Meetings & Programmes
Under normal circumstances, the Friends hold ten meetings a year when the guest speaker usually covers a local history subject. The meetings are on the third Thursday evening of most months in the Archaeology Gallery at the Museum in Market Place, Basingstoke. The doors are opened between 7.10 and 7.30 with the meeting commencing at 7.35.
There is a short break after the talk when tea and coffee are usually available for a nominal amount and there is the opportunity to take part in our raffle for attractive prizes.
Nearby car parking costs £2.20 for the evening after 7pm.
Admission is FREE for Members. Once again a limited number of Guests can attend the meetings. Guests will have to pre-book by phoning the Museum on 01256 465902 (daytime) at least twenty four hours in advance.
A small admission charge of £3.00 per person is payable at the door. This £3.00 can be used towards a full membership fee of just £12.00 for the year if you join the Friends on the night. This ensures that you will have a seat at all future meetings without the need to pre-book.
Next Friends Meeting
Friends of the Willis Museum Talks Programme
2023-2024
July 18th 2024 - Ian Porter
Historic Greenwich
This is the history of my home town. You hear how it started with the building of a great Tudor Palace and we continue through The Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich Mean Time and other great history right through to the recent Olympics.
September 19th - Prof. Mike Fulford
Iron Age and Roman Silchester
The talk aims to provide a context for the ‘Becoming Roman – Silchester a changing town’ exhibition in the Sainsbury Gallery of the Willis Museum. It will describe the results of the recent excavations inside and outside the town and some of the insights provided by the ongoing research on the finds.
October 17th - AGM
AGM for all members Followed by 'Jane Austen in her own words'
Members of FoWM Committee give a selection of readings written by Jane Austen.
November 21st - Natalie Larner
Captain John Aidan Liddell VC
Captain Liddell, whose family lived at Sherfield Manor, now Sherfield School, for many years, was killed following an enemy aircraft attack on July 31, 1915. He was with the Royal Flying Corps and served as a pilot flying RE5 aircraft when, on July 31, 1915, whilst flying on a reconnaissance mission, suffered serious injuries from an enemy aircraft attack. The 27-year-old died of his injuries on August 31, 1915 and was buried in the Holy Ghost Cemetery. Captain Liddell was awarded the Victoria Cross because he managed to safely land his badly damaged aircraft, despite his injuries, saving the life of his observer/gunner.
January 16th - Dr Stephen Goss
Caversham Park's 930 years at the centre of history
First recorded in the post-Norman invasion Domesday Book, Caversham Park has played a surprisingly central role in English, British and international history for nearly a millennium.
The estate became a refuge in the First World War and was taken over by the BBC during the Second. Hear how it became a centre for intelligence throughout the Second World War, the Cold War and the ‘War on Terror’. This talk reveals how an estate on the north bank of the Thames was a surprising tour de force in global events from the Norman Conquest to the threat of Soviet annihilation.
February 20th - Richard Bennett & Brig. Michael Aris
Stratfield Saye House - a virtual tour
March 20th - Tim Craven
The History and Development of Southampton City Art Gallery and its Permanent Collection
Tim tells us the history of the building and it’s very interesting story with lots of different art on view over the ages and the permanent collection.
April 17th - David Wickens
The History of Cadbury's
Cadbury was founded in 1824 in Birmingham, England, by John Cadbury (1801–1889), a Quaker who sold tea, coffee and drinking chocolate. Cadbury developed the business with his brother Benjamin, followed by his sons Richard and George. George developed the Bournville estate, a model village designed to give the company’s workers improved living conditions. By 1914, it was the company’s best-selling product. Cadbury, Rowntree’s and Fry’s were the big three British confectionery manufacturers throughout much of the 19th and 20th centuries.
May 15th - Graham Loxton-Best
The Mysteries of Stonehenge
Stonehenge, one of the world’s most iconic monuments, is full of mysteries. Located in Wiltshire, England, Stonehenge is a ring of massive standing stones and stone arches dating back to 3000 BC. Researchers have little knowledge of how the stones were transported, who constructed Stonehenge, or why the structure was built in the first place.
June 19th - David Hopkins
War Diaries of The Canadian 4th General Hospital at Park Prewett
The hospital was designed by George Thomas Hine but, because of a delay caused by a reduction in demand for mental health services in the county, construction did not commence until 1913. The works which were carried out by Thomas Rowbotham progressed slowly because of shortage of labour during the First World War but were completed in 1917. The building was first used by the Canadian Army Medical Corps as a military convalescent hospital. It was known as ‘Number Four Canadian General Hospital’.