October 8th — PARKS FOR THE PEOPLE: A HISTORY OF THE PUBLIC PARK Using local examples, Abbey Park Blue Badge guide Steve Bruce discusses the history and development of the public park. Using local examples, Abbey Park Blue Badge guide Steve Bruce discusses the history and development of the public park. <<Return to 2024 meetings contents list
Spilling the Beans: A history of Coffee Our love affair with the coffee bean goes back several centuries, before becoming a popular drink on the high street and at home. In the 17th century it was believed that coffee had medicinal properties; in the 1600’s Pope Clement gave his permission for Catholics to drink it and the first Coffee House opened in England. Next month we welcome back popular speaker Sandy Leong to get our taste buds tingling! At previous
In the past we have covered the larger, grand and historic houses of the area but what about the ‘unsung’ houses – the ordinary homes where most of us live? At the August meeting we will look at a few more of these houses with current residents sharing the history and stories behind the front door! <<Return to 2024 meetings contents list
Most villages and towns have their local heroes, some of whom we celebrate at Remembrance and on other occasions. Lutterworth is no exception to this. Rifleman William Green served in the Napoleonic Wars. His memoirs of 10 years service in the British Army are one of the few accounts by an enlisted man and has served as a primary source for many historians. He died in 1881 aged 96. John Wycliffe was an influential and controversial 14th century scholar and theologian best
Kam Caddell explores the association of Edward I and his wife Eleanor of Castile Most of us have seen the famous Eleanor Cross at nearby Geddington, one of the few surviving which were erected by Edward I in memory of his beloved wife Eleanor. The crosses marked the nightly resting-places when her body was transported from Harby, where she died, to Westminster Abbey. However, perhaps what is less well known is that Edward and Eleanor were very familiar with this area,