Note: All “Dorking” events are held at Crossways Community Baptist Church, Junction Rd, RH4 3HB, 7:15pm for 7:30pm
19th May 2PM
Guided Walk: Guildford’s WW2 Remains
Starts at Guildford Spectrum. 2 easy miles, led by David Rose. You’ll see dragon’s teeth, public air-raid shelter, sites of V1 bomb explosion and more – and a lot of stories from David. £6pp, *** NOW FULL**
20th May (Zoom)
“LiDAR in Surrey: its uses in archaeology“ by Anne Sassin
Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) is revolutionising archaeology and is making big contributions in other fields. Anne will explain what LIDAR is and its impact on Surrey archaeology.
3rd June (Dorking)
“William Morris: artist, textile designer & more” by John Hawks
Morris was a man of many parts; poet, designer, socialist, preservationist and translator of Icelandic Sagas. And he had a great beard. What more could you want?
10th June (Zoom)
“The last line: the 1940 anti-invasion defences between Guildford & Dorking'” by Paul Ferris
Paul will give us an archaeological evaluation of the defences built in 1940 between Guildford and Dorking as fears of a German invasion rose. (The fear of an invasion through the “Dorking Gap” wasn’t new – see our July talk.)
Thursday 13th June
Guided Walk: “Dunsfold and D-day”
SOLD OUT ALREADY!!!
1st July (Dorking)
“The Battle of Dorking: an Influential Book“ by Nick Cook
This 1871 novella by George Tomkyns Chesney, is widely credited with starting the genre of “invasion literature”. It was written just after the Franco-Prussian War and translated into German – did it influence Hitler? Come along and find out.
Saturday 20th July
Watch this space!
Possible event – more details to follow
2nd September (Dorking)
“The River Mole: its history and its current state“ by Nigel Bond
Our big local river has a great history and has captured the imagination of several authors and poets. It’s also run out of water several times, e.g.in 2022. Come along and hear what Nigel’s researches have discovered about the Mole.
Thursday 1st August
Guided Walk: “Dunsfold and D-day” – 2nd run
SOLD OUT ALREADY!
16th September (Zoom)
“Surrey, Suffrage and the Arts pre WW1” by Dr Lucy Ella Rose
Surrey University lecturer Dr Lucy will give us a different perspective on the local battle for women’s votes pre-WW1.
7th October (Dorking)
“Members’ Night”
Our annual event where several members give short presentations. Non-members are welcome to attend. Come along and be surprised!
THURSDAY 24th October (Zoom)
“Ivan Donald Margary: the “Roman Roads Man” by Dr David Rudling
“Before the Romans came to Rye
Or out to Severn strode
The rolling English drunkard
Build the rolling English road”
– GK Chesterton.
And then the Romans cam along and built a few straight ones in Surrey, Kent and Sussex – you might know some of them.
4th November (Dorking)
“The Bomber in the Back Yard” by John Griffiths-Colby
More wartime local history from John Griffiths-Colby, one of our most popular speakers. We’ll have a Poppy Day collection afterwards.
TUESDAY 19th November (Zoom)
“Medieval London” by Toni Mount
Last year Toni gave us a talk on the Dutch Medway raids, now she’s back to tell us about everyday life in medieval London, from Anglo-Saxon to Tudor times. And she happens to have just published a book on this very topic!
2nd December (Dorking)
“Mary Neal & the Suffragettes who saved Morris Dancing” by Kathy Atherton
Morris dancing is a subject of many jokes (“Why do Morris dancers wear bells? So they can annoy blind people as well”), but it has a serious history. Who saved Morris dancing, why & was it worth it? Local favourite Kathy will explain all!
9th December (Zoom)
“Masters of Mirth” by Mike Storr
A fun pre-Xmas talk, in which Mike will explain how Music Hall began and speak of some famous acts like Robb Wilton, Stanley Holloway, Bernard Miles to name but a few.
There will be an online collection for Asthma UK after the talk.
2025 Events!!
6th January 2025 (Dorking)
“Rocking Surrey!” by Neil Mach
Surrey may not be a place you’d think of for great rock music, but it’s produced bands like the Stranglers and the Jam, and has links with the Beatles, the Stones, the Small Faces, Clapton, Captain Sensible, T Rex and many more. Ready to rock?
20th January 2025(Zoom)
“William de Warenne – The First Earl of Surrey” “by Sharon Bennett Connolly
A talk about one of William the Conqueror’s sidekicks who was given an Earldom and great lands – including a castle down the road in Reigate – for his services in 1066 and beyond. Historian Sharon has written a book on the subject.
3rd February 2025 (Dorking)
“The Changing Face of Local Media” by David Rose
Our old friend David returns. He’s worked in Surrey local journalism for decades, from the age of hot metal, inky hands and hard drinking to today’s online world. He has many a story to tell.
17th February 2025 (Zoom)
“The Mayflower Connection” “by Helen Baggott
We all know about Dorking’s Mayflower links, but this talk, based on postcards sent in the 1900s by people with Mayflower connections, will give us a different perspective on The Founding Fathers.
3rd March (TBC) 2025 (Dorking)
“Origins and history of Juniper Hall” by Peter Almond
Details to follow
17th March 2025 (Zoom)
“Box Hill’s School for Secret Agents” “by Paul McCue
Bellasis was a top-secret training centre for agents of the Special Operations Executive, including men sent on Operation Anthropoid, in which a top SS man was assassinated in Prague
7th April 2025 (Dorking)
“Cast-iron Firebacks: More Interesting than you’d think” by Jeremy Hodgkinson
16th/17th century firebacks were not just functional, often containing information about the house and family owning it, There will be some audience participation in detective work to unlock their secrets! Examples can be found in Guildford Museum, Clandon Park and Ham House.
21st April 2025 (Zoom)
“The Development of Surrey’s Railways” “by Richard Marks
Industrial historian Richard will take us back to the Victorian age and forward into the 20th century in this talk.
12th May 2025 (Dorking)
“George Abbot: the Archbishop of Canterbury from Surrey” by Mary Alexander
According to the Guildford Dragon, George Abbot is “Guildford’s most famous person in our nation’s history”, and Mary, who’s just written a book about him, is just the person to help us decide if this is true.
16th September 2025 (Zoom)
“An Introduction to Mediaeval Buildings Myths “by James Wright
Details to follow
DLHG 