Towcester and District Local History Society monthly meetings

Meetings are on the second Wednesday of every month, except August, starting at 7.30pm unless informed otherwise.

Meetings will be hybrid meetings, both live and by Zoom. Members and visitors can attend the live meeting at the Sawpits Centre, Towcester. Members who want to join remotely are given the Zoom information.

Refreshments at the monthly meetings are included. Apart from the main speaker there may be extra events such as short talks, or a discussion group on a topic related to Towcester heritage that you may join at the end of the main meeting.

There is some parking at the Sawpits Centre, but please leave that for people with limited mobility. There is more parking a short distance away at the Richmond Road Car Park or at the Sponne Arcade car park.

Meetings are free for members, and £5.00 for visitors. Annual membership is £15.00.

11 March 2026
Annual General Meeting
Followed by "Growing up in the 1950s and 1960s"
Paul Howard
Photographs, including things that we used to play with, used to eat, school, transport films, TV and radio.

8 April 2026
Virginia Bradford - From Silent Screen to a Field in England
Andy Tennet
The ever-popular Andy Tennet returns, this time with the story of Virginia Bradford, a silent film actress who led an amazingly colourful life. From starting off as a reporter, a young starlet of Hollywood and at the end of her acting career moving to England and living in Tiffield for a while. Come along and hear about her many adventures including several husbands!

13 May 2026
A County of Squires and Spires
Derek Blunt
Do you remember when coach companies organized “Mystery Tours” on a Sunday evening? Tonight we’re going to imagine being on one of those and take a whistle stop tour around some of the County’s towns and picturesque villages.

10 June 2026
Northamptonshire Transport in the Past
Jon-Paul Carr
How did our ancestors or even us as youngsters travel in days gone by? Jon-Paul Carr from the Northamptonshire Heritage Forum makes a return visit to tell us more.

8 July 2026
Summer Meeting
A History Walk for members with Brian Giggins

9 September 2026
Northamptonshire Murders and Mysteries
Kevin Varty
The nights are beginning to draw in so the perfect time for the stories of two intriguing murders and a ghost story.

14 October 2026
City of London Livery Companies and the Cordwainers
Judith Millidge
Former Master of the Worshipful Company of Cordwainers, Judith Milledge presents a talk about the livery companies of the City of London and the history of the footwear industry.

11 November 2026
100 years of Towcester in Photographs
Paul Isaac
Committee member Paul Isaac has been busy working through the History Society archives and has put together a wonderful selection of photographs of the town spanning the last 100 years for everyone to enjoy.

9 December 2026
Sir Ralph Verney
Niki Miles
Sir Ralph Verney of Claydon House & the practicalities of living abroad during the Civil War and Interregnum (1643-1653). This talk explores the challenges and changes of living in France and touring part of Europe, including looking at travel, servants, food, housing and family relationships.

13 January 2027
The Harpole Treasure
Dr Claire Finn (MOLA)
In 2022 while excavating an Iron Age field system on the edge of Northampton, MOLA made an incredible discovery – an isolated 7th-century Saxon bed burial, which has been described as one of the most significant burials ever found. While the eye-catching gold, garnet and glass necklace from the grave with its spectacular cross pendant has been the centre of attention, there’s far more that these finds and the grave itself still have to tell us about the individual who was buried here and what their life was like. Dr Claire Finn, Head of Specialists at MOLA, will present an overview of the discoveries and discuss some of the key findings that the first two years of post-excavation laboratory investigations have uncovered.

10 February 2027
Wynne Bassett-LowkeRob Kendall
Fitness for the Purpose – the life and times of Wynne Bassett-Lowke. A follow-up talk from June last year. This talk concerns the “before and after 78 Derngate” and more detail about his passion for design and the model-making business.

10 March 2027 - AGM