Archive of the last few years’ programmes, for reference. A summary of talks is often given in the Newsletters and Journals.
For this year’s programme, please look here.
Programme of talks 2024-5
We have arranged an exciting and varied programme of talks for the coming year. We do hope you will come. The programme of visits for Summer 2025 is below.
During the winter half of the year meetings are held in the United Free Church, Riverside, Framlingham and start at 7.30pm unless otherwise indicated. Talks are free to members or £3 to non members. The programme of talks for 2025-6 will be announced in the early Autumn.
| Date | Subject | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 23rd Oct 2024 | Doodlebugs & Rockets in Suffolk | John Bridges |
| Wed 27th Nov 2024 | Before the AGM: Film Show: George Ewart Evans, a Writer’s Suffolk | Jim Cecil |
| After the film: AGM | ||
| Wed 11th Dec 2024 | “Overpaid, Oversexed and Over Here”: The USAAF in World War II | Geoffrey Kay |
| Wed 22nd Jan 2025 | (Zoom Lecture) “The Resurrection of the Medieval Rood” | Timothy Easton |
| Wed 26th Feb 2025 | The Great Colchester Earthquake of 1884 | Dr Jonathan Belsey |
| Wed 26th March 2025 | Wingfield and the de la Poles | Edward Martin |
| Wed 23th April 2025 | The Story of the Mid-Suffolk Light Railway | John Reeve |
Summer Visits 2025
Each Summer we arrange a number of visits to locations of historic interest in Suffolk, normally with expert guides to show us round. Often we are able to see locations not open to the public. Click the links in the table below for more details.
You need to book, and please download this form, and follow the instructions in it, including how to pay. Please return the completed form preferably by email to alisonpickup@btinternet.com.
Some events may be limited in the number of attendees, in which case priority in booking may be given to members (so if you’re not a member, why not join now).
| Date | Visit | Ticket Price |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 23rd May, 2pm | The Food Museum, Stowmarket | £16 |
| Tuesday 24th June, 2.30pm | Linden House, Eye | £15 |
| Friday 4th July, 10.30am | Wingfield College | £15 |
Each visit is designed to add to our visit something over the normal visitor experience. In the case of the Food Museum we get a guided tour including a view of areas not generally available plus a season’s free admission to the Museum. The visit to Linden House allows us to see inside a private historic house not usually open to the public and includes tea and scones! Wingfield College is in private hands but we have unique opportunity to visit followed by a tour of the church, all under the guidance of Edward Martin. We hope this offers a varied agenda and would advise booking as soon as possible, as places are limited.
Programme of talks 2023-4
The season of talks has now finished, the programme of visits for Summer 2024 is below.
Meetings are held in the United Free Church, Riverside, Framlingham and start at 7.30pm unless otherwise indicated.
| Date | Subject | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 18th October 2023 | The Medieval Farming Year in Pictures | Alison Bowman |
| Wed 15th November 2023 | AGM | |
| After the AGM: The 1931 Pageant: a recently discovered film of this amazing event | John Bridges | |
| Wed 6th December 2023 Unitarian Meeting House | Special event: The Harbour Lights Trio will entertain us with a programme of Suffolk Songs, with mulled wine and mince pies | |
| Wed 17th January 2024 | World War II Coastal Defences in Suffolk. On Zoom (not face-to-face) | Dr John Greenacre |
| Wed 21st February 2024 | Suffolk’s Lost Heritage: A look at some of the buildings that have been lost over the years. | Stephen Poulter |
| Wed 20th March 2024 | Expert Edgesmith to Engineering Enterprise: The early days of the Leiston Garrett dynasty | Fraser Hale |
| Wed 17th April 2024 | The Hidden History of Orfordness, 1914-1993 | Clive Chambers |
Summer Visits 2024
We have arranged a number of visits during the Summer of 2024. Click the title of each visit in the list below for more information.
You need to book, and please download this form, and follow the instructions in it, including how to pay.
Booking will be restricted to members until June (so if you’re not a member, why not join now).
| Date | Visit | Organiser and contact |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 19th June, 11am – 1pm | Melford Hall Gardens Long Melford, with tour by Edward Martin | Alison Pickup |
| Wed 10th July, 2.30pm | The Red House, Aldeburgh, former home of Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears | David Ransom |
| Tues 13th Aug, 11am | Long Shop Museum, Leiston | Annie Heining |
Programme of talks 2022-3
Meetings are held in the United Free Church, Riverside, Framlingham and start at 7.30pm unless otherwise indicated.
| Date | Subject | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 19th October 2022 | Annual General Meeting | |
| What we discovered at the Ancient House (follows the AGM) | Clare and Michael Gaylard | |
| Wed 16th November 2022 | Off to the Outback: A Suffolk family emigrating to Australia in the 1840s (based on diary entries) | Peter Driver |
| Wed 14th December 2022 | The Medieval Farming Year in Pictures | Alison Bowman |
| Wed 18th January 2023 | The History of The Meres | Ray Hardinge |
| Wed 15th February 2023 (change to the previously published talk) | The Worlingworth Jubilee Feast Painting of 1810 | Geoffrey Robinson |
|
Wed 15th March 2023 | The Lost City of Dunwich | Mark Mitchels |
| Wed 19th April 2023 | The Land Army Girls | Nicky Reynolds |
Programme of talks 2021-22
| Date | Subject | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 20th October 2021 | Robert Hawes, background to his 1712 book: “The History or Memoiurs of Framlingham and the Lowes Hundred” | Tony Martin |
| Wed 17th November 2021 | Voices from the Workhouse | Janette Robinson |
| Wed 15th December 2021 | East Anglian Art, from the Norwich School onwards | John Day |
| Wed 19th January 2022 | John Self’s Framlingham, A Photo Tour, 1884 – 1927 | John Bridges |
| Wed 16th February 2022 | Charlie and The Dig | Charlie Haylock (Ralph Fiennes’ dialect coach for the film The Dig) |
Wed 23rd March 2022 | The Magical Protection of Buildings (16-20th C) with examples from Framlingham area | Timothy Easton |
| Wed 20th April 2022 | An Introduction to the Paston Letters | Charles Seely |
Programme of talks 2020-21
The programme was disrupted by COVID-19 and started late.
| Date | Subject | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 17th Feb 2021 at 11am (Zoom talk) | Clarkes of Framlingham (The family, the firm and the grain trade) | Tony Clarke – recording of the event here. |
| Wed 17th March 2021 at 11am (Zoom talk) | Re-evaluating Suffolk’s medieval markets | Dr James David |
| Wed 21st April 2021 at 11am (Zoom talk) | Lost Gardens of Suffolk | Edward Martin |
| Tues 18th May 2021 at 11am (Zoom talk) | Early buildings in Suffolk, especially Debenham | Timothy Easton |
| Tues 15th June at 2pm (Zoom talk) | Keeping the peace in medieval Suffolk | Dr Nick Amor |
| Tues 20th July at 11am (Zoom talk) | The Roman Roads of East Anglia | Dr James Albone |
Programme of talks 2019-20
From March 2020, COVID-19 restrictions prevented face-to-face meetings, and the March and April meetings were deferred until the following year (and held by Zoom).
| Date | Subject | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 16th October 2019 | AGM Followed by: Thomas & John Clarkson, The Friends of Slaves | Dr Bob Merrett |
| Wed 20th November 2019 | Flora Sandes | Janette Robinson |
| Wed 11th December 2019 | Suffolk Maps and their Makers | Vivienne Aldous |
| Wed 15th January 2020 | The history of the East Anglian Daily Times | Brad Jones |
| Wed 19th February 2020 | Archaeological Finds at Rendlesham | Sir Michael Bunbury Bt |
| Wed 18th March 2020 | Clarkes of Framlingham | Tony Clarke |
| Wed 15th April 2020 | Roman Roads of East Anglia | James Albone |
Programme of talks 2018-19
| Date | Subject | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 17th October 2018 | AGM Followed by: Suffolk in the 20s and 30s | Dr Nick Sign |
| Wed 21st November 2018 | The Lost Tapestry of Framlingham Castle | Patrick Grieve |
| Wed 12th Decemeber 2018 | Framlinghamian Hero: Lieut. Gordon Flowerdew, VC, and the Battle of Moreiul Wood, March 1918 | Tim Pritchard-Barrett |
| Wed 16th January 2019 | The Mysteries of Sutton Hoo | David Phelan |
| Wed 20th February 2019 | The Angel Roofs of East Anglia | Michael Rimmer |
| Wed 20th March 2019 | Framlingham in the Second World War | John Bridges |
| Wed 17th April 2019 | Bonfires and Bells: Rituals and Festivals in the Medieaval Suffolk Countryside | Dr Kate Jewell |
Programme of talks 2017-18
| Date | Subject | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 18th October 2017 | AGM Followed by: The Early Days of Electricity in Suffolk | John Bridges |
| Wed 15th November 2017 | St Audrey’s – Workhouse to Asylum 1764-1993 | David Phelan |
| Wed 13th Decemeber 2017 | Henry Adams Cupper – a Suffolk Pioneer | Geoff Robinson |
| Wed 17th January 2018 | Mill to Methodism – the History of the Free Church | Peter Webb |
| Wed 21st February 2018 | Suffolk between the Wars | Dr Nick Sign |
| Wed 21st March 2018 | A History of Cheese-making in Suffolk | Vivia Banford |
| Wed 18th April 2018 | An Auctioneer’s Lot | Geoffrey Barfoot |
Programme of talks 2016-17
| Date | Subject | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 19th October 2016 | AGM Followed by: A Choirboy at the Coronation. David Ransom was a Westminster Abbey Chorister, 1949-54 | David Ransom |
| Wed 16th November 2016 | The Hoxne Treasure | Stephen Govier |
| Wed 14th Decemeber 2016 | Old Postcards | John Beckett |
| Wed 18th January 2017 | Henry Adams Cupper – a Suffolk Pioneer | Geoff Robinson |
| Wed 15th February 2017 | The Cobbold Family | Anthony Cobbold |
| Wed 15th March 2017 | East Suffolk Railways | Bob Webb |
| Wed 19th April 2017 | Leonard Squirrell, 1893-1979 | Mark Beesley |
Programme of talks 2015-16
| Date | Subject | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 21st October 2015 | AGM Followed by: The Life of a Bevin Boy | Barbara McElroy |
| Wed 18th November 2015 | The Modern Prison Service | Declan Moore, Governor of HMP Holesley Bay |
| Wed 9th Decemeber 2015 | Wellington: The Hero of Waterloo | Mark Mitchels |
| Wed 20th January 2016 | An Outsider Inside No.10 | John Warwicker MBE |
| Wed 17th February 2016 | 1914: The Men of Framlingham Go to War | David Empson |
| Wed 16th March 2016 | Castles of Suffolk | Edward Martin |
| Wed 20th April 2016 | Robert Lowe, A Little-Known but Pivotal Victorian Politician | Charles Seely |
Programme of talks 2014-15
| Date | Subject | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 15th October 2014 | AGM Followed by: Bringing the Past Alive | Ces Kerridge |
| Wed 19th November 2014 | Servants in Suffolk Country Houses, 1700-1900 | Dr Nick Sign |
| Wed 10th Decemeber 2014 | The Yanks Come to Debach | Richard Taylor |
| Wed 21st January 2015 | Framlingham in the 1940s | W G Flemming |
| Wed 18th February 2015 | The Early Years of the Gas Industry in Suffolk | J A Broster |
| Wed 18th March 2015 | Notable Gravestones in Suffolk | Robert Halliday |
| Wed 15th April 2015 | Magna Carta and the Bigods | Mark Mitchels |
Programme of talks 2013-14
| Date | Subject | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 16th October 2013 | AGM Followed by: On being a Librarian | M V Roberts |
| Wed 20th November 2013 | A Portrait of the River Alde | Chris Parfitt |
| Wed 11th Decemeber 2013 | The History of Saxtead Mill | Jonathan Sullivan |
| Wed 15th January 2014 | 150 Years of Framlingham College (in the Athlone Hall of the College) | Canon David Pitcher |
| Wed 19th February 204 | Framlingham, an Appreciation; An Illusgtrated Tour of the Conservation Area: Part 1 | Andrew Lovejoy |
| Wed 19th March 2014 | Framlingham, an Appreciation; An Illusgtrated Tour of the Conservation Area: Part 2 | Andrew Lovejoy |
| Wed 16th April 2014 | A Waveney Valley Childhood | Stuart Bowell |
Programme of talks 2012-13
| Date | Subject | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 17th October 2012 | AGM Followed by: Field Marshal Haig – Lion or Donkey? | John M Lilley |
| Wed 21st November 2012 | The History of Lowesetoft Porcelain | Colin Challis |
| Wed 12th Decemeber 2012 | The Rev. John Heigham Steggall – The Suffolk Gypsy | Pip Wright |
| Wed 16th January 2013 | Oliver Cromwell | Mark Mitchels |
| Wed 20th February 2013 | A Slide Show of Old Framlingham | John Bridges |
| Wed 20th March 2013 | Food, War and the Stophers of Sweffling | Dr Rachel Duffett |
| Wed 17th April 2013 | A Life Unnoticed : Exploring Family History | Anne Dunford |
Programme of talks 2011-12
| Date | Subject | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 12th October 2011 | AGM Followed by: There’s lots to see round here | Canon Basil Jenkyns |
| Wed 16th November 2011 | Wolsey comes home to Ipswich | Dr John Blatchly |
| Wed 21st Decemeber 2011 | The Building of the Orwell Bridge | Joyn Twaits |
| Wed 18th January 2012 | Rags and Bones – A study of the working-class community in Ipswich in the late 19th century | Frank Grace |
| Wed 15th February 2012 | Walled Gardens of Suffolk | Jenny Broster |
| Wed 21st March 2012 | Elizabeth Garrett Anderson | Mark Mitchels |
| Wed 17th April 2012 | Tales of a Funeral Director | Tony Brown |
Programme of talks 2010-11
| Date | Subject | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 13th October 2010 | AGM | |
| Wed 17th November 2010 | The Dallinghoo Hoard and its Iron Age Background | Dr E A Martin |
| Wed 8th Decemeber 2010 | The Round Tower Churches of Norfolk and Suffolk | Stuart Bowell |
| Wed 19th January 2011 | The Saxmundham and Aldeburgh Branch | M Fewster |
| Wed 16th February 2011 | The Excavations at Saxtead Bottom | Rick Osborn |
| Wed 16th March 2011 | The Suffolk Yeomanry in the Second World War | Dr Nick Sign |
| Wed 20th April 2011 | Understanding the importance of George Ewart Evans, Champion of Suffolk People | Neil Lanham |
Programme of talks 2009-10
| Date | Subject | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 14th October 2009 | AGM followed by: The Framlingham Historical Archive | John Bridges |
| Wed 18th November 2009 | Romans and Saxons on the River Alde: The Barber’s Point Dig | Richard Newman |
| Wed 9th Decemeber 2009 | The History of Costume | Danielle Sprecher |
| Wed 20th January 2010 | Boudica and the Iceni Rebellion, AD 61-62 | Dr Nick Sign |
| Wed 17th February 2010 | The Alignment and Location of Rural Mediaeval Churches | Ian Hinton |
| Wed 17th March 2010 | “Grandad Played the Cornet” – A History of Brass Bands | David Cawdell |
| Wed 21st April 2010 | The Suffolk Woodland | Dr Margaret Thomas |
Programme of talks 2008-9
| Date | Subject | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 15th October 2008 | AGM | |
| Wed 19th November 2008 | The Lost Village of Slaughden | Richard Crisp |
| Wed 10th Decemeber 2008 | Who do you think you are? – How I helped Jeremy Paxman discover his ancestors | Clive Paine |
| Wed 21st January 2009 | The Ipswich Historic Churches Trust | James Hall |
| Wed 18th February 2009 | The Mid-Suffolk Light Railway, Past and Present | Keith Froom |
| Wed 18th March 2009 | Music Hall Memories | Bryan Thurlow |
| Wed 15th April 2009 | The Industrial Revolution in Ipswich – Ransomes and Rapier | Elizabeth Townsend |
Programme of talks 2007-8
| Date | Subject | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 17th October 2007 | AGM followed by: The City of London – and insider’s view | M V Roberts |
| Wed 21st November 2007 | Bricks and Brickmaking | Peter Minter |
| Wed 12th Decemeber 2007 | Dr M R James’ life, his ghost stories and his Suffolk Associations | C W Seely |
| Wed 16th January 2008 | It’s a Grave Business | Peter Driver |
| Wed 20th February 2008 | Of Cabbages and Kings: Inns and Inn-signs | John Goodhand |
| Wed 19th March 2008 | Building the Tower: St Edmundsbury Cathedral | Horry Parsons |
| Wed 16th April 2008 | The Lost Houses of Suffolk | Alan Mackley |
Programme of talks 2006-7
| Date | Subject | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 18th October 2006 | AGM | |
| Wed 15th November 2006 | The Goodwins of Earl Soham | Jo Rothery |
| Wed 13th Decemeber 2006 | The History of Advertising | Stuart Bowell |
| Wed 17th January 2007 | Archaeology: Excavations at Sutton Hoo | Lindsay Lee |
| Wed 21st February 2007 | Saving Windmills in Suffolk and Essex over 35 year | Chris Hullcoop |
| Wed 21st March 2007 | Creating Theatre from Local History Sources | Ivan Cutting |
| Wed 18th April 2007 | Decoding Flint Flushwork on Suffolk and Norfolk Churches | Dr J M Blatchly |
Programme of talks 2005-6
| Date | Subject | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 19th October 2005 | AGM | |
| Wed 16th November 2005 | An illustrated view of commercial life in Framlingham around 1900 | John F Bridges |
| Wed 14th Decemeber 2005 | Frolic, Fervour & Fornication | Pip Wright |
| Wed 18th January 2006 | Anglican Clerical Characters | Roy Tricker |
| Wed 15th February 2006 | The Seige of Colchester | Patrick Denney |
| Wed 15th March 2006 | Roman Roads of the 1st Century | Mike Mckeon |
| Wed 19th April 2006 | Dialect | Steward Bowell |
Programme of talks 2004-5
| Date | Subject | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 20th October 2004 | AGM followed by: A Bookseller in Framlingham | Charles Seely |
| Wed 17th November 2004 | My Time by the Sea | Ronald Blythe |
| Wed 8th Decemeber 2004 | The Ipswich Transport Museum | Brian Dyes |
| Wed 19th January 2005 | Whatever happened to the Framlingham Castle Archives? | Dr J M Ridgard |
| Wed 16th February 2005 | Moated Houses of Suffolk | Dr E A Martin |
| Wed 16th March 2005 | An appreciation of Orford Castle | Jane Allen |
| Wed 20th April 2005 | A farmer’s experience in the Second World War | Janet Barnes |