Return to Index pageRuncorn and District Historical Society Programme and activities since formation 2000 28th January Inaugural meeting at Christ Church Hall, Sandy Lane, attended by 57 people. Jonathan Pepler, the Cheshire County Archivist gave a talk on "Archives and Local History’ March Members Evening – information and documents on waterways, transport, churches, buildings, industry and other general topics 31st March 86 paid up members April "The Liverpool and Manchester Railway’ by Mr. Lowe May "Recent Archaeology in Cheshire’ by Adrian Tindall June "Rocksavage in 1615’ by Bert Starkey July Members Evening – Civil War ; Missioner Shaw August Outing – guided walk round Runcorn Hill September "19th Century Liverpool’ by Dr. Frank Harris October "Mersey Mission to Seamen’ by Canon Bob Evans November "Medieval Churches’ by Paul Booth December Christmas Social with photographic quiz compiled by Bert Starkey. 31st December 108 paid up members and average attendance 602001 January No meeting February "A Voyage on the upper Mersey from Liverpool to Weston Point’ by Bill Leathwood. (should have been "Liverpool’s two cathedrals’ by Professor Tarn who was unable to attend) March Annual General Meeting – 40 attended April "Norton Priory’ by Ross Bullock May "Parson –v- People’ by Bert Starkey June "History of Castner Kellner’ by David Platt July "The Streets of Runcorn and their origin’ by Alex Cowan August No meeting September Outing – Shrewsbury, Wroxeter, and Attingham Hall October "History of West Bank Dock’ by Albert Constable November "Arley Hall’ by Viscount Ashbrook December Christmas Social and Quiz2002 January No meeting February "Ellesmere Port Boat Museum’ by Tony Hirst March Annual General Meeting and talk by Katy Goodrum on "Sources of historical information’ April "Diving’ by Les Brown May "Victorian Runcorn’ by Bert Starkey Also for Local History Week – put on 3 displays; 4 guided walks; 10 talks; and a "meet the local history authors’ session. June "The Anderton Boat Lift’ by Chris Smith (British Waterways Board) July "Runcorn Then and Now’ by Charles Ford August Outing to Ironbridge Gorge Museum September "Prominent Methodists – Religious and Civic Leaders In Runcorn in the 19th Century’ by Bill Leathwood October "Liverpool Pot Pourri’ by Diane Nowell November " The Warburton Family from Norman Times’ by Charles Foster December Christmas Social with local history quiz 119 paid up members and average attendance 742003 January No meeting February "Preston Brook’ by Tony Lewery March Annual General Meeting with talk by Peter Johnson – "History is a mystery’ April "The Three Bridges’ by Bo Martindale May "The Rockies and Alaska’ by Dr. & Mrs. Jefferson June "A Dog Collar in the Dock’ by Canon Bob Evans July "The Anderton Canal Carrying Co.’ by Roy Gough August Outing to York September "Cheshire Churches’ by Norman Wood October "The Boyne to Bosnia’ by Major John Ellis November General talk and Runcorn Railways by Chairman and Archivist (should have been "Mersey Flats’ by Mike Stammers but unable to attend) December Venue moved to St. John’s Church Hall, Weston Christmas Social2004 January "From our Archives’ presentation of Society archival material February "Marshville and Saltport’ by Tony Barratt March Annual General Meeting and talk by Mike Eddison – "The Cataloguing of local records’ 58 attended April "Mersey Flats’ by Mike Stammers May "James Brindley, Millwright and Canal Engineer 1716-1772’ By John Doughty June "Runcorn Parish Church’ by Bert Starkey July "Delamere’ by Hugh Beggs August Outing to Chatsworth September "Cheshire Railways’ by Robert Miller October "Father James Nugent’ by Dr. David Ben Rees November "Ludwig Mond –Scientist and Entrepreneur’ by Dr. Hugh Roberts December Christmas Social and talk by Ted Hughes – "The Humour of Language’ 143 paid up members average attendance 782005 January Members Evening – "The Temperance Movement’ Old Postcards; recent developments in Runcorn Old Town February "Manchester and Liverpool Electric Express Railway’ By Alex Cowan March Annual General Meeting April "The Runcorn I knew as a boy’ by Bill Leathwood May "Zulus – the African War’ by John Doughty June "The Construction of a major Waterway’ by Les Brown Hosted the Cheshire History Association "At Home’ with visits to Norton Priory and Daresbury Church for Lewis Carroll connection July "Lord Leverhulme the first- his life and residences part I’ by John Edwards August Outing to Bolton Abbey and Skipton September "George Ormerod – Historian of Cheshire’ by John Hess October "Cleanliness and Godliness – the Story of Thomas Hazlehurst and family by Dr. Peter Vardy November "The Production of Offensive Chemicals at Castner Kellner 1914 – 1918 by David Burkhill-Howarth December Christmas Social with power point demonstration of postcards Slides, etc.2006 January Members Evening with Society Archival material February "The Mersey from Source to Estuary’ by Hugh Beggs March Annual General Meeting and presentation on the proposed Restoration of the link between Bridgewater and Ship Canals April "The Ancient Parish Church of Runcorn’ by Bert Starkey May "Liverpool and Sugar’ by Ron Noon June "Lewis Carroll’ by Irene Rutter July "American Connections’ by Margaret Benham August Outing to Wroxeter and Shrewsbury September " The Development of Weston Point School from 1856’ by Kate Cawley October "The Life and Work of John Douglas, Architect’ by Graham Fisher November "Cheshire’s early Christian Heritage’ by Rev. Gordon Roxby December Christmas Social with talk by Allan Hadfield "Dialect’2007 January Members Evening – displays manned by members on Transport; Tanneries; 1948 businesses; general archive February "Crystal Palace and the Great Exhibition’ by David Hill March Annual General Meeting and talk by Dr. Ian McKeane – "The Irish Potato Famine’ April "English Cathedrals’ by Norman Wood (should have been Chester Amphitheatre Excavations’) May "Lancashire Witches’ by John Doughty June "Boat Building in Chester’ by Geoff Taylor Walk in Liverpool with Dr. Ian McKeane relating to Irish connections July "As was’ by Peter Johnson Walk in Chester with Geoff Taylor relating to canal and boat building yard. August Outing to Conway and Bettws-y-Coed September "The Black Prince’s Cattle in Macclesfield Forest’ By Prof. Paul Booth October "Widnes Past and Present’ by Bob Martindale November TBA December Christmas Social with talk on "History of Pantomime’2008 January Member's Evening February "Savage Fortunes – the Story of our local aristocrat in early 17th Century’ by Lyn Boothman March Annual General Meeting April "Where are the lads of the village tonight ?" by Joy Bratherton May "The History of Robert Greig" by Earle Ryan June "Widnes Giants---the Pioneers of the Chemical Industry" by Peter Vardy July "Hilbre Island" by Sue Craggs August Outing September "Cheshire in 1745" by Tony Barratt October "The Daniel Adamson -- A greaat survivor" by Tony Hurst November "The Viking Kingdom of the Wirral" by Gordon Roxby December Social Evening2009 January Member's Evening February "The IRA and Liverpool" by Ian McKeane March Annual General Meeting April "Ethelfleda" by Mike Hodgkinson May "Salt making at Nantwich" by Mike Nevell June "Cheshire in 1745" by Tony Barratt July "Chester Uncovered" by Stephen Shakeshaft August Outing September "The Rise and fall of the Sankey Canal" by Paul Keen October "Charles Darwin" by Simon LeFrenais November "Unlocking the Secrets of the japanese Garden" by Sam Youd December Social Evening2010 January Member's Evening February "The Story of Jodrell Bank" by ian Morrison March AGM April "The Story of lawson House" by Diana Leitch May "Wirral from the Mersey" by Gavin Hunter June "The History of the English Bowman" by Bernard Dennis July Member's contributions August Outing September "Thomas Brassey, Buider of Runcorn Railway bridge" by Doug Haynes October " " November "An Introduction to the History of the Weaver Canal and its Links to the Salt Industry" by Colin Edmondson December Xmas Party "Victorian millionaires" by Richard Baker2011 January Member's Contributions February "Cheshire Knights and their Ladies" by Tony Bostock March AGM April "A Murder Story: Mary Heesom" by Margaret Fellowes May "100 Years of Halton Transport. Widnes and the Transporter Bridge" by Ron Philips