Our Meetings Programme for 2011/12

Lymington & District Historical Society meetings are held at the Lymington Community Centre, Robert Hole room.

Meetings are held on the last Friday of the winter months, excluding December. We start at 7.15 p.m. and aim to close by 9.00 p.m.

The society has a carefully chosen programme that reflects a variety of historical topics of local interest and sometimes go further afield.

Membership is currently £10 per person and £5 for students. Guests are welcome at £3 for each meeting. Join the society here.

2011 is our 60th anniversary year. We are very pleased that Historian Dan Snow has agreed to come and speak to us on November 25th. This talk is likely to generate a good deal of interest. To that effect we have hired the Fuller/ McLellan Hall, Lymington. Entry will be by ticket only and members will have priority. Spare tickets ( at £5.00) will be available after October 28th from : Caroline Birch , Larks Lees, Coxhill, Boldre, Nr. Lymington SO41 8PS or e mail: info@lymington-and-district-historical-society.co.uk. The evening will start with wine and nibbles.
                     -- Read meeting report HERE --

Reports on Society meetings are viewable by clicking the 'Reports' menu link.

2011 Meetings

Sept 30
Jude James ‘Treacle Mines, Tragedies and Triumph’

This talk, from the Society’s President, will detail the building of the Bournemouth Direct Line, 1883 – 88, with an in depth survey of its social impact on the local communities of Sway, New Milton and Hinton and an examination of the life and death of navvies who built this hazardous line. It was a relatively short journey which had a huge impact on the area

Oct 28
A.G.M. & Anne King - ‘The Great Fire of Wareham’

In a matter of hours on the afternoon of Sunday, 25th July, 1762, fire swept through the heart of Wareham town. This talk describes events leading to the fire’s progress and the aftermath, which determined the look of the town today.

Nov 25
Celebratory Evening for the Society’s Diamond Jubilee
PLEASE NOTE: To be held in the Fuller/McLellan Hall.
This event is Ticket entry ONLY
Dan Snow ‘Adventures in Television History’

We are privileged to welcome the celebrated television historian and author who will entertain us with illustrated anecdotes of his career to date

2012 Meetings

Jan 27
Colin van Geffin - ‘Ships of the Sky’

The World’s first international, intercontinental and non-stop trans-Atlantic flying boat services started in Southampton, as did routes to South Africa and Australia. This illustrated talk recalls the Golden Years when Southampton and its Empire Flying Boats lead the world.

Feb 24
Angela Trend ‘Lyndhurst Church’

St. Michael’s Parish Church is a Victorian treasure house and this illustrated talk tells the story of the building and the people who engineered permission to build an extraordinarily modern church in a then small New Forest village. This talk will be linked to a 2012 Summer Outing.

Mar 30
Peter Roberts ‘The New Forest in the 18th and 19th Centuries’

Peter’s illustrated talk will examine the question: The New Forest – Enclosure or Enlightenment? He will also explore the movement from protective forestry to more modern management methods. We will hear about the encroachments, corruption, banishment and madness which all played their part in shaping these centuries of change.

Society Meeting Reports - Click HERE

Would you like to enroll as a member?