The Society’s programme for 2018 included the following:
15 January 2018, 7.30pm
“Almost her Creation” – the lost wings of Chiswick House
Discover how Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, transformed Lord Burlington’s compact Palladian villa into an elegant, comfortable home, with Esme Whittaker, the English Heritage curator responsible for interiors at Chiswick House and Marble Hill.
19 February 2018, 7.30pm
Medieval treasure in the Thames: accident, rubbish or ritual?
John Clark, formerly a Museum of London curator, considers why the 2,600 Thames objects in its collection – ranging from Anglo-Saxon spearheads from Brentford to pilgrim badges from the City – were deposited in the river.
19 March 2018, 7.30pm
Gunnersbury Park: the Place and the People
A talk by James Wisdom and Val Bott, using more than 60 images, some newly discovered, and the recent research which will appear in their forthcoming Scala Publications book on the history of the Gunnersbury estate.
16 April 2018 7.30pm
Creating the Chiswick Timeline
An illustrated talk by Karen Liebreich and Sarah Cruz, project co-ordinators from Abundance London, about the new murals under the Turnham Green Station bridge. The initial idea became an ambitious project supported by a concertina-style publication with all the maps and images, postcards of the illustrations and lively community activities, creating a ceramic model of Chiswick and a needlework map. All are welcome
21 May 2018, 7.30pm
Annual General Meeting
After the business meeting the Brentford & Chiswick Local History Journal 27 will be available for members to collect, then copies will be posted to those unable to attend. We hope also to present a few short members’ papers with recent research
21 July, all day
60th Birthday Celebration at Gunnersbury Park
Explore the Museum from 11am, bring a picnic lunch or eat in the new café, join Park tours at 2pm, led by the Head Gardener & the Landscape Gardener, & enjoy discovering Capel Manor College’s Walled Garden, where the afternoon ends with high tea, tickets £15
17 September 2018
Four Brentford Buildings: Clifden House, New Grove Mansions, Inverness Lodge and the Brentford Juvenile Establishment
An illustrated talk by Jim Storrar, revealing his recent research into the history of these little-known buildings and some of their past owners
15 October 2018
A Victory to Remember: the Trico Folberth Equal Pay Strike of 1976
An illustrated talk by Sally Groves, co-author of a new book on this 21-week strike (on sale at the meeting). She was one of 400 women strikers fighting this multinational com-pany on the Great West Rd which used picket-busting lorries and scab labour against them
19 November 2018
Restoring London United tramcar 159, and tramways in Brentford and Chiswick
An illustrated talk by Richard Clarke and Ian Ross about a vehicle from the collection of the National Tramway Museum at Crich which ran through Brentford and Chiswick in the early 1900s, roughly on the route of today’s 267 bus
17 December 2018
Christmas Meeting
Our usual annual get-together – your small contributions of seasonal food to share always provide a very welcome spread, and drinks will be on sale in the Club bar. Buy last-minute gifts from our bookstall and join in our quiz with a local history theme
