Talks programme for 2025:

Thursday 30 January

Carol Harris of Crofton Park History: A Good Night Out

How our families used to entertain ourselves before we had television.  Featuring those venues we still have like the Rivoli, and those long lost like the Gaumont and the Empire

Thursday 27 February (postponed to 25 September)

Andrew Mayfield, archaeologist: Community Archaeology in a Royal Park

A multi-million pound National Lottery Heritage Fund scheme, to restore and conserve Greenwich Park.  Covering work on sites across the park, from Saxon barrows to a Magnetic Observatory and from an air raid shelter to a Charles II landscape!

Thursday 27 March

The Society’s AGM: The usual formal business, plus discussion on potential change of meeting time and venue.  Full papers to be sent to members in advance.  All welcome but only members can vote.  After the AGM there will be a taster from Roger Mead about the Society visit to the Woolwich Royal Arsenal in April (see Other Events below), and an update from Dr John Price on progress with the Museum of Everyday Life.

Thursday 24 April

Dr John Price, Public and Community Historian: The Forgotten Heroes of Postman's Park

The Watts Memorial to Heroic Self-Sacrifice in Postman’s Park, London contains fifty-three memorial tablets, each dedicated to an act of life-risking bravery. However, new research has revealed that eighty-four individuals, who were intended for commemoration on the memorial, are missing; their bravery and their legacy lost in the past. In this talk, historian Dr John Price will uncover some of the missing cases and discuss how our thinking about the memorial, and about 'everyday' heroism, would be different if the monument had been fully completed as originally planned.

Note: this talk replaces the one advertised previously on the clergy of Deptford.

Thursday 29 May

Franki Webb on Lewisham archaeology. This talk will explore the borough's history from prehistory all the way to the early medieval period.  Lewisham has a unique archaeological background with key finds being discovered during the construction of recent developments from prehistoric settlements to Roman Bathhouses that shed some light on the area's early history and origins. 

This talk was postponed from July 2024.

Thursday 26 June

St Dunstan’s College – from the City of London to Catford leafy suburb

Shea Hollis, St Dunstan’s Archivist and Alumna, will talk on the origins of St Dunstan’s College, how and when it came to Catford; featuring documents and artefacts from the College’s archives

Please note: this talk will take place in the St Dunstan’s College Theatre (access via the West Gate entrance), and NOT the Jubilee Pavilion.

Thursday 31 July

In the 150th anniversary year of the first county cricket matches being played by Kent at the Private Banks Cricket Ground (now the Jubilee Ground), Stuart Hallifax will give a talk on those early days

Thursday 25 September (postponed from 27 February)

Andrew Mayfield, archaeologist: Community Archaeology in a Royal Park

A multi-million pound National Lottery Heritage Fund scheme, to restore and conserve Greenwich Park.  Covering work on sites across the park, from Saxon barrows to a Magnetic Observatory and from an air raid shelter to a Charles II landscape!

Thursday 30 October

Not Forgotten – The Crooked Billet, a V2 attack on Bromley

A disaster, its aftermath and how its victims are remembered.  A story of great perseverance shared by Jennie Randall, with a Lewisham connection  too.

Thursday 27 November

Andrew Dawson: The Making of A Walking Guide to Algernon Road

This talk will examine the process of compiling the guide and some of the personalities discovered, as  well as the changing social character of the street over time.  (The Guide is part of a bigger video project entitled “Our Road, Algernon Road”)

Other events

Tuesday 8 April 2025: A range of fascinating items from the LLHS Museum Archive will be on display at the Salon of Curiosities event on 8 April 2025, 6.00pm to 9.00pm. There will be displays, demonstrations, and talks. More information and tickets available here https://bit.ly/4jWrOCI. LLHS members can get a 15% discount on tickets by entering the promo code LLHS25 at the checkout!

Saturday 26 April 2025: a tour of the Woolwich Arsenal for LLHS members by Roger Mead.  The tour will last from 10.00am to 12.30pm and places are limited. Members will receive full details along with the AGM papers, and are asked to book via Eventbrite.

Summer Events

The Society plans to have a stall at various local events during summer 2025, including:

• Hilly Fields Fayre: Saturday 21 June

• St Dunstan’s Festival: Saturday 28 June (provisional)

• Ladywell Society Summer Festival: Sunday 29 June (TBC)

• Brockley & Ladywell Cemetery Open Day: Sunday 13 July (TBC)

• Telegraph Hill Upper Park: Sunday 30 August (TBC)

Volunteers are always needed to help at these events – please get in touch!

If you have any suggestions regarding talks and/or speakers, please contact Tamsin Bacchus (see Contacts page) or visit our Facebook page.

Outline of 2026 talks

Thursday 29 January

“Wish You Were Here” - Social, cultural and community histories from the Ken White postcard collection shared by Dr John Price, who has procured funding to digitise and transcribe this significant archive.

Thursday 26 February

Dr Tony Reddings will give a talk on the 1957 Lewisham rail crash.

Thursday 26 March

The Society’s AGM with updates on our activities and “Getting Hands-on With History”, a presentation by the U3A South East Heritage Group on their shared learning project with the Museum of Everyday Life.

Thursday 30 April

Speaker and subject TBC

Thursday 29 May

“Educating Deptford” - hear from Dr John Price on the Deptford Ragged School and its place in the community.

Thursday 25 June

Venue and date subject to confirmation - likely to be an event in conjunction with St Dunstan’s College summer festival.

Thursday 30 July

Continuing the educational theme from May, school governor Pat Billings will share something of the history of the Addey and Stanhope school in Deptford.

August

Summer recess - no talks planned, but check for updates on possible trips and tours.

Autumn dates

Thursdays 24 September, 29 October, 26 November and our pre-Christmas “Show & Tell” Social on either 10 or 17 December.

We are planning to arrange a follow up from Dr Franki Webb on the medieval archaeology of the borough, something from Mike Brown and/or Carol Harris of Crofton Park History and maybe a presentation on “Bovril Castle” - a fascinating part of Sydenham’s history recently made accessible again by some dedicated volunteers working in conjunction with Southwark Council.

Updates to follow.