We look forward to welcoming you to our meetings at the Chiswick Memorial Club and hope you enjoy what our speakers have to offer. We will continue to meet on the third Monday of the month unless this is varied to cope with a Bank Holiday. We will send members an email reminder for each talk. Our talks will take place in person at the Chiswick Memorial Club. Doors open 7.15pm, talks start at 7.30pm.
The new membership year starts on 1 January 2026 and we hope you will continue to subscribe. The subscription form can be found online. If you do not already pay by standing order or bank transfer please consider doing so. As a subscribing member you will receive the annual Brentford & Chiswick Local History Journal; the 35th edition will be published at the AGM in May and will be posted to all members unable to attend in person. In addition to this seasonal programme, members will receive email reminders for each talk and subsequently details of each one will be put onto this website for a wider audience.
Download a printable pdf to keep here
19 January 2026
“Erected by Lord Burlington to the memory of his favourite bricklayer”
In this illustrated talk June Ford Crush will introduce you to Richard Wright (c1672–1734), the builder so highly regarded by Burlington that he was commemorated with a memorial designed by William Kent. The Friends of St Nicholas’ Church have an impressive record of raising funds for restoring significant tombs there and this is their latest project. Our speaker has been researching Wright and his family and will share more about him and his handsome memorial.
16 February 2026
Trade Routes & Warpaths: the amazing role of Syon House in shaping North America
Our speaker, Howard Simmons,is an expert guide at Syon House. He will cover the creation of the Colony of Virginia, the governorship of Jamestown under the Earl of Northumberland’s younger brother and the visit of Pocahontas. The 2nd Duke was a British general in the American War of Independence and Henry Percy’s links with key abolitionists and Native American warriors fed into the War of 1812 when the United States invaded Canada. And Syon has apparently affected Trump’s decision making!
16 March 2026
The Servants at Boston Manor House
This illustrated talk will provide a chance to hear about the work of a team of interns who have uncovered new information about the Boston Manor House servants. John Collins (Historic Houses Manager) and Maisie Whelehan (one of the researchers) will recount stories of those who worked at the House and the records that revealed who they were, ranging from just glimpses of the 17th century servants to the more detailed, richer stories of the 19th and 20th centuries.
20 April 2026
The Community at Bedford Park 1875-2025: ‘Ahead of the World in Everything’?
Our speaker, Nicholas Bueno de Mesquita, is a long-term resident and former Secretary of the Bedford Park Society. He curated an exhibition based on the work of a team of Bedford Park residents who have unearthed fascinating information and previously un-noticed visual material from the past. His talk marks the estate’s 150th anniversary and will paint a vivid picture of past residents.
39 May 2026
Annual General Meeting, at Hogarth’s House, from 2.30pm on Saturday 30 May
On this occasion we will have two AGMs! One will cover the last few months of the Society as an unincorporated association. The other will be for the early life of the Registered Charity. There will be a chance to discuss full reports on the Society’s activities and the annual accounts. Members will be notified when these have been placed on the website.
We will meet at 2.30pm in the handsome extension, the Weston Studio, which has been added to Hogarth’s House. Refreshments will be provided. The House and its exhibition garden are open to visitors free of charge from 12 noon to 5pm if you wish to visit on the same occasion. It is about 10 minutes’ walk from Chiswick High Road down Dukes Avenue and the 190 bus stops near St Mary’s Convent – you can walk through the modern housing estate from Burlington Lane to the A4. Parking is available a short distance away along the the A4 in the Chiswick House car park.
This is a special opportunity to join a sociable event and celebrate the Society’s achievement of becoming a charity – all members are welcome. Do join us!
Also . . .
The 45th West London Local History Conference, Duke Street Church Richmond, Saturday 11 April 2026
The theme is Shopping is never done – High Streets Down the Decades. Tickets cost £15 and will be available online via ticketsource
