SUMMER COACH TRIP

St Bartholomew's Church, Tong; and Hatton Grange
Tuesday 23rd June 2026 Leaving 9:30 / Returning 18:00
to Ludlow Assembly Rooms SY8 1AZ
Member £65 / Non-Member £70 inc. coach transport, 2 tours, lunch and afternoon tea

Enjoy a stress-free coach journey, a tour of the 15th century Tong church with its fine collection of recently restored alabaster tombs, followed by a WI buffet lunch in the village hall. Then just a short journey to Hatton Grange, one of Thomas Farnolls Pritchard most complete existing works, where we tour the house and gardens, with a David Austin rose walk. To round off our day we will have afternoon tea in the cricket pavilion before returning to Ludlow.

1. Book your place in person at our monthly talks and pay by cash or card or
by email to mdrewtowner@gmail.com, or text/call +44(07)816 974901 with:
Name(s) and address:
Email, Landline phone and Mobile (for contact on the day)
Number of tickets required:
Details any food allergies, dietary or mobility requirements

2. Send your payment immediately:
by BACS transfer to Ludlow Civic Society, Lloyds Bank, 30-95-27; A/C 00957797 using ‘THG’ and your surname as reference
or post a cheque for ‘Ludlow Civic Society’ to The Treasurer, Ludlow Civic Society, 17 Broad Street, Ludlow SY8 1NG with THG on the reverse.

3. Cancellations
Please notify the Booking Secretary at least 7 days prior to the trip to receive a refund.

TALKS PROGRAMME
October 2026 / June 2027
Broad St. Methodist Church, Ludlow SY8 1NH
Doors open: 3:00pm Start 3:30pm / End 4:30pm. Free refreshments. Doors close 5:00pm.
Members: £5 / Visitors £7. Pay by Card or Cash.

This season’s talks begin at the earlier time of 3:30pm and will be followed by refreshments.

October 14th 2026 at 3.30 pm
A Leominster to America Pilgrimage
Speaker: Stuart Currie
In 1841, a talented Leominster lass named Susannah Dalley came to hear the Mormon message of a ‘promised land’ waiting in America. A local breakaway group of the Methodist Church called the ‘United Brethren’ had long been seeking a purer form of primitive Christianity and they found it in the preaching of three recently arrived Mormon ‘Apostles’ from America.

This talk looks at the historical ground which helped to ‘seed’ the Mormon message in the Three Counties and follows Susannah onto her ship, the ‘Carnatic’ in 1848 where she began her epic, heroic and dangerous journey of nearly five thousand miles across the sea and through the fierce, unforgiving beauty of the American mid-west.

Recently retired, Stuart Currie was Senior Lecturer in Drama at the University of Worcester for twenty years. His interests lie in researching local history with special regard to some of the cultural phenomena of the late18th &19th centuries such as popular theatre, crime, visual art and supernatural fiction. He is now both a Hereford and a Leominster guide. 

November 11th 2026 at 3.30 pm
Victorian and Edwardian Building
Conservation in the West Midlands
Speaker: Tim Bridges
An exploration of the rich 19th and early 20th century built heritage in the Victorian Society’s casework area of Birmingham and the West Midlands, featuring industrial and commercial premises and public buildings.
Since 2006 Tim Bridges has been a part-time Conservation Adviser for the Society. He will outline concerns for the future of this heritage and how the Society campaigns for its preservation. Tim has also worked as Church Buildings Support Officer in Hereford Diocese and was previously a Curator at Worcester City Museum.

December 9th 2026 at 6 pm – Christmas Social
Event with St Laurence’s Palmers

January 13th 2027 at 3.30 pm
Discovering Reynold of Ludlow
Speaker: Roy Thwaites
Roy’s interest in Reynolds furniture began in Somerset with the purchase of a simple yew table. Some 12 years on, and now living in Ludlow, he is surrounded by a large collection made by Arthur and his son Garth. Roy will share the rich and fascinating history of this Shropshire based furniture maker, combining it with Ludlow’s civic and social development, Quaker culture and furniture making.
Roy has an in-depth knowledge of the company’s history, and a personal friendship with the family.

February 10th 2027 at 3.30 pm
Weeds, Wakes and Water: How attitudes
and practices towards end of life have
changed over the centuries.
Speaker: Anna Wilde
Our leaving the world has always been surrounded by celebration and commemoration. In this talk, we will focus on the surprising, amusing, and touching ideas and rituals surrounding end of life. It will be both a window into the past, and a glance into the future, of celebrating a life using images, poetry, history and humour.
Anna Wilde has a Master’s Degree in Death, Religion, and Culture. She is in her 6th part-time year researching the ‘Death Positivity Movement as Implicit Religion’ for her doctorate at University of Birmingham.

March 10th 2027 at 3.30 pm
The Geology Collectors of the Ludlow
Natural History Society
Speaker: Prof. Michael Rosenbaum
This talk focuses on the collectors who built the impressive collection housed in two local museums and the Natural History Museum, London. We will learn about their lives and influences, and the ways they changed our understanding of our geological past.
Michael Rosenbaum is Emeritus Professor of Engineering Geology, and Scientific Associate at the Natural History Museum. He is an active member of the Shropshire Geological Society, the Woolhope Naturalist’s Field Club, together with the Ludlow Research Group.

April 14th 2027 at 3.30 pm
Guinea Gardens - Historic Rented Gardens
Speaker: Dr. Sylvia Pinches
Artisans and shopkeepers living above their places of work often rented gardens on the outskirts of towns, as an outdoor space for growing flowers and produce, and this talk will explore the purpose and history of such gardens.
Dr Pinches has worked as a freelance researcher, writer, and part-time tutor the WEA and the University of Oxford Dept of Continuing Education. Her publications include a history of Ledbury and articles on charities.

May 5th 2027 at 3.30pm
Local Artist Elizabeth Lewis
Speaker: Nicola Kearton
This illustrated talk explores the life and art of Elizabeth Lewis (1813–1874), wife of Ludlow-born geologist and antiquarian Revd Thomas Taylor Lewis. She was fascinated by local history and our architectural heritage. Her work is an invaluable record of landscapes and structures now altered or lost.
Nicola Kearton studied History of Art at UEA before working as an editor and writer specialising in art, architecture and design publications. She catalogued the extensive Lewis family archive and has written on this subject including a recent article in Ludlow Heritage News.
This talk will be followed by a short member only Annual General Meeting.

Coach Day Trips with Tours

Details will be announced by email and then listed on our website. Bookings can be made at our talks, by email, by phone and via our website. 

1. Reserve your place by email to treasurer@ludlowcivicsociety.org with:
· Trip Name
· Your Name, Address, Email, Phone/Mobile:
· Number of tickets required:
· Details of any food allergies or mobility requirements

2. Send your payment immediately:
· by bank transfer to Ludlow Civic Society, Lloyds Bank, 30-95-27; A/C 00957797 using trip code and your surname as reference
· or post a cheque for ‘Ludlow Civic Society’ to The Treasurer, Ludlow Civic Society, 17 Broad Street, Ludlow SY8 1NG with Code WW on the reverse.
· If paying on behalf of someone else use their surname and personal details.
Cancellations notified 7 days or more before the trip will be refunded.

General Enquiries: 07479 484 970