Category Archives: Current News

Bringing a Secret History up to date – 7th July 2025 – Mark Temple

In 1941 M.I.8 set up a project, under the direction of Churchill’s war office, to establish wireless intelligence (W.I or Y) stations in over 30 locations all over the country. Their job was to intercept communications being sent between enemy forces across Europe. Beaumanor was generally regarded as the most important of these stations transcribing and sending coded messages down to Bletchley Park in the hope they could be deciphered. It was an operation that Churchill later said contributed greatly

April 2025 Newsletter

The April newsletter contains articles on:
+ The May meeting when Peter Liddle will talk on “Roman Leicestershire”.
+ The Members only trips to:
+ Snibston Colliery on 29th April, and
+ A guided visit to Melton Mowbray on 20th June.
+ Changes to the June and September meetings.
+ A request for a member to help by producing the monthly newsletter.

Click link for further details and to access a copy of the newsletter.

Melton Mowbray Visit – 20th June 2025

Melton Mowbray is a charming town famous for its pork pies and stilton cheese. It has a rich history of royal connections, hunting traditions, and rural heritage and the town’s medieval church, historic market, and the fascinating museum are all worthy of a visit.  Consequently, we have booked a guided walk for Members on Friday 20th June at 2.00pm.  More details to follow.

Foxton Inclined Plane Boat Lift – 12th August 2025 – Penny Arscott

Penny Arscott is the Manager of Foxton Canal Museum located in the reconstructed Boiler House, which once powered the Foxton Boat Lift. In her engaging illustrated talk, Penny explores the fascinating history of the world’s first transverse inclined plane boat lift which opened in 1900  (initially to replace Foxton Locks) as a quicker alternative to the locks system on the once busy Grand Union Canal. Using photographs from the archives, she will explain both the successes, challenges and failures of this

The Pilgrim’s Way – 9th June 2025 – Mike Burton

Journey with the medieval pilgrims – and the modern pilgrims – as they travel the ancient Pilgrims’ Way from Winchester to Canterbury. It’s their adventure of a lifetime. On the way they tell tales and visit places of interest. The excitement of the journey increases as they near the great cathedral which houses the relics of the “holy blissful martyr.” Our speaker, Mike Burton, is a former journalist and teacher who worked for 16 years as a newspaper journalist and editor, and

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