TALKS
The Society arranges talks at fortnightly intervals during the months of October to April.
The venue is the assembly hall at
Hythe Bay C of E Primary School,
Cinque Ports Avenue, Hythe. CT21 6HS
All talks are on Tuesdays: Doors open
at 7pm for a 7.30pm start.
Visitors are welcome.
Donations are invited: £2 from members, £4.00 from non-members.
Many of the talks have a particular relevance to Hythe, the local area and the county of Kent, but our programme is pretty eclectic and we try to cover most categories of interest such as the arts, biographies, technology, etc.
Talks last about an hour with an opportunity for questions at the end.
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2019 – 2020 PROGRAMME
8th October 2019 Vince Williams
The Pleasure Gardens Theatre Folkestone
Do you remember the variety shows and pantomimes?
Built in 1907 this magnificent building provided entertainment and culture for the people of Folkestone until it finally made way for a modern building to house an insurance company and eventually the local constabulary.
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22nd October Dr Ben Marsh
The History of Silk
The quest to make British silk in Kent and some of the bizarre experiments and theories which brought many mulberry trees and unfortunate silkworms to new locales.
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12th November Christoph Bull
Pocohontas: The non-Disney story
Pocohontas really did exist and is an incredibly important historical figure in the relations between the old world and the new. She is buried in Gravesend and what is generally believed to be her story is full of truths, half truths and complete nonsense.
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26th November Mary Smith
A Schoolgirl’s War
Mary Smith tells the story of school life in Kent in WW11. Her talk is illustrated with original paintings and drawings of pupils and staff in her school in Maidstone by a Kent art teacher.
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14th January 2020 Dr John Reuther
Rediscovering Roman London
In the1960s and 70s London began to expand and the rapidly erected buildings constructed after the war were replaced with buildings with deep foundations. There was a need to produce a team of amateurs to investigate any remains that would be destroyed for ever.
This talk tells the story.
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28th January Andrew Ashton
‘Goldenhurst’
The history of an ancient Kent Farmhouse in Aldington and its countless celebrity connections, from Noel Coward to Julian Clary.
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11th February Dr Juliette Pattinson
The Home Front
The Blitz and propaganda, civilian men and women and evacuation.
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25th February Martin Crowther
The History of Toys and Games
Discover historic toys and games from ones found in Tutankhamun’s tomb to those of your own childhood. A fun, interactive talk with real and replica toys to investigate.
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10th March Imogen Corrigan FRSA
The Bayeux Tapestry
Who made it and why? It depicts the most famous battle in English History and a moral story showing that good cannot come to those who break their word. A story of kings, chivalry and ambitionanda turning point in our history.
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24th March Capt. Laverick-Smith
The Lady and the Mountain
The story of the speaker’s attempts to climb the Matterhorn in Switzerland and the courageous young lady he met in the process.
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14th April Wendy Fraser
Secrets Beneath Sienna
Ms Fraser lived in Italy for many years working as a tour guide and will tell us of the amazing medieval architecture that lies beneath the streets of this city.
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28th April Chris McCooey
Heroes: brave resourceful and true.
Adventurers, daredevils, saints and sinners. Everyday heroes and service men and women of Kent and Sussex whose stories enrich our own lives and make us all proud.
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A review of last season’s programme can be seen Here
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