The Winter Talks are held on  Wednesday evenings at 7:30pm from October to April at The Crossing, Newcastle Street, Worksop, S80 2AT

In the Summer Months the Association organise a visit each month from May to September.

Meetings are open to non-members.

Summer Visits 26

Wednesday 5th May          Burton Agnes Hall with Beverley Minster   Start 8:15am  (changed round)

Monday June 22nd      Woolsthorpe Manor (NT) Grantham, with Barnsdale Gardens Exton Oakham Start 8:15am

Wednesday July 15th        Charlecote Hall (NT)  Wellesbourne, Warwick, Start 8am

Wednesday August 19th    Shuttleworth Trust Biggleswade, Start 8am

Thursday September 17th  Scampston Hall & Walled Garden Malton Start 8:15am

Winter Talks 26 / 27

2026

Wednesday 21 October                The Women in their Private Lives;  The 4th and 5th Dukes of Newcastle in Private

                                                                   by Dr Richard Gaunt

The private lives of the 4th Duke (Henry Pelham-Clinton, 1785–1851) and the 5th Duke (Henry Pelham-Clinton, 1811–1864) of Newcastle-under-Lyne were deeply shaped and complicated by the women in their families, including wives, daughters, and high-profile domestic

Wednesday 18 November             Erasmus Darwin and other Enlightenment era thinkers by Dr Mike Galer

The talk will explore what do we mean by the Enlightenment, and the life of 18^th century polymath Erasmus Darwin (Charles Darwin’s grandfather) and his friends and associates – who are regarded as the architects of the early industrial revolution and nearly all came from or lived in the Midlands.

London’s growth in the nineteenth century created a public-health crisis: its increasing population drawing water and emptying its drainage into the River Thames caused epidemics which only diminished after a controversial campaign to provide a supply of clean water and a system of main drainage. The Metropolitan Board of Works’ engineer, Joseph Bazalgette, improved the physical appearance and quality of life in London more than any other individual in his generation.

In the process of engineering the healthy sanitary condition which later generations take for granted, the politicians, managers and designers of the nation’s water-supply and sewerage systems left a wealth of high-quality buildings, gigantic engineering works and attractive landscapes across the country.

Most surprising of these structures are the monumental and elaborately decorated pumping stations, some of which survived the age of steam to be preserved in working order or adapted to fresh uses. This lecture illustrates, among others, the two major London sewage pumping stations, Abbey Mills (1864) and Crossness (1865), two preserved waterworks, Kew Bridge (1838onwards) and Kempton Park (1927-9) and the unusually elaborate installation at Papplewick, Nottinghamshire (1882-6).

Wednesday 09 December           Temples of Sanitation  by Mike Higginbottom

London’s growth in the nineteenth century created a public-health crisis: its increasing population drawing water and emptying its drainage into the River Thames caused epidemics which only diminished after a controversial campaign to provide a supply of clean water and a system of main drainage. The Metropolitan Board of Works’ engineer, Joseph Bazalgette, improved the physical appearance and quality of life in London more than any other individual in his generation.

In the process of engineering the healthy sanitary condition which later generations take for granted, the politicians, managers and designers of the nation’s water-supply and sewerage systems left a wealth of high-quality buildings, gigantic engineering works and attractive landscapes across the country.

Most surprising of these structures are the monumental and elaborately decorated pumping stations, some of which survived the age of steam to be preserved in working order or adapted to fresh uses. This lecture illustrates, among others, the two major London sewage pumping stations, Abbey Mills (1864) and Crossness (1865), two preserved waterworks, Kew Bridge (1838onwards) and Kempton Park (1927-9) and the unusually elaborate installation at Papplewick, Nottinghamshire (1882-6).

2027

Wednesday 20 January               The Top Ten Scandals from Sherwood Forest  by Adrian Gray

In this talk Adrian Gray discusses some scandalous incidents in the colourful lives of the various aristocratic families who lived in and around Sherwood Forest. We will hear plenty about adultery, bigamy, fraud and gambling– along with many other moral failings – from Newstead, Bestwood, Clumber and the other ‘big houses’.

Wednesday 17 February              A Guide's Eye View of Southwell Minster: what the casual visitor to this remarkable

                                                               building rarely notices  by Roger Blaney

Roger Blaney has been a steward at Southwell Minster since 2015 and a guide since 2018. He is current Head Guide responsible for the allocation and oversight of volunteer guides for all online bookable and group tours of both the Minster and the adjacent Archbishops of York's Palace. In addition to a fascination with some of the less obvious features of both buildings, he has a particular interest in trying to find answers to the 'known unknowns' that abound in their history.

Wednesday 21 March                    Sheffield Blitz Janet Ridler by Janet Ridler

The Sheffield Blitz changed the face of Sheffield city centre for ever. Over two nights in December 1940 the bombs rained down, thousands of people were left homeless and hundreds killed. The landscape of Sheffield city centre was changed for ever, it would never be the same again.
This illustrated talk looks at how people lived, worked and played in wartime Sheffield, telling the story of the Sheffield Blitz through the people, places and events which form such an important part of Sheffield's story, and looking at how today's city centre has been shaped by those fateful nights over 80years ago, if you know where to look.

Wednesday 21 April                       Pus and Prejudice (Lady Mary Wortley Montagu)  by Jenny Rudd

In 1721 Mary Wortley Montagu attempted to introduce the Turkish method of smallpox inoculation into English society. She had to combat prejudice against gender, race and the folklore origins of this lifesaving technique from the conservative physicians of the day. ‘Pus and Prejudice’ explores the earliest use of ‘Preventative Medicine’ in Britain whilst recognising its origins in the wisdom of the women of the East.

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