Talks 2020 - 2021
Because of COVID-19 (coronavirus), our talks have been suspended until at least June 2020. Please check here again late in May. Updated 23rd March 2020.
Dereham Heritage Trust
Trinity Methodist Church, Dereham
Talks are held at Trinity Methodist Church Hall, Theatre Street, Dereham, NR19 2EP at 7.30pm unless otherwise stated. See below for details of an interesting variety of talks.
Admission for each evening talk is £1 for members and £3 for non-members. Visitors are always welcome, with the fee payable on the door.
Our next talk is on Wednesday 8th April Cancelled
Digging Sedgeford: 25 Years of Archaeological Research in a Typical Norfolk Parish
The Sedgeford Historical & Archaeological Research Project (SHARP) was formed in 1996 and is now one of the country’s longest-running archaeological projects. Over the past 25 years, SHARP has been excavating and researching all aspects of human settlement activity within the parish; from a Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age burial through to a First World War aerodrome. The main focus of the project has been an Anglo-Saxon settlement and associated cemetery, to which we can now add the exciting discovery of a complex of Anglo-Saxon malting houses.
Speaker: Gary Rossin
Admission for each evening talk is £1 for members and £3 for non-members. Visitors are always welcome, with the fee payable on the door.
Our next talk is on Wednesday 8th April Cancelled
Digging Sedgeford: 25 Years of Archaeological Research in a Typical Norfolk Parish
The Sedgeford Historical & Archaeological Research Project (SHARP) was formed in 1996 and is now one of the country’s longest-running archaeological projects. Over the past 25 years, SHARP has been excavating and researching all aspects of human settlement activity within the parish; from a Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age burial through to a First World War aerodrome. The main focus of the project has been an Anglo-Saxon settlement and associated cemetery, to which we can now add the exciting discovery of a complex of Anglo-Saxon malting houses.
Speaker: Gary Rossin
Trinity Methodist Church Hall, Theatre Street, Dereham, NR19 2EP
Programme of Events 2020 - 21
Wednesday 8 April Cancelled
Digging Sedgeford: 25 Years of Archaeological Research in a Typical Norfolk Parish
The Sedgeford Historical & Archaeological Research Project (SHARP) was formed in 1996 and is now one of the country’s longest-running archaeological projects. Over the past 25 years, SHARP has been excavating and researching all aspects of human settlement activity within the parish; from a Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age burial through to a First World War aerodrome. The main focus of the project has been an Anglo-Saxon settlement and associated cemetery, to which we can now add the exciting discovery of a complex of Anglo-Saxon malting houses.
Speaker: Gary Rossin
Wednesday 13 May Cancelled
Making tracks through Mid-Norfolk
A fully illustrated talk that will trace the history of a railway that once brought prosperity to Dereham and Mid-Norfolk, and now does so again. What brought the railway in the first place? How did it develop? What led to its eventual demise after almost a century and a half? And how come part of that same railway now attracts many thousands of visitors each year, from across the UK and beyond? It's an interesting story...
Speaker: Dr Patrick Anstey
Wednesday 10 June
The Norwich Castle: Gateway to Medieval England Project
The Norwich Castle: Gateway to Medieval Project is a major capital development that will transform the visitor offer at Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery, showcasing one of Europe’s finest medieval buildings. The project will deliver full accessibility to all levels of the Keep including the battlements. It will create dynamic new interpretation of this iconic Norfolk building, the centrepiece of which will be a new permanent British Museum Partnership Gallery. The project will have museum-wide impact, creating new visitor entrances, café and retail spaces and improving the facilities for schools and other specialist groups. Supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, this exciting capital redevelopment is complemented by a four year programme of activities and events that will engage with both existing and new audiences across Norfolk and beyond.
Speaker: Dr Robin Hanley, Assistant Head of Museums,
Norfolk Museums Service
Wednesday 8 July
Links with the past
Speaker: Jonathan Boston
Wednesday 12 August
Narborough Bone Mill
The talk comprises of a brief history of navigation on the river Nar and a pictorial talk on the preservation of the Narborough Bone Mill following a Heritage Lottery grant awarded in 2015. The project has created many mysteries - were human bones really processed at the Bone Mill??
Speaker: Graeme Brown
Wednesday 9 September
19th century industrial activity in Norfolk and its market towns
Although this county fortuitously missed out on the heavy “metal-bashing” industry of northern England, Norfolk had a huge range of smaller scale but widespread industries. This talk investigates the extent of and influences on activity in five market towns. Were industries sited to access locally available resources? Was a specific geographical location or proximity to large urban centres important? Or were local entrepreneurs the driving forces?
Speaker: Adrian O’dell
Wednesday 14 October
Annual Dinner to be confirmed
Wednesday 11 November
Armstrong’s Dereham
Benjamin Armstrong was vicar of Dereham from 19850-1888 and while here kept detailed diaries not only covering all aspects of his family and religious life, but also the development of Dereham in the years following the arrival of the railway. This lecture will use the diaries to illustrate the many changes in the town and some of the notable characters who lived here during Victoria's reign.
Speaker: Susanna Wade Martins
Wednesday 9 December
Thatchers and Thackers, Larwoods and Fleggs: surname maps as windows on the past
Surname maps can give interesting insights on where our medieval ancestors came from; they can give surprising clues on how the names originated, and even on the distribution of medieval dialects. There are a few well-known common names, but most names are astonishingly rare. We hope that in this talk people will be able to investigate the distribution of their own surname.
Speaker: Trevor Ogden
Wednesday 13 January 2021
Maud’s Story – the life of a Norfolk Trading Wherry
The talk covers the early history of the Norfolk Trading Wherry Maud, her rescue, restoration and current use. During the talk you will learn about the part Norfolk wherries played in the transport history of the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads and you will hear how volunteers get involved in preserving and sailing these boats today.
Speaker: Linda Pargeter
Digging Sedgeford: 25 Years of Archaeological Research in a Typical Norfolk Parish
The Sedgeford Historical & Archaeological Research Project (SHARP) was formed in 1996 and is now one of the country’s longest-running archaeological projects. Over the past 25 years, SHARP has been excavating and researching all aspects of human settlement activity within the parish; from a Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age burial through to a First World War aerodrome. The main focus of the project has been an Anglo-Saxon settlement and associated cemetery, to which we can now add the exciting discovery of a complex of Anglo-Saxon malting houses.
Speaker: Gary Rossin
Wednesday 13 May Cancelled
Making tracks through Mid-Norfolk
A fully illustrated talk that will trace the history of a railway that once brought prosperity to Dereham and Mid-Norfolk, and now does so again. What brought the railway in the first place? How did it develop? What led to its eventual demise after almost a century and a half? And how come part of that same railway now attracts many thousands of visitors each year, from across the UK and beyond? It's an interesting story...
Speaker: Dr Patrick Anstey
Wednesday 10 June
The Norwich Castle: Gateway to Medieval England Project
The Norwich Castle: Gateway to Medieval Project is a major capital development that will transform the visitor offer at Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery, showcasing one of Europe’s finest medieval buildings. The project will deliver full accessibility to all levels of the Keep including the battlements. It will create dynamic new interpretation of this iconic Norfolk building, the centrepiece of which will be a new permanent British Museum Partnership Gallery. The project will have museum-wide impact, creating new visitor entrances, café and retail spaces and improving the facilities for schools and other specialist groups. Supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, this exciting capital redevelopment is complemented by a four year programme of activities and events that will engage with both existing and new audiences across Norfolk and beyond.
Speaker: Dr Robin Hanley, Assistant Head of Museums,
Norfolk Museums Service
Wednesday 8 July
Links with the past
Speaker: Jonathan Boston
Wednesday 12 August
Narborough Bone Mill
The talk comprises of a brief history of navigation on the river Nar and a pictorial talk on the preservation of the Narborough Bone Mill following a Heritage Lottery grant awarded in 2015. The project has created many mysteries - were human bones really processed at the Bone Mill??
Speaker: Graeme Brown
Wednesday 9 September
19th century industrial activity in Norfolk and its market towns
Although this county fortuitously missed out on the heavy “metal-bashing” industry of northern England, Norfolk had a huge range of smaller scale but widespread industries. This talk investigates the extent of and influences on activity in five market towns. Were industries sited to access locally available resources? Was a specific geographical location or proximity to large urban centres important? Or were local entrepreneurs the driving forces?
Speaker: Adrian O’dell
Wednesday 14 October
Annual Dinner to be confirmed
Wednesday 11 November
Armstrong’s Dereham
Benjamin Armstrong was vicar of Dereham from 19850-1888 and while here kept detailed diaries not only covering all aspects of his family and religious life, but also the development of Dereham in the years following the arrival of the railway. This lecture will use the diaries to illustrate the many changes in the town and some of the notable characters who lived here during Victoria's reign.
Speaker: Susanna Wade Martins
Wednesday 9 December
Thatchers and Thackers, Larwoods and Fleggs: surname maps as windows on the past
Surname maps can give interesting insights on where our medieval ancestors came from; they can give surprising clues on how the names originated, and even on the distribution of medieval dialects. There are a few well-known common names, but most names are astonishingly rare. We hope that in this talk people will be able to investigate the distribution of their own surname.
Speaker: Trevor Ogden
Wednesday 13 January 2021
Maud’s Story – the life of a Norfolk Trading Wherry
The talk covers the early history of the Norfolk Trading Wherry Maud, her rescue, restoration and current use. During the talk you will learn about the part Norfolk wherries played in the transport history of the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads and you will hear how volunteers get involved in preserving and sailing these boats today.
Speaker: Linda Pargeter
All Talks at Trinity Methodist Church Hall,
Theatre Street, Dereham,
NR19 2EP
at 7.30pm
Admission is £1 for members of Dereham Heritage Trust and £3 for non-members. Refreshments are included. Visitors are always welcome, with the fee payable on the door.
Theatre Street, Dereham,
NR19 2EP
at 7.30pm
Admission is £1 for members of Dereham Heritage Trust and £3 for non-members. Refreshments are included. Visitors are always welcome, with the fee payable on the door.
