CODDINGTON HISTORY GROUP – SPEAKERS FOR 2024
We have a number of speakers this year, as follows:
Coddington History Group –
CHG is a membership group formed in 2003 by residents of Coddington Village near Newark in Nottinghamshire.
It is not exclusive to residents though and the idea behind the Group is to:
- bring together those interested in Coddington’s history and provide a forum and focus for village research
- collect and curate information about the village and its history (its people, institutions, buildings and environment), ensuring knowledge is retained for posterity and available in publications
- promote an interest in history (especially of local and family history) within the village by organising activities, talks and exhibitions for members and for local residents, visitors and Coddington School
- encourage the view that our heritage should be valued and preserved
- support other local and national groups with similar aims.
CODDINGTON HISTORY GROUP – AUTUMN 2023
Thursday 23 November at 7.30 – ‘Christmas Tales’ by Bob Massey
Historian, lecturer and founder member of Arnold Local History Group, Bob Massey will present an evening of stories of Christmas past, Christmas traditions and how they came about, and the Christmas Ghosts. Please note that this meeting is on the fourth Thursday of November instead of the third, to avoid a clash with Rob Foxon’s railway film show at the Palace Theatre.
Thursday 21 September at 7.30 – ‘The Women in their Lives’ by Richard Gaunt
A talk by Richard Gaunt about the women in the lives of the 4th and 5th Dukes of Newcastle. The 4th and 5th Dukes of Newcastle (1785-1851 and 1811-1864) were closely associated with Welbeck Abbey and Clumber Park. Richard Gaunt is Associate Professor in British History at the University of Nottingham. He is currently Chair of Council of the Thoroton Society of Nottinghamshire.
CODDINGTON HISTORY GROUP
Why not visit the History Group web page at www.coddington.org.uk
History Group News
Somewhat incredibly, this year is the 20th year since History Group was formed, hopefully we’ll be able to do something to mark the occasion.
Our monthly speaker meetings have been a bit unpredictable lately; in November we learnt two days beforehand that the speaker was in hospital! Rather than phone around in a panic, I decided we’d show our copy of the Lincoln-based ‘Blow by Blow Productions’ DVD “The Ruston in the Blue Lagoon” – the story of the rescue from a flooded brick quarry of the world’s oldest steam driven dragline excavator. Those of you who visited the Museum of Lincolnshire Life many moons ago will recall it rusting gently in the courtyard behind the museum. Good news is that now it’s restored again and can be seen working at Threlkeld Quarry and Mining Museum near Keswick. It’s an epic sight – and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the unexpected subject change of the evening. See www.threlkeldquarryandminingmuseum.co.uk.
As if that wasn’t enough, in January with one day’s notice – we discovered the speaker was off work sick! Luckily I had recently bought the next ‘Blow by Blow’ DVD “A Farmer Looks Back” – that we were yet to watch. It’s farmer Keith Toule’s recollections from 75 years of farming and even better it turned out to be a long DVD so I’ve still got some of it left for the next emergency!
On the plus side – it eases the job of finding speakers for the Autumn programme! Fingers crossed for the March speaker’s health and well-being, it’s the ever popular Stephen Gay with his wonderful slides (and they are slides not digital) and entertaining talk. Do come along.
Isobel Turner. Tel 708781, email iturner@coddington.org.uk
PREVIOUS SPEAKERS 2023
18th May
Professor John Beckett – “An explosion at Chilwell”. Explosion in a WW 1 shell factory.
20th April
Stephen Walker – “A thread in the web of Time”. How the cotton mills of Leen Valley were supplied with water.
16th March
Stephen Gay – “A Scenic Britain by Train”. A welcome return from Stephen who is always a very popular speaker with his beautifully illustrated talks.
16th February
Tim Coltman will be giving a talk on the life of William Coltman VC – the most decorated stretcher bearer in WW 1. He won his VC in 1918.
19th January
Emily Gillott gave a talk on “Fields in the Landscape”. How fields have changed over time. This was a welcome return from Emily who is a Community Archaeologist with the County Council.
