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Previous Speakers
For details of our current speakers (or summer visits depending on time of year) please go to our talks and visits page. If you are not a member of the Society then please do join us, the larger our membership the more influence we can bring over matters of concern. Follow link for visits photos from past years
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Past speakers from season 2025/2026
September | Ajay Tegala, Ranger and TV Presenter - The unique life of a Blakeney Point Coastal Ranger |
October | Pep Cipriano, Chief Operating Officer, Peterborough Positive - Peterborough Positive - its role and aspirations |
November | Mark Grist, poet, performer and teacher - From Teaching to Battle Rapping and Performance |
December | Jacquie Mooney, General Manager, Flag Fen - Flag Fen Futures 10 year plan |
January | Nigel Lowey, speaker on history, architecture and design - Great Scott - Britain's most prolific architect |
February | Paul Chamberlain, historian - Norman Cross and the Arts and Crafts of Prisoners of War |
March | Professor Carenza Lewis, archaeologist and TV presenter - Triumph and Disaster: archaeological insights into life in the medieval countryside |
April | Matt Jackson, Conservation Director, Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and Northamptonshire - The Great Fen Project: an update |
May | Liz Davies, historian - Kill or Cure? Dr T J Walker, Victorian Surgeon |
Past speakers from season 2024/2025
September | Kate Atkins, Strategic Pipeline Alliance, Anglian Water Services Ltd - The Challenge of Water Supply in the East of England |
October | Rev. David Bond, local historian - Parks and Gardens in our Landscape |
November | Colin Ray - The History of Dovecotes |
December | Philippa Massey, historian of Stamford - Stamford's Courts and Yards |
January | Professor Stephen Upex, Institute of Continuing Education, Cambridge University - Antiquarian or Archaeologist> Edmund Tyrell Artis (1789-1847), his life and work around Peterborough |
February | Richard Astle, chair of Langdyke Countryside Trust - Clare's Landscape and Ours |
March | Dr Rob Larter, Marine Geophysicist, British Antarctic Survey |
April | Chris Rollason, Conservation Manager and Duncan Bridges, Head of Land & Environment, both of Nene Park Trust - Nene Park: Priorities for people and wildlife |
May | Right Reverend Debbie Sellin, Bishop of Peterborough - Becoming the Bishop of Peterborough |
Past speakers from season 2023/2024
September | Kate Hall, Creative Producer, Jumped Up Theatre - Culture & The Arts in Peterborough: Where we are, where we should be |
October | Alan Stubbs, vice president, Buglife, The Invertebrate Conservation Trust - Saving the small creatures that run the Earth - we depend on them |
November | David Lowndes, Press Photographer - Fifty years at the Peterborough Telegraph ... and beyond |
December | Darren Sharpe, Natural & Historic Environment Manager, Peterborough City Council - The Strategy and Plan for Managing Peterborough's Trees and Green Spaces |
January | Shamus Reddin, 2 Mechanical Transport Squadron, RAF Wittering - RAF Wittering, a Z-A of defending the UK from Zeppelins to Atomic Ware and 100 years of everything in between |
February | Gemma Cook, Assistant Director of Operations, Cross Keys Homes - Delivering Social Housing in Peterborough |
March | Dr Anna Keay OBE, Director of the Landmark Trust - Living Landmarks : buildings and history past and present |
April | Tansey Castledine, Director of Music, Peterborough Cathedral - Reaching the High Notes: Cathedral Music in our Time |
May | Chris Cooper, Peterborough Cycle Forum and Matt Barber, Head of Partnerships, Midland and East Sustrans - Peterborough, a cycling city? |
Past speakers from season 2022/2023
September | Helen Jones, manager of Peterborough CAB - History and the work of the Citizens Advice Bureau |
October | Dr Francis Prior - The Fens |
November | Matt Gladstone - Vision for Peterborough |
December | Stuart Orme - Cromwell did not cancel Christmas |
January | Geoff Sayers - History of Peterborough Volunteer Fire Brigade |
February | Dr Janina Ramirez - Femina: A New History of the Middle Ages Through the Women Written Out of It |
March | Dr Avril Lumley-Prior - The Mineral Water Manufacturers of Peterborough, circa 1846-1993 |
April | Nicola Oldfield - Following in Vermuyden's Footsteps |
May | David Pennell, Chief Executive, Burghley House Preservation Trust - Update on latest projects of Burghley Estates |
Past speakers from season 2021/2022
September | Tom Hennessy, Director, Opportunity Peterborough - Peterborough Exciting Developments 2021 |
October | David Stazicker, Trustee of the Cambridgeshire Historic Churches Trust - Cambridgeshire Historic Churches in the Peterborough area and the work of the Trust |
November | David D'Arcy - D'Arcy Jewellers, Peterborough's Oldest Shop |
December | Chris Carr, Briga and friends - Yule logs and Boy Bishops, a look at Medieval Christmas Customs |
January | Brian Keegan - Peterborough Bridges |
February | Richard Astle - John Clare Countryside: Enhancing Peterborough's Rural, Natural and Built Heritage |
March | Ken Otter - The Stamford Canal - the earliest canal in England |
April | Stephen Oliver, Cathedral Architect - Developments at Peterborough Cathedral |
May | Mahmood Foroughi, Senior Responsible Officer for Higher Education at the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, and acting ARU Programme Director - A Peterborough university update |
2020/2021
With the continuing lock-down due to the Coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic, all social activity remained suspended, so our speaker season could not start as intended from September 2020 at St Marks Church hall. With around 80% of our membership having internet access, and to try and get back to some normality, with the co-operation of our speakers we investigated possibility of setting up virtual talks that our members could join remotely through Zoom, and these successfully commenced from January 2021.
January | Stuart Orme, curator of the Cromwell Museum - Oliver Cromwell |
February | Dr Liz Davies, curator of St Neots Museum - Victorian Crime and Punishment |
March | Toby Wood, vice-chair of our Society - Peterborough's Blue Plaques Phase 2 |
2019/2020
September | Marcus Horrell - The Horrell Family in Peterborough |
October | Professor Susan Oosthuizen - The Emergence of the English |
November | Julie Spence OBE QPN Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire - The Role and Duties of the Lord Lieutenant |
December | Michael Lee - The Bells of Henry Penn |
January | Tom Grimes, Chair of SGS Trustees - Three Hundred Years of the Spalding Gentlemen's Society |
February | Kate Carver, Project Manager of the Great Fen Project - The Great Fen Project |
March | Steven Pettican, Light Project Manager - The Light Project in Peterborough and Homelessness in Peterborough |
Talks for April and May, and future social activity suspended due to Coronavirus pandemic Covid-19 lock-down
2018/2019
September | Charlie Kitchin of RSPB Nene Washes Reserve - Breeding Birds, Grazing and Flood Management in the Washes |
October | Dr Jonathan Foyle - Peterborough Cathedral - a Glimpse of Heaven |
November | Dr Francis Pryor - Britain's Hidden Landscapes |
December | Dr Mike Osborne - The Civil War in the Fens |
January | Dr Melissa Thompson - 70 Years of Listed Buildings |
February | Brian White - The Travelling Post Office and 40 Years of Nene Valley Railway |
March | Jed Jaggard - The Roman Soldier from Invasion to Withdrawl |
April | Mike Petty - Vanishing Cambridgeshire |
May | Jan Hunt - Ely Cathedral - its History and Symbolism |
2017/2018
September | James Fairburn of Oxford Archaeology East - Excavation of Spitfire X4593, Holme Fen |
October | Reverend Peter Morrell - The Russell Family of Thornhaugh and links with Thorney |
November | James Palmer, Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority |
December | Kevin Trickett, President of the Wakefield Civic Society - Remaking of Wakefield Civic Society |
January | Mark Knight, site director of Must Farm excavation - The pile dwellings of Must Farm |
February | June and Vernon Bull - History of St John the Baptist Parish Church |
March | Jill Collinge, Stamford town Blue Badge guide - The Jewel in the Crown (the history of Stamford) |
April | Veronica Bennett, National Trust speaker - The Gardens of the National Trust |
2016/2017
October | Stuart Orme, Head of Operations, Peterborough Cathdral |
November | David Bond, lecturer - 'Church Towers in the Landscape' |
December | Sue Knight, Holme historian - 'Holmewood Hall - its history and surroundings' |
January | Paul Chamberlain, author and historian - 'The Napoeleonic Prisoner of War Camp at Norman Cross' |
February | David Crawford White of Oxford Archaeology East - 'The Romans of Fane Road, Peterborough' |
March | Philip Parker, Environmental Consultant - 'The natural hsitory of Whittlesey Brick Pits' |
April | David Reeve, formerly of the Royalty Protection Squad - 'Recollections from protecting our Royals at Sandringham' |
2015/2016
October | Ian Harvey, Campaigns Manager for Civic Voice - 'Civic Voice and the civic movement nationally' |
November | Richard Hunt, Peterborough Archives Manager - 'Unbuilt Peterborough -unrealised plans for the city' |
December | Liz Knight, Academic Director of University Centre Peterborough - 'University Centre, Peterborough Five Years On' |
January | Mark Edwards, Editor at Peterborough Telegraph - 'Is there room for a local newspaper in this modern world?' |
February | David Pennell, Estates Director for Burghley Estate - 'The Burghley House Estate' |
March | Toby Wood, Vice-chairman of Peterborough Civic Society - 'Peterborough Blue Plaque project' |
April | Neil Mitchell, local historian - 'Reminders of Peterborough in the 1960s and 1970s' |
2014/2015
October | Edward Hamilton of Amey - 'Can't see the Cathedral for the trees' (tree management in Peterborough) |
November | David Grech of English Heritage - 'The new role of English Heritage in Peterborough' |
December | Roger Coulthard of Baker Perkins Historical Society - 'The Hisotry of Baker Perkins' |
January | Neil Mitchell, local historian - 'The Life and Works of John Thompson - builder' (see our plaque) |
February | Paul Hutton OBE of William Scott Abbott Trust - 'Recent developments at Sacrewell Farm and Nene Park Trust' |
March | David Gray, author - 'Peterborough men killed in the Great War' |
2013/2014
October | Sir Graham Bright, Cambridgeshire Police & Crime Commissioner |
November | His Honour Judge Christopher Young - 'The Crown Court of Peterborough and its origins' |
December | Neil Mitchell, Local historian - 'Peterborough Tram History' |
January | Annette Joyce, City Centre Forum manager - 'Peterborough City Centre Plans & Tourism' |
February | Richard Hillier, Archivist at Vivacity |
March | Paul Smith, Archivist at Thomas Cook -'Thomas Cook and the origins of Popular Tourism' |
page last changed 9 June 2026