Local History

Display and talk on Collecting Peterborough Ephemera

Speaker: Roger Negus, fee: £25.00

Peterborough Men Killed in the Great War

Slide presentation, Speaker: David Gray, fee: £25.00. Requirements: power for slide projector

The Bourne War Memorial

Slide presentation, Speaker: Tony Stubbs, Fee: traveling expenses only

Now and Then - The Peterborough City Centre

Slide presentation, Speaker: Neil Mitchell. This lecture shows changes to Peterborough since the introduction of photography. It covers the City centre’s shopping streets but not Queensgate. (50-60 minutes). Fee: £35.00 plus expenses if outside Peterborough. Requirements: 13 amp socket and room that can be darkened. Contact number: 01733 263327.

Now and Then - The Peterborough Villages

Slide presentation, Speaker: Neil Mitchell. This lecture shows changes to the 13 villages that have been swallowed up within the built up area of Peterborough since the introduction of photography.(50-60 minutes). Fee: £35.00 plus expenses if outside Peterborough. Requirements: 13 amp socket and room that can be darkened. Contact number: 01733 263327.

Gleanings From Peterborough's Past

Slide presentation, Speaker: Neil Mitchell. This lecture covers 18 short stories covering local topics from the Parish Church, the Town Pumps, the City Coat of Arms, Gates Memorial etc (50-60 minutes). Fee: £35.00 plus expenses if outside Peterborough. Requirements: 13 amp socket and room that can be darkened. Contact number: 01733 263327

The Gladstone Area (1840 to 1955)

Slide presentation, Speaker: Neil Mitchell. This lecture is a Social History on how one area of Peterborough, covering Westgate to New England and the railway to Lincoln Road developed and how communities coped with their everyday life. It covers street naming, religious establishments, schools, transport etc (50-60 minutes). Fee: £35.00 plus expenses if outside Peterborough. Requirements: 13 amp socket and room that can be darkened. Contact number: 01733 263327

Edwardian Peterborough (1901 to 1910)

Slide presentation, Speaker: Neil Mitchell. This lecture covers how the City covered the coronation, how a great building programme was accomplished, the arrival of electricity and the introduction of Peterborough transport. (50-60 minutes). Fee: £35.00 plus expenses if outside Peterborough. Requirements: 13 amp socket and room that can be darkened. Contact number: 01733 263327

A Reminder Of Peterborough During The Sixties And Seventies

Slide presentation, Speaker: Neil Mitchell. This lecture takes a nostalgic look at Peterborough between the 1960's and 70's, how the shopping centre has changed and a reminder of the cars we used to drive. (50-60 minutes). Fee: £35.00 plus expenses if outside Peterborough. Requirements: 13 amp socket and room that can be darkened. Contact number: 01733 263327

The Peterborough Tram Story

Slide presentation, Speaker: Neil Mitchell. This lecture covers Peterborough's earliest public transport through to the day's when Eastern Counties was established and of course the Electric Tram System. (30 minutes). Fee: £35.00 plus expenses if outside Peterborough. Requirements: 13 amp socket and room that can be darkened. Contact number: 01733 263327.

Peterborough During The Period Of World War Two

Slide presentation, Speaker: Neil Mitchell. This lecture illustrates how Peterborough's Home Front coped with Black-outs, Rationing, Air-Raids, the Home Guard etc. ( 50-60 minutes). Fee: £35.00 plus expenses if outside Peterborough. Requirements: 13 amp socket and room that can be darkened. Contact number: 01733 263327

Local History of Newborough

Slide presentation lasting approximately 30 minutes, Speaker: Sally Ahmed. Fee: £35.00 plus expenses. Requirements: an overhead projector to be available.

The Ghosts of Peterborough

From the creator of the hugely popular Peterborough Ghost walk... Find out how the walk was created and hear about some of the ghastly ghouls, scary spectres and petrifying phantoms that stalk the streets (and buildings) of the Peterborough area. You may want to check under your bed afterwards... Duration - 90 minutes. No equipment required. Cost £30 plus travelling expenses (if outside Peterborough). Telephone Stuart Orme on (01733) 343329

150 million years in 55 minutes

Or the complete history of Peterborough from the Dinosaurs to Queensgate.
Think Peterborough's a new town? Think again! The city and the area have a rich heritage - from dinosaurs to Bronze Age walkways, from Roman soldiers to Viking raiders, Medieval monks to French prisoners of war, from railway builders to modern shoppers... Explore this history in a fast, furious and fun illustrated talk. Duration - 60 minutes. Slide projector required. Cost £25 plus travelling expenses (if outside Peterborough). Telephone Stuart Orme on (01733) 343329

Peterborough Museum - an undiscovered gem

Peterborough Museum has a massive collection of some 227,000 objects, all of which have their own stories to tell. Hear about some of these fascinating objects, about the work that goes on at the museum, and what you might find behind the scenes. You'll never look at the place the same way again! Duration - 60 minutes. OHP or powerpoint projector required. Cost £25 plus travelling expenses (if outside Peterborough). Telephone Stuart Orme on (01733) 343329

The Dark History of Peterborough Museum

Today Peterborough Museum is situated in a nice Georgian building tucked down the end of Priestgate... but what's the history of that building? You'll be surprised to learn it involves the speaker's namesakes, as well as tales of murder, incest and medicine! A fascinating and entertaining story. Duration - 60 minutes. OHP or powerpoint projector required. Cost £25 plus travelling expenses (if outside Peterborough). Telephone Stuart Orme on (01733) 343329

Crime and Punishment in Peterborough

An entertaining and occasionally gruesome look at the history of crime and punishment in the city - from the history of the city gaols to the development of the police force. Want to know where people used to be hanged? How bodysnatching became a premium occupation? Where Peterborians used to flogged - after everyone else in England stopped - or even about the citys best jailbreaker! All this and more! Duration - 90 minutes. No equipment required (although OHP/powerpoint projector would be an advantage). Cost £30 plus travelling expenses (if outside Peterborough). Telephone Stuart Orme on (01733) 343329

Iron Age and Roman Peterborough

What was life like for those living in the Peterborough area during the Iron Age prior to the Roman invasion? The fact that these people did not leave a written history and there was little understanding in Rome of British culture, it does not mean that there was not one in existence. The British Isles had their own laws, crafts, religion, arts, trade and priesthood long before the Roman occupation. What was the impact of the Romans on the region? What caused the Boudiccan Revolt? How and why did the town of Durobrivae develop and what caused it to be abandoned?

An illustrated talk of 60-90 minutes duration is available at a cost of £30 (plus travelling costs if outside Peterborough). Requirements O.H.P. and projector screen/suitable wall.

Contact Don Chiswell (01733 569951)

Saxon and Danish Peterborough

Following the end of Roman Britain the area in and around Peterborough was to change dramatically with the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons. In the seventh century, as part of the kingdom of Mercia, Peterborough (or Medeshamstede as it was then known) was chosen as the site of a monastic foundation. This abbey grew in wealth and importance until it was sacked by the Danes in 870. A settlement only developed when the abbey was restored nearly a hundred years later. Street names within the city centre still reflect Danish influence. The ‘Golden Borough’ as it became, compiled its version of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and was to be sacked yet again, this time by Hereward the Exile, after the Norman Conquest

An illustrated talk of 60-90 minutes duration is available at a cost of £30(plus travelling costs if outside Peterborough). Requirements O.H.P. and projector screen/suitable wall.

Contact Don Chiswell (01733 569951)

Thorney: The Village and its History

Thorney: the village and its history, by Dorothy Halfhide.
Travel expenses plus a donation to the Thorney Society.
Power for projector.

Peterborough in Postcards (late Victorian period to 1950s)

June & Vernon Bull. £30.00. Requirements: power for projector.
Telephone: 01733 237678