Monthly Meetings
All meetings, which are open to members and non-members, are held on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:30pm in Lubenham Village Hall (unless otherwise stated) |
Membership fees are currently £15 per person per calendar year. The meeting fee is £1.50 for members and £3.50 for non-members. Membership can be renewed at any LHG meeting or contact our Treasurer.
Our Next Meeting
- 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 remarkable Victorian feat of engineering. Penny will explain why it was not a commercial success and only remained in full time operation for less than 11 years.
Penny will also share some stories of the people who built and operated the inclined plane boat lift.
Photos courtesy of Foxton Canal Museum.
Forthcoming Meetings
| DATE | MEETING TOPIC |
|---|---|
| Forthcoming meetings – 2025 – access a printable copy of the full 2025 programme | |
| Aug 12th | Foxton Inclined Plane Lift – Penny Arscott – on this amazing feat of Victorian engineering |
| Sep 9th | A History of Lubenham School – Rev Pip Clements – the interesting history of the local school |
| Oct 14th | Keeping the Faith at the Front During WWI – A return of the popular speaker Helen Frost |
| Nov 11th | The History and Work of the British Red Cross – Jayne Owens – the long and valuable work for humanity of the British Red Cross |
| Dec 9th | Change of plan – we now hope to have a talk on “Victorian Christmases”. |
| Previous 2025 meetings | |
| Jan 14th | Soups to Suspenders – Mike Stroud – the story of the two Symington brothers |
| Feb 11th | Bridgescapes – Bruce Keith A personal journey through history celebrating Scotland’s bridge building heritage |
| Feb 25th | ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING – in the Onyx Room |
| Mar 11th | Annual Quiz Night – The return of our popular General Knowledge Quiz |
| Apr 8th | Wildlife of Bradgate Park – Robb Doyle – on Managing the Wildlife of Bradgate Park |
| May 13th | Roman Leicestershire – Peter Liddle – includes the recent discovery in Rutland of an extraordinary Roman villa and mosaic |
| Jun 10th | The Pilgrim’s Way – Mike Burton – takes us on a journey with the medieval pilgrims – and the modern pilgrims – as they travel the ancient Pilgrims’ Way from Winchester to Canterbury. |
| Jul 8th | Bringing a Secret History up to date – Mark Temple – gives an insight with particular reference to the important role of Beaumanor Hall and Bletchley Park in WWII. |
| Previous 2024 meetings | |
| Jan 9th | The Land Army of World War I – Helen Frost the work of the Women’s Land Army in World War I |
| Feb 13th | The Battle of Naseby – Dr Len Holden The Harborough Movie Makers’ considerations when filming the Battle of Naseby |
| Feb 27th | Annual General Meeting |
| Mar 12th | Annual Quiz Night |
| Apr 9th | The Last Naval Hero (David, 1st Earl Beatty and the Battle of Jutland) |
| May 14th | A History of All Saints’ Church, Lubenham |
| June 11th | Edward and Eleanor in Geddington |
| July 9th | Three Heroes of Lutterworth (Rifleman William Green, Frank Whittle and John Wycliffe) |
| Aug 13th | A history of my house (members talk about their house in Lubenham) |
| Sep 10th | Spilling the Beans — a history of coffee |
| Oct 8th | Parks for the people — a history of the public park |
| Nov 12th | Conservation of Historic Buildings – Justin Webber |
| Dec 10th | A Canalside Winter – Mary Matts – recollections of canal life in winter |
Meetings in Previous Years
For details of past meetings, click on pages “2 to 7” below.