2008 February THE WORK OF THE LANCASHIRE RECORD OFFICE
Jackie Crosby, from the Lancashire Record Office in Preston, was the speaker at the February meeting, taking the place of Anna Watson who was indisposed. She dealt very comprehensively with the work of the Record Office by describing the contents of the archives, which take up an incredible 8 miles of shelving, their preservation and accessibility to the public. Jackie then dealt with the current challenges and those for the immediate future, which included the requirement for more space, increasing the appeal and accessibility for those who rarely use the Record Office, broadening the scope of the archive content and dealing with material which is now computerised. Society members already make good use of the Record Office and appreciated the content of her excellent presentation.
The next meeting of the Society is on Tuesday 18th March at 7.45pm in St. Mary’s Community Centre, Chipping when the speaker will be Peter Houldsworth on ‘The Life and Times of Charles Dickens’. New members and visitors will be most welcome.
The next informal session of the Society takes place on Sunday 6 April, at the same venue, from 2pm. This is an opportunity for visitors to seek information from Society members about local and family history issues. Society publications will be available, including ‘Chipping in Pictures’; also another new pictorial book of local interest ‘Old Sheepwashes of Bowland and Chipping’.
For more information see the Old Sheepwashes,Chipping in Pictures and “Open Days” sections on our web site
John Pearson www.chippinghistory.org.uk
2008 March LIFE &TIMES OF CHARLES DICKENS
Peter Houldsworth was the speaker at the March meeting of the Society, when he gave a most comprehensive and interesting insight into the ‘Life and Times of Charles Dickens’. He set the scene by describing the living and working conditions in London, against which the Dickens novels are set and then told us of his tremendous success as the first major novelist to chronicle the life of a large industrial city. In his later life Dickens embarked on lucrative Reading Tours in the USA. As his health faded when only in his fifties, he undertook a farewell Reading Tour of Britain, which included the Exchange Assembly Rooms at Blackburn. He stayed at the Bull Hotel in Preston but had to cancel his readings there as his health deteriorated further.
The final speaker of the 07/08 programme will be Stephen Sartin on ‘Glimpses of Old Preston’. New members and visitors will be most welcome to this eagerly awaited presentation. It will be held in St. Mary’s Community Centre, Chipping at 7.45pm on Tuesday 15 April.
The next informal session of the Society takes place on Sunday 4 May, at the same venue from 2pm. This is an opportunity for visitors to seek information from Society members about local and family history issues.
For more information see our “Open Days” section on our web site
John Pearson www.chippinghistory.org.uk
Chipping Local History Society
2008 April GLIMPSES OF OLD PRESTON
The final speaker of the Spring programme and one of the most eagerly awaited, was an old friend of the Society, Stephen Sartin who gave a most interesting illustrated talk on ‘Glimpses of Old Preston’. We were fascinated by the history of many buildings in the town centre which are familiar to us, the businesses originally established there and the personalities of the time. Stephen also covered the transition from horse transport to vehicles and its effect on life in the town.
During the Summer months many members will be participating in walks and outings arranged by the Society.
The next informal session of the Society takes place on Sunday 1 June, at St. Mary’s Community Centre from 2pm. This is an opportunity for visitors to seek information from Society members about local and family history issues.
For more information contact John Pearson @ www.chippinghistory.org.uk
PRESS REPORTS 2008
Chipping Local History Society.
Members have enjoyed a busy and varied programme of activities during the summer.
Each activity was organised by a different member and included a visit to the site
of the Chipping Army Camp, a history day at Duxbury Park, walks around Thornley and
Tarnbrook and a visit to Liverpool -
The 2008/9 Winter programme commenced in September with an evening visit to The British Commercial Vehicle Museum at Leyland, which is dedicated to preserving the history of the road transport industry in the UK.
The first indoor meeting of the Society is on Tuesday 21 October at 7.45pm in St. Mary’s Community Hall, Chipping when we will be privileged to welcome Stephen Sartin, whose talk will be ‘The Living Conditions in Victorian Preston’. Stephen was the final speaker of last Winter’s programme when he gave a memorable talk on ‘Glimpses of Old Preston’, so we eagerly await his return visit. New members and visitors will be most welcome.
All of the Society’s publications will be on sale.
For more information contact 01772 864289 or visit the new Society web site www.chippinghistory.org.uk
2008 October “Life in Preston in 18th & 19th Centuries
At the first indoor meeting of the 2008/9 winter programme, Stephen Sartin gave a most interesting illustrated talk on ‘Life in Preston in the 18th and 19th Centuries’. As usual, Stephen’s talk was wide ranging and topics included the influence of the Rev. Thomas Clay on prison reform and the visit of Elizabeth Fry, the effect of the slave trade on the development of the Cotton Industry in Preston and the surrounding area and the visit of Charles Dickens to report on the Preston Strike. He also presented fascinating information on the layout of the town and some of its interesting buildings, many of which have long since been demolished.
The next meeting of the Society will be on Tuesday 18th November when Bill Hemingway will be speaking on ‘Gawthorpe Hall – Upstairs, Downstairs’. The meeting will be held in St. Mary’s Community Hall, Chipping at 7.45pm; new members and visitors will be most welcome.
The next informal session of the Society takes place on Sunday 7 December, at the same venue from 2pm. This is an opportunity for visitors to seek information from Society members about local and family history issues.
For more information contact 01772 864289 or visit the new Society web site www.chippinghistory.or.uk
November 2008 Chipping Local History Society
At the November meeting of the Society, Bill Hemingway introduced members and guests to our local Elizabethan gem, Gawthorpe Hall, built at the beginning of the 17th Century for the Shuttleworth family. He then progressed to his main theme ‘Gawthorpe Hall – Upstairs, Downstairs’ with a fascinating insight into life there from Victorian times. He is part of the ‘Bringing History Alive’ team who involve school children, attired in Victorian costume, acting out the roles of the numerous staff who were employed during that time.
The next meeting of the Society will be on Tuesday 2 December; this will include the AGM followed by a talk by George Wightman on ‘Steam Wagons produced by Coulthards of Preston’. To round off the evening their will be a Jacobs Join Supper. The meeting will be held in St. Mary’s Community Hall at the earlier time of 7.15pm; new members and visitors will be most welcome.
For more informatiom contact 01772 864289 or visit the new Society web site www.chippinghistory.org.uk.
2008 January LOCAL HISTORY ACTIVITY
Lancashire Evening Post -
Chipping Local History Society.
At the January monthly meeting, Irena Preston, a founder member of the Society, gave a presentation of slides of Chipping and the surrounding area which had been given to the Society. Members were asked to help with the identification of many of them, and this proved to be an interesting and useful activity. Following on from this, the location and contents of our recently overhauled Local History archive were explained to members, to enable them to make full use of this archive when pursuing their own projects or assisting visitors with local or family history research.
The next meeting of the Society will be on Tuesday 19 February at 7.45pm in St. Mary’s Community Centre, Chipping when the speaker will be Anna Watson on ‘The Work of the Lancashire Record Office’. New members and visitors will be most welcome.
The next informal session of the Society takes place on Sunday 2 March, at the same venue, from 2pm. This is an opportunity for visitors to seek information from Society members about local and family history issues. Society publications will be available, including the new pictorial book ‘Chipping in Pictures’.
For more information see the “Chipping in Pictures” section on our web site
John Pearson www.chippinghistory.org.uk
December 2008 Chipping Local History Society. AGM & Steam Wagons of Coulthards Preston
At the AGM in December, the Chair, Vice-
After the official business was completed, members and guests enjoyed a Jacobs Join supper. This was followed by our Speaker for this special evening, George Wightman, who gave a detailed account of ‘Steam Wagons produced by Coulthards of Preston’ a century ago. His excellent slides, which fascinated members and visitors alike, illustrated the development of their wagons over the years.
The next meeting of the Society will be on Tuesday 20 January in St. Mary’s Community Hall at 7.45pm, when a Society member will give a talk on ‘Letters from the Somme’;new members and visitors will be most welcome.
For more information contact 01772 864289 or visit our new Society web site www.chippinghistory.org.uk
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