2020 Programme
Our first meeting for 2020, with Tony Perkins’ production of an illustrated version of Balcombe village as depicted in Leslie Fairweather’s book.
A talk by Simon Stevens on the findings from an excavation by Archeology South-East in 2015.
Remains were discovered of buildings dating from the Bronze Age and the Roman period as well as various materials from other ages. The site gives an insight into thousands of years of activities in the Sussex Weald.
A talk by David Ralph.
This is an opportunity to discover more about this event before it passes through Balcombe on 3rd May 2020.
Find out about its history and the different types of vehicles that you’re likely to see.
David will also enlighten us on some of the many vehicles he has helped to restore.
Please note that the society’s AGM will precede this talk.
We’ll be there once more with a selection of exhibits and information relevant to Balcombe, along with our Brain of Balcombe quiz.
We’ll provide more information nearer the date.
A talk by Gilly Halcrow
The SOE’s task was to organise the resistance in countries that had been occupied by the Nazis and as Churchill ordered, to “Set Europe Ablaze”. This talk is a fascinating account of the training and preparation the agents underwent and also stories of a few of the missions, some of which achieved amazing success, whilst others ended in betrayal, concentration camps and death.
A talk by Helen Poole
Queen Elizabeth I’s reign was a time of spectacular projects and big personalities. They left a legacy in our part of Sussex and beyond. Religion caused many problems, as did the constant threat of pressure from enemies abroad. This talk explores some of the local people and places with a part to play under Gloriana.
A talk by Ian Everest.
‘Shepherds of the South Downs’ – their lives and times. Central to Sussex farming in past centuries, and to the economy of the area, were the thousands of sheep that grazed on the Downs. The shepherds, who spent their solitary lives caring for their flocks, were a familiar part of the local countryside. Ian tells their story.