Hopefully you will have already visited Spelthorne Museum in Staines, but if not you are missing a treat! Next time you are in Staines, ome and find us, just through Staines library.
A treasure trove of history Read More »
As many of you will know from my last article, June saw several commemorations locally of the 800th Anniversary of Magna Carta. My experience of the celebrations began on the evening of Friday 12th, with a reception at Bisham Abbey for Charter Bearers who had been nominated to carry a copy of Magna Carta in the River Relay from Hurley to Runnymede over the weekend.
My Mad Magna Carta Weekend! Read More »
As I write this article, the old Ship Hotel, (more recently called Harrison’s) is being demolished to make way for a block of flats. It’s a sad end for another of our old hostelries, in this case dating back at least 300 years.
Goodbye to the ‘Ship’ Read More »
The photograph of the PIM works at Sunbury Cross dates from just over a century ago, and shows the factory originally established in the late 19th century by Frederick Walton, inventor of Linoleum floor covering.
The PIM Board Works, Sunbury Read More »
This fascinating 1930s postcard of the Church Square area shows how much has changed in the intervening 80 years or so.
Shepperton from the air c1930 Read More »
On the face of it this 1950s postcard of Shepperton War Memorial doesn’t look a lot different to the present day, but closer inspection reveals quite a few changes.
Shepperton High Street c1950s Read More »
I recently went to see the installation ‘Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red’ at the Tower of London, which will see 888,246 ceramic poppies planted in the Tower’s moat, each poppy representing a British military fatality during the war.
Remembrance in Shepperton Read More »
The craftsmen and women at Shepperton Studios are famous for their ability to create scenery and models for film and TV, during World War Two however, their predecessors put these same skills to a more vital use.
Decoy and Deception at the Studios Read More »
September always seems to be a busy month for heritage in our area, so this month I thought I would highlight several events and anniversaries.
2014 sees the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Thames Valley Railway, the original rather grandiose name for the branch line from Strawberry Hill to Shepperton.
A Busy Month For Heritage! Read More »
The First World War began for this country on August 4th 1914 when Britain declared war on Germany, for invading neutral Belgium. As in many other communities all over the country, the war had a profound effect on our local towns and villages.
The Centenary of the First World War Read More »
Gilbert and Sullivan are of course best known for the series of comic light operas which bear their names, but the man whose knowledge of the music business brought them together and made the partnership work (not always an easy task) was Richard D’Oyly Carte
Gilbert and Sullivan and D’Oyly Carte Island Read More »
St. Nicholas Church, Shepperton, this year celebrates the 400th anniversary of the present building being consecrated.
St. Nicholas Church 400th Anniversary Read More »
No, not another term for ‘ladies who lunch’ or perhaps more recently, those for whom waders or wellies are the latest ‘look’. The Shepperton woman in question is the oldest known inhabitant of the area, who lived here 5,500 years ago.
