and previously the Horticultural Research International. The centre was started after WWII with the aim of researching and establishing better and more efficient methods of vegetable production in the UK with funding from the Ministry of Agriculture Food and Fisheries (MAFF). The Wellesbourne site was acquired in 1949. Many new research methods have been pioneered at the centre, leading to innovative and practical improvements in crop varieties and pest control.
first Director of the NVRS
It will be fascinating to hear how the concerns about chemical control methods raised in books such as Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring (published 1962) affected the centre’s approach through the 70 plus years of its existence.
Rosemary is a lead researcher at the centre, specialising in entomology, – ie studying the pests which can devastate our food crops – and researching how to control them.
Rosemary is also active locally in promoting environmentally friendly conditions for wildlife, through projects such as No-Mow-May, planting wildflower reserves, and undertaking intensive surveys of bugs and birds.
Review of our September talk.
There was a good turnout in our temporary venue, the meeting room of the Methodist Church, for our first talk after the summer break. It wasgiven by Norman Hyde and entitled Tennis the Leamington Way: the oldest tennis club in the world and it’s importance to Leamington over 170 years.
Norman has been a member at the court club for more than 35 years and was its captain for ten years from the late 1990s. He took advantage of the covid lockdown towrite and publisha history of the club. He began by declaring he was not going to describe the rules of the game, a pity as the audience were left in some confusion about the differences between Lawn Tennis, Real Tennis, Court Tennis, Royal Tennis, Racquets and Squash, some of which turn out to be the same game.
The earlier members of the Leamington club were from the upper echelons of society, with a “no tradesmen” rule and, of course, no women. Norman was robust in his characterisation of the ethos of the club in its heyday – with its Gentleman’s Club atmosphere of drinking and gambling. His talk described some of the characters who have graced the courts during its history. Many were eminent national figures, and sometimes it seems that some of the more colourful members were also the most courageous or foolhardy, with decorations for military bravery a prominent feature.
The club was important in the development of Leamington as a resort, together with the spa bringing business and status. Meetings were advertised in The Times, and trains from London laid on to bring participants to Leamington. Norman was an overflowing fount of information about the club, its members and its influence.
Refreshments were provided as usual after the talk courtesy of Ilona, assisted by Jackie and Mark Walker.
Other K&LHG News
The Group mounted a modest stand at the Village Lunch on Sunday 2nd October, organised by St Peter’s, at which seemingly all the village groups and societies were represented. The aim was to introduce newcomers in the village to the variety of organisations ready to welcome them. The Village Hall was packed and the bring-and-share lunch was more than enough to go round, the parable of the five loaves and two fishes springs to mind. The K&DLHG stand was in the lobby, where DF stoppeth one in three, and may have encouraged some potential new members to give us a try. Many thanks to Barry Jackson and Alison Abbott and their efficient helpers for a lively lunch
New Local History Book
Local history researcher Peter Johnson has revised updated his 2000 memoir recording the life of Joe Gerring, and produced a model of how to write local history. Entitled Joe’s Story: a century of change in the South Warwickshire countryside it follows the career of Joe in Lighthorne, Kineton, Chadshunt, Gaydon, Wellesbourne, Chesterton and Compton Verney. With meticulous attention to detail and copious illustrations Peter Johnson describes the changes in the conditions and landscapes of the last 100 years. He has also produced a 90 minute CD of Joe’s reminiscences. The 146 page book is on sale for £14.00 and the CD at an additional £6.00. We plan to have copies of both available at our forthcoming meetings
The 2022-23 Programm
| Date | Speaker | Title |
| 21 Oct | Rosemary Collier | A Potted History of the National Vegetable Research Station at Wellesbourne |
| 18 Nov | Roy Smart | David Beatty – The Last Naval Hero’ fame and celebrity following the Battle of Jutland, the greatest naval battle in history. |
| 9 Dec | Richard Churchley | ‘Christmas Songs Through the Ages’ the Middle Ages to the 1940s |
| 20 Jan ‘23 | Beat Kümin | ‘For a Good Cause – Church Ales and Early Modern Drinking Culture.’ |
| 17 Feb ‘23 | David Fry | The Silk Ribbon Industry of Coventry’ |
| 17 Mar ‘23 | AGM- | talk tbc |
| 21 April ‘23 | tbc | |
| 19 May ‘23 | Frances Kerner | Common Land- Origin, Loss, and Survival |
| June July Aug | Outings | Guided visits to local historic venues venuestbc |
| 15 Sept 23 | Judith Ellis | The Campden House Project |
Other Societies’ Events
| Tuesday 25 October 2022 | Stoneleigh History Society, Stoneleigh Village Hall, 7.30 pm. David Freke on Scratching the Surface – medieval graffiti in Warwickshire churches | |
| Tuesday 25 October 2022 | Lapworth Local History Group, Lapworth Village Hall, 7.00pm: Graham Sutherland on Curious Clerics | |
| Tuesday 15 November 2022 | Warwickshire Local History Society Changing Health Provision in 19th Century Warwickshire Dr John Wilmot considers developments in small towns and rural areas, with a focus on Stratford-upon-Avon and Southam | |
| Wednesday 23 November 2022 | Coventry University. Approaching the (Family) Archive: Challenges and Reflections. A series of free, online workshops. Workshop 4: Archives into Institutions 4 pm Whether through sale, loan, or donation, many family collections are eventually transferred into museums, local record offices, and other institutions. Under the care of professional archivists they are preserved, catalogued, and made accessible to an audience beyond the family who compiled them. Which items do families seek to pass on, why, and how might these familial bequests shape national narratives? What is gained – and lost – in the migration from the home to the record office? Speaker: Dr Ann-Marie Foster (Northumbria University) For more information and to book a place please visit Approaching the (Family) Archive: Challenges and Reflections (eventsforce.net) | |
| Tuesday 29 November 2022 | Stoneleigh History Society, Stoneleigh Village Hall, 7.30 pm. John Purcell on Earlsdon’s Lost Industrial Heritage | |
| Thursday 1 December 2022 | Nuneaton Historical Association, Rutland Roman Villa, Jennifer Browning of Leicester University Archaeological Services, Chilvers Coton Heritage Centre, 4 Avenue Road, Nuneaton CV11 4LU, 7.30 pm |
Wednesday 26th October 2022 Wellesbourne & Walton Local History Group at 7:30 pm The Mediaeval Wall Paintings in the Guild Chapel Stratford” Talk by Pamela Devine and Janet Hall
All are welcome –Wellesbourne Village Hall. Entry for non-members £3. Contact Charlie and Peggy Gilbert on 01789 841805 or Email treblig99@outlook.com
Or see their website: sites.google.com/site/wellesbournelocalhistory/
British Association for Local History. The Kineton Group is a Member of BALH and they run lectures and talks which are open to our members. Check their website www.balh.org.uk for upcoming talks available virtually.
Gresham College has series of history talks available digitally, here is the next 3 months’ programme
HISTORY LECTURES BY MONTH AT GRESHAM COLLEGE – includes the short link for print:
October
Weds 12, 6pm, The Lost Cities and Amazing Heritage of Kenya, Robin Walker, David Game College, Aldgate/ Online/ Watch Later gres.hm/kenya-cities
Mon 17, 6pm, Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian Revolution, Sudhir Hazareesingh, David Game College, Aldgate/ Online/ Watch Later gres.hm/toussaint-louverture
Tues 18, 6pm Britain’s Foreign Policy in a Fast-Changing World, Peter Ricketts, Mercers’ Hall/ Online/ Watch Later gres.hm/britains-fp
Thurs 20, 6pm The Politics of Fabric and Fashion in Africa 1960-Today Christine Checinska David Game College, Aldgate/ Online/ Watch Later, gres.hm/africa-fashion
November
Tues 1, 6pm, Partition of British India, 75 Years On Kavita Puri, David Game College, Aldgate/ Online/ Watch Later gres.hm/india-partition
Mon 7, 6pm The Trials of Alexei Navalny Thomas Grant QC Barnard’s Inn Hall, Online/ Watch Later gres.hm/navalny-trials
Tues 8, 6pm, Why did Europe’s Economies Diverge from Asia? Professor Martin Daunton, Barnard’s Inn Hall, Online/ Watch Later gres.hm/diverge-asia
Thurs 10, 6pm, Polio: A Cultural History, Professor Joanna Bourke Barnards’ Inn Hall, Online/ Watch Later gres.hm/polio-history
Weds 16, 6pm The Irish Question and the Ulster Question Then and Now, Professor Vernon Bogdanor David Game College, Aldgate/ Online/ Watch Later gres.hm/irish-ulster
Weds 23, 6pm Lives in Limbo: Jewish Refugess in Portugal, 1940-45 Professor Marion Kaplan, Barnard’s Inn Hall/ Online/ Watch Later gres.hm/refugees-portugal
December
Mon 5, 6pm London’s Air: The 70th Anniversary of the Great London Smog Visiting Professor Ian Mudway, Barnard’s Inn Hall/ Online/ Watch later gres.hm/londons-air (this is an Environmental Health Professor, not strictly History, but should be of interest to local societies)
Tues 6, 1pm, The Israel-Palestine Conflict: Religion, Violence and Peacebuilding by Professor Jolyon Mitchell, Barnard’s Inn Hall/ Online/ Watch later gres.hm/israel-palestine
Weds 7, 6pm, Paganism in Roman Britain, Professor Ronald Hutton, David Game College/ Online/ Watch Later gres.hm/paganism-roman
Don’t forget to check our own website at:
Kineton and District Local History Group (kinetonhistory.co.uk)
Membership. If you are, or would like to become, a Member of the group, your 2022 subscription is
due (still £10pa!). Our Treasurer Alec Hitchman awaits! You can pay by cheque made payable to Kineton and District Local History Group, sent or delivered to Alec Hitchman, The Hills Farm, Pillerton Hersey, WARKS, CV35 0QQ, For queries contact Alec on alec.hitchman@btinternet.com You can also join at any talk.
With our bank now charging for payments by cheque or cash, we would urge those who can to please pay by BACS to our bank business account:
name: Kineton and District Local History Group,
sort code: 40-43-19;
acc. no. 71281992. Please include your full name so we can correctly attribute your payment.
2022-23 KDLHG Committee
President: Dr Robert Bearman MBE
Chairman David Freke
Vice-Chairman Roger Gaunt
Secretary Ilona Sekacz
Treasurer Alec Hitchman
Outings Secretary vacant
Programme Secretary Claire Roberts
Other committee members
Rosemary Collier
Isobel Gill
George Lokuciejewski
Catherine Petrie (PR)
Pamela Redgrave (Membership)
Date of next Committee meeting: 28th November via Zoom 7.00pm,
Contact David Freke tel. 01295 670516 mob. 07876 290044 email: djfreke@gmail.com
NB change of email address
DF 15.10.22