NEWS
This page is here to contain any items of news about the society and its activities. It will be updated from time to time as things happen or events are organised. Watch this space.
Our Talks Season 2025-26
WE HAVE EXPANDED OUR PROGRAMME OF TALKS
By popular request we have expanded our programme of talks
in 2026 and we now have meetings all through the Summer up to October. These newly-arranged talks complete the season.
24 September 2026 7:30pm
Robin Hill “The Working Countryside - The Rural Past of the West Midlands
As Captured by the Cameras of the Time”
29 October 2026 7:30pm
Max Keen “Clive of India”
All talks will be at the Friends’ Meeting House in Cowl Street.
We look forward to seeing Society members, new members, and anyone else who wishes to come.
A complete list of our expanded 2025-6 season is shown here
And we have now confirmed our programme of talks for the 2027 season!
24 September 2026
Robin Hill “The Working Countryside -The rural past of the West Midlands, as captured by the cameras of the time”
25 March 2027
Josh Baylis “The Estate of Worcester Cathedral in the Middle Ages”
29 April 2027 (following the AGM)
Galen Bartholomew “Gandhi – Part 1”
27 May 2027
Alan Godfrey “Postman’s Knock: the development of the postal service
from the 16th to the 20th century”
24 June 2027
Galen Bartholomew “Gandhi – Part 2”
29 July 2027
Richard Churchley “Every common’s gone and traps are set to kill:
Enclosure in the English Midlands”
26 August 2027
Ray Sturdy “I K Brunel – a Victorian Genius”
30 September 2027
Gillian White “Bess of Hardwick and Hardwick Hall”
28 October 2027
Vanessa Morgan “The Throckmortons of Coughton Court”
The Battle of Evesham
Did you see our stand at the Battle of Evesham Weekend in Crown meadow on 1/2 August? We had a good time (despite the heat) meeting friends old and new, and our famous tombola proved as popular as ever.
THE VEHS COLLECTION IN THE ALMONRY MUSEUM,
The Almonry Museum has now closed for its much-needed restoration work, and virtually all of its contents - large and small - have been removed.
For many of the items (those belonging to the Town Council, of course, and some of those belonging to the Society) it is intended that these will be rehomed in the museum when it reopens in two or three years' time. A few of our items have been returned to their original donors, or passed or offered to other museums etc. The remainder of our items, including documents and furniture, will not be taken back when the museum reopens, and are now totally in the care of the Society.
Some items have been judged to be in very poor condition (or of too little interest) and have been scrapped, but the remainder is now in store. We have rented a second room at the storage facility at Avondale and a container at Hinton-on-the Green, and many artefacts are stored in members’ homes.
We would like to give as many of the donated items as is possible to other museums in Worcestershire or Warwickshire. Failing that, we would like to continue to return as much as possible to the original donors of the items (and of course we want to return articles which have been on loan to us). As the museum opened in 1957 in many cases it will be to the descendants of the original donors or lenders.
If anyone has donated or loaned an item to the Vale of Evesham Historical Society, or knows of anyone who has done so, and would like us to return it, please contact the Society’s Chairman at her dedicated e-mail address.
Alternatively if anyone volunteers at a Worcestershire museum and would like to augment its collection, contact Carmel to let her know what it is your museum is in need of.
Membership
Our 2025-6 Membership Season is now coming to its tail-end in September
We welcome new members for this and our 2026-7 season. If you are looking to join you can do so here - either as an individual or as a joint membership with a partner or a member of the family.
Joining will authorise you to come and vote at our AGM in April.
Members are invited to renew their membership for the coming year. It is simple to renew online: here for individual members and here for a joint membership.
Meanwhile, back numbers of our Members' magazine The Almoner's Pen
is available to all including non-members. This is the 2023-24 issue: Just
click on the cover picture to order, and others are also available.
See all our publications here.