The 1601 Poor Laws by Mike Brennan ‘The poor are always with us’ but Mike’s fascinating talk considered the period after 1066, when William the Conqueror became King. Before this time, the poor were treated as little more than slaves. After winning the crown, William gave vast tracts of land to those nobles who had […]
After Peterloo! Outside the stunning John Rylands Library. You could be forgiven for thinking this was taken inside a cathedral, rather than a library Question time A great day was had by all.
After our first Marple Docks and AVRO trip in April we offered to do another for those who missed it. We said we couldn’t guarantee the weather but we but we got sunshine regardless! It was good to see some new faces as well as the old. We started with coffee at the Marple Senior […]
Rakewood Viaduct. A Talk by Ray Whittaker Littleborough Historical and Archaeology Group were given a couple of hundred photographs taken in the 1960’s during the construction of the Rakewood viaduct on the M62. To put this into context, you drive over it on the way to Yorkshire on the M62, with Hollingworth Lake on your […]
Towneley Hall Visit The 27 members who signed up for this visit were very warmly welcomed by the friendly curators at Towneley Hall. After refreshments and a brief introduction we divided into two groups for our guided tours. Our group was led out of the Hall to the building which was the former brewery and […]
Churchyards, Gravestones & Their Hidden Meanings. A talk by Louise Wade I’m a taphophile, are you? That was the question asked by Louise and whilst most of us had no idea, by the end of the talk we could all admit that maybe we were. Taphophile: an individual who has an (abnormal) passion for and […]
Visit to Smithills Hall Over 20 of us met at the Grade I listed Smithills Hall, near Bolton, on a pleasant July day eagerly anticipating a guided tour by one of the Friends of Smithills Hall. Our guide, Steve Brown, did not disappoint. His knowledge of the Hall, the families who lived there and the […]