Category Archives: Meetings

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

Roman Leicestershire – 13th May 2025

Peter Liddle MBE, former County Archaeologist, joins us in May to tell us about the fascinating Roman finds recently discovered nearby. Roman Leicestershire has been the subject of study for centuries but the last few decades have seen a massive step forward in our understanding with field walking, geophysics and excavation all contributing. The Rutland Villa with its amazing mosaics has given us an unprecedented view of a rich site but three sites recently excavated between Lubenham and Harborough have helped

Bridgescapes – 11th February 2025

Bridgescapes - L Bruce Keith

We extend a warm welcome to Bruce Keith who will take us on a personal illustrated journey through history celebrating Scotland’s bridge-building heritage. For us a bridge can consist of a simple plank of wood over a stream, or more complex structures from stone arched bridges to civil engineering marvels such as the Forth Bridge or more recent concrete and stainless-steel reinforced structures, such as the Skye Bridge. Click on the image to see more Scottish bridges. <<Return to meetings contents

A Canal-side Winter – December 10th

On Tuesday 10th December, our canal-side friend and member Mary Matts, together with John Butlin, Bernard Rice, Phil and Deborah, provided a stunning meeting. They created an engaging presentation, which covered the trials and tribulations of living on the canals during the winter. The talk provided some wonderful images of canal life in winter and was coupled with a seasonal illustrated celebration of stories, along with music and songs. To see most of the images captured from Foxton and its surrounds,

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