Our meetings take place at The Kingsley School Hall (see How To Find Us page for a map). Please note, we use the side entrance to the school, in Beauchamp Road, not the main entrance in Beauchamp Avenue. There is parking nearby. Please check for parking charges. Guests are welcome; the admission price for non-members of the Association is £5 per meeting.
If you are currently not a member of our Association, but are interested in joining, please visit the Join Us page on this website
Our meetings are held on a Monday evening, usually the first Monday of the month (unless stated otherwise, or that Monday is a bank holiday), starting at 7.30pm.
UPCOMING MEETINGS –
2024
7th October
Jan Cooper War and Worship – Castle and Church
A detailed history of Kenilworth’s Castle and Priory/Abbey from foundation to destruction and beyond,
demonstrating how inextricably linked the two were, and still are, and featuring key events and personalities..
4th November
AGM and The Wrinklies
The Wrinklies are a Midlands band of musicians and entertainers who will bring our pre-Christmas party to
life! We will be serving alcoholic refreshments and snacks!
2nd December
Paul Davision The Shetland Bus
The Shetland Bus was the term used for the voyages of Norwegian fishing boats between Shetland and the
Norwegian Coast during World War 2. These boats brought refugees to the Shetlands and returned with arms,
radios and agents in support of the Norwegian resistance. It helped the Germans to decide to keep 250,000
troops in Norway throughout the war.6th November
2025
6th January
David Bray Webster & Horsfall
The story of an enterprise that spans 3 centuries, Helped invent the piano, underseas cables laid by Brunel’s
Leviathan ship – The Great Eastern, Spitfire valve springs. Family intrigue , gangsters, Peaky Blinders – you
could not make it up!.
3rd February
Ann O’Flanagan The Wallace Collection and Warwickshire
The Wallace Collection is home to one of the most significant collections of fine and decorative arts in the
world. They have everything. Ann is going to talk to us about her time with the collection and the connections
to Warwickshire.
3rd March
Jane Barnes Tales of a farmers wife!
Tales from a Dairy Farmers’ Wife’. A family run dairy farm near Melton Mowbray, amusing anecdotes,
charming tales and real life stories about the herd, farm and family life . ‘We produce milk for Stilton Cheese
so I usually bring some along to meetings to sell after my talk, which is always welcome.’
7th April
Trevor Langley Oh! Those Earls of Warwick
“Oh, Those Earls of Warwick!” looks at the owners of the castle and the title since 1066. It poses some
questions, e.g. if the Earls of Warwick was a TV Soap Series, what would it be called and what themes would
it explore? I look at the lighter side of the Earldom, and the family connections down the years. I also explain
the hierarchy of the nobility, and share some recollections of my time working for Lord Brooke at Warwick
Castle while he still lived there, before it was sold to Madam Tussauds.
12th May
Lesley Smith Elizabeth I
Lesley Smith is a historian, known for her dramatic portrayals of historical characters in full costume, and has
been Curator of Tutbury Castle in Staffordshire from 2000 to 2024. She is a specialist in Tudor history, and
will be presenting Elizabeth I in her full glory!.
If you are not a member and wish to attend any of these talks, please email [email protected] for more information.