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Speaker season for 2024/2025
Our talks are held at our usual venue of St Marks Church Hall, Lincoln Road, PE1 2SN, to which NON-MEMBERS are welcome to attend, but please be aware we rely entirely on subscriptions and voluntary contributions to cover our expenses. We therefore request a donation of at least £5.00 per head is made for each non-member attendance, or this is waived if you join while at the meeting. Details of our subscription rates are on our Join Us page. Photographs from our 2023 summer visits (follow link) can be found further down the page.
14 October 2024 7.45pm - Parks and Gardens in our Landscape with Rev. David Bond, Local Historian
Rev. David Bond serves as Associate Priest of All Saints’ Church at Stamford and, religious duties aside, he is a highly regarded speaker on church history and landscape matters, and also a PCS member. We welcome him to our October meeting to speak on his chosen subject of “parks and gardens in our landscape”.
Within Peterborough, we have several examples of managed parklands, including Burghley and Milton Park, a pioneering civic park (Central Park), and a modern-day country park at Ferry Meadows, plus many other public open spaces and a multitude of gardens.
David states that his talk will cover “why we have so many different types of park, garden, and open space and how their story reflects not only our changing approach to the environment but how sometimes they have influenced the physical development of our towns and cities.”
11 November 2024 7.45pm - The History of Dovecotes with Colin Ray
In the middle-ages, storing a variety of foods through the winter months was always problematic, so it is not surprising that it became popular to keep domestic pigeons, giving access to tasty fresh meat throughout the year. This was fine if you were a lord of the manor, empowered to build and maintain your own dovecote, but not so great if you were a poor peasant fated to watch the voracious birds descend at regular intervals onto your own meagre patch of arable.
Ownership of a substantial dovecote containing hundreds of nest holes became a status symbol for wealthy landowners. These structures could be designed to serve as ornaments as well as meeting their primary function. Quite a few have survived, mostly at stately homes, and some have even acquired listed building status and National Trust ownership.
In 2022, as part of the Society’s summer visits, we went to John Clare Cottage, Helpston (see photos of the visit). At the rear is a surviving dovecote that has been slightly modified for other use, but the upper storey remains and, inside, the recesses that the doves used can still be seen.
To guide us through this curious byway of rural history, we are pleased to welcome Colin Ray, an acknowledged expert on the subject. Colin advises that he originated from a small village in Suffolk and has since lived and worked in London, Essex, and Northamptonshire with various local authorities. His particular professional interests relate to historic buildings and environmental improvements.
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9 December 2024 7.45pm - Stamford's Courts and Yards | |
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13 January 2025 7.45pm - Annual General Meeting followed by | |
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10 February 2025 7.45pm - Clare's Landscape and Ours | |
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10 March 2025 7.45pm |  |
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14 April 2025 7.45pm - Nene Park; Priorities for people and wildlife | |
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12 May 2025 7.45pm - Becoming the Bishop of Peterborough |
Completed talks
9 September 2024 7.45pm - The Challenge of Water Supply in the East of England
with Katie Atkin, Strategic Pipeline Alliance, Anglian Water Services Ltd
It’s exactly one hundred and fifty years since the then newly created Peterborough Corporation appointed Mr John Addy, aged 27, as their engineer to design the first public water supply for the city (an event marked by one of the Society’s blue plaques). At that time, local citizens faced the unenviable choice of drawing their water either from heavily polluted wells or from the equally insanitary river Nene.
Because of the efforts of Mr Addy and his successors, we have been spared such choices, enjoying a constant supply of clean water, backed up more recently by the construction of Grafham Water (1965) and Rutland Water (1975).
These investments have served us well, but they can no longer be considered adequate. An independent report published by Anglian Water last year, commissioned with Capital Economics, revealed that the East of England is set to become the country's most challenged water supply region outside London.
Projections from the Met Office show that the East of England will become hotter and drier in summer, and wetter in winter, and the region's population is set to grow with more than 720,000 new residents. In addition, there is a requirement to leave more water in precious environments, for example chalk streams. These factors mean that there is a pressing need to store winter water to cope with summer droughts. Anglian Water warn that unless bold action is taken, the demand for water will outstrip the available supply within the next decade. So, undoubtedly, we must face the need for further investment (and higher bills) to safeguard our water supply for the future.
Anglian Water is the prime mover in addressing these issues and, for this talk, we welcome Katie Atkin, Stakeholder and Customer Executive, for its Strategic Pipeline Alliance, which is constructing a major new pipeline from north Lincolnshire, via Peterborough, to Essex, to transfer water from north to south. Katie joined Anglian Water three years ago having previously worked for the Hays Group. She has a degree in English from Leeds Trinity University and a Diploma in Human Resources Management. Click photo montage below to enlarge.
Summer visits for 2024 (completed)
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RAF Wittering on a Wednesday in May 2.00pmThis visit was fully booked. cost £15.00 per personAfter the much valued talk by Shamus Reddin on 8 January they have kindly agreed to give us a guided tour of their museum at the base followed by refreshments in the Officers Mess. |
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Peterborough Broadway Cemetery and Central Park on a Wednesday in June 2.00pm - cost £15.00 per personThis visit was fully booked. Alan Peasgood of St. Marks Church has conducted highly interesting tours of Broadway Cemetery. We will start there and then walk to Central Park for a guided walk by Toby Wood / David Turnock, followed by afternoon tea in the Willow Cafe. |
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Kirby Hall on a Wednesday in July 2.00pmcost £18.00 per personThis visit was fully booked. We last visited Kirby Hall as a society in 2015, since when new visitor facilities have been opened by English Heritage. We have a guided tour, and will then go to the local village of Gretton at 4.00pm for afternoon refreshments at Lydia's Cafe in Gretton (English Heritage have no cafe at Kirby Hall). |
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Photos from the 2024 summer visits
Photos from RAF Wittering Heritage Museum and Wittering Church double click image to see full size
Here are some photos taken by Ian Webb (webmaster) and my thanks to the Heritage Museum for permitting the photos to be displayed on our website:-
RAF Wittering Heritage Museum
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All Saint's Church, Wittering
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Photos from Central Park and Broadway Cemetery
Toby Wood has written a booklet 'Central Park - an appreciation' to coincide with this visit, and describes it as an appreciation of, and introduction to, Central Park Peterborough, a place that Toby and his family have used and enjoyed over five generations. The booklet is a comprehensive and definite must read. There are many documents about the Park that have been written over the years, particularly by local historians such as Stephen Perry. The book is priced at £5.00 and can be ordered by clickng on the book cover to the right or print off and use our order form. |
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Here are some photos taken by Ian Webb (webmaster):-
Central Park double click image to see full size
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"Garden of Peace" - commemorative plaques located Sunken Garden
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Broadway Cemetery double click image to see full size
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Photos from visit to Kirby Hall
We had a lovely visit to Kirby Hall, blessed with excellent weather, and ably assisted by our English Heritage guide. We also were very lucky to be given access to the second floor 'attic' showing the substantial timbers of the roof (and also a bat colony), and to the basement used for maintenance of the building, areas not normally open to visitors. The visit being concluded by having a splendid spread of afternoon tea at Lydia's Coffee Shop at Gretton. Here are some photos taken by Ian Webb (webmaster) and my thanks to Engish Heritage for permitting the photos to be displayed on our website:-
Kirby Hall double click image to see full size
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Photos from the second floor (roof space) followed by basement area, both not normally open to visitors
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Peacocks at Kirby Hall
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Photos from our visits from past years can be found on our 'previous speakers and photos from past summer visits' page.
Previous speakers and photos from visits from past years
Follow the link for our previous speakers and their subjects, and photos from past summer visits.
Committee Meetings
Committee meetings are normally arranged on the first Monday of each month throughout the year, except January and May which are on the second Monday.
Summaries of the society's talks and accounts of its visits appear in our Annual Report. The contents of our most recent Annual Reports are listed here, some of which can be downloaded. To obtain a copy please write or email our Secretary.
page last changed 16 August 2024