þÿ <! DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd"> <head> <title>BAALHS EVENTS PAGE</title> <meta name="keywords" content="Bedford, Bedford Society, Bedford History, Bedford Archaeology, "> <style type = "text/css" > #s1 {color: yellow } #s2 {color: red } #s3 {color: red; font-size: 18pt; } #div1 { color: yellow; position:absolute; top: 25px; left: 25px; width:275px; height:180px; font-size:18pt; text-align:left; padding:20px; border-color:red; border-style:solid; border-width:1px; } #div2 { color: white; position:absolute; top: 25px; left:360px; width:535px; height:105px; font-size:22pt; text-align:center; padding:25px; border-color:red; border-style:solid; border-width:0px; } #div3 {color: yellow; position:absolute; top:230px; left: 25px; width:275px; height:35px; font-size: 12pt; border-color:red; border-style:solid; border-width:0px;text-align:center; padding:8px; } #div4 {color:white; position:absolute; top:290px; left: 25px; width:380px; height:20px; font-size: 18pt; text-align:center;} #div5 { color: white; position:absolute; top:500px; left:25px; width:840px; height:2500px; font-size:14pt; text-align:justify; padding:15px; padding-top:0px; border-color:red; border-style:solid; border-width:0px; } body { background-color: #336600; } </style> </head> <body> <div id = "div1" > <p>BEDFORD<br> ARCHITECTURAL<br> ARCHAEOLOGICAL<br> & LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY</p> </div> <div id = "div2" > <p>AUTUMN & WINTER<br> PROGRAMME OF EVENTS<br> 2011 - 2012</p> </div> <div id ="div3" > <p><a href="index.htm"><span id ="s1"><b>RETURN TO HOME PAGE</b></span></a> </div> <img id = "putnoechurch" src = "putnoechurch.jpg" width = "400" height = "225" alt ="Putnoe Heights Church Centre" style = "position: absolute; top: 220px; left:430px; border-color:black; border-style: solid;border-width:4px;"/> <div id = "div4" > <p>All meetings are held at <br>Putnoe Heights Church Centre, <br>Putnoe Heights, Bedford MK41 8EB.<br>and start at 7.30pm. <br><br>Visitors welcome. </p></div> <div id = "div5" > <p><span id ="s1"><b>Wednesday 14th September 2011 at 7.30pm. </b></span><br>Annual General Meeting.<br><br> <span id ="s1"><b>Wednesday 12th October 2011 at 7.30pm.</b></span><br> Talk by Dr. David Davies, FRHistS: "Biggleswade s Devilish Duel" - The Mysterious Killing of the Master of Gray in 1660.<br><br> <span id ="s1"><b>Wednesday 9th November 2011 at 7.30pm.</b></span><br> Talk by Tessa West: The Curious Mr. Howard. Joint meeting with the Historical Association.<br><br> <span id ="s1"><b>Wednesday 7th December 2011 at 7.30pm.</b></span><br> A CHANGE TO THE ADVERTISED PROGRAMME.<br> A film show by Peter Tipping entitled"Professional Film in Bedford".<br> Wine & fare and a book sale.<br><br> <span id ="s1"><b>Wednesday 11th January 2012 at 7.30pm.</b></span><br> An illusrated talk by Stephen Coleman: Greensand Heritage: Archaeology and Historic Landscape across Central Bedfordshire.<br><br> <span id ="s1"><b>Wednesday 8th February 2012 at 7.30pm.</b></span><br> Illustrated talk by Richard Wildman & Alan Crawley: Bedford Then and Now. Views of Bedford past and present, drawing from their latest book, published in November 2011.<br><br> <span id ="s1"><b>Wednesday 7th March 2012 at 7.30pm.</b></span><br> Illustrated talk by Josh Tidy: The Spirella Corset Company of Letchworth.<br> The history of the world-famous Corset Company<br><br> <span id ="s1"><b>Wednesday 11th April 2012 at 7.30pm.</b></span><br> Illustrated talk by Mike Luke: Ancient Life in the Biddenham Loop.Wine will be served during the interval.<br><br> <span id ="s2"><b>----------------------FOR MORE DETAILS OF THE ABOVE EVENTS SEE BELOW----------------------</b></span><br><br> <p><span id ="s1"><b>Wednesday 14th September 2011 at 7.30pm.</span><br>Annual General Meeting.</b><br><br> <span id ="s1"><b>Wednesday 12th October 2011 at 7.30 pm. </b><br> Talk by Dr. David Davies, FRHistS: "Biggleswade s Devilish Duel".<br> The Mysterious Killing of the Master of Gray in 1660.</span><br><br> In 1660, the Master of Gray, holder of one of the most notorious titles in Scotland, died at Biggleswade of a wound inflicted by the sword of the Earl of Southesk, another prominent Scots nobleman. Mystery surrounded the killing from the very beginning: was it an accident, a duel or simple murder? If it was anything other than an accident, what might have motivated it? Why were two Scottish noblemen fighting each other in the unlikely location of Biggleswade? And why were there dark rumours that the Devil might have had a part in it all?<br><br> Dr David Davies is a full-time historian and author, having spent many years as a History teacher (and latterly Deputy Head) at Bedford Modern School. His book Pepys s Navy won the Samuel Pepys Prize for 2009. He is Chairman of the Naval Dockyards Society, a Vice-President of the Navy Records Society and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He is also the author of the naval historical fiction series, The Journals of Matthew Quinton . His website is www.jddavies.com.)<br><br> <span id ="s1"><b>Wednesday 9th November 2011 at 7.30 pm. <br> Talk by Tessa West: The Curious Mr. Howard.</b></span><br><br> Tessa is the author of a new biography of John Howard the Philanthropist called The Curious Mr Howard (see Book Review Page 3). This will be a joint meeting with the Historical Association.<br><br> Tessa initially trained as a teacher, but her interest took a different turn when she began to teach in prisons. This led to her becoming an education officer and then an assistant governor. Later, she was appointed as an Independent Member of the Parole Board. She s spent the best part of a quarter of a century thinking about prisons and prisoners. Her non-fiction book Prisons of Promise was published nearly 15 years ago. She has successfully self-published three novels: The Estuary, The Reed Flute and Companion to Owls. Each is set in East Anglia. Two years ago she created The Other Vikings, a book of poems about or in the voice of Viking women.<br><br> The Curious Mr Howard is her latest project. A natural fit  for her given her experience with prisons and her interest in people on the margins of society. Researching for the book ranged from visiting Howard s home in Cardington to travelling in the Ukraine, where Howard died.<br><br> <span id ="s1"><b>Wednesday 7th December 2011 at 7.30 pm.<br> A CHANGE TO THE ADVERTISED PROGRAMME.<br> A film show by Peter Tipping entitled "Professional Film in Bedford"</b></span><br><br> We are pleased to announce that Peter Tipping will now be showing us the interesting collection of film clips featuring Bedford that he was unable to show us after the AGM in September. To start we will see 7 minutes of a full length feature film called Personal Affair  that used Bedford to represent the town of Rudford in the story. The film was made in 1953 and starred Leo Genn and American actress Gene Tierney.<br><br> The story was about a 16 year old school girl who goes missing one night and her form master, played by Genn, is blamed for her disappearance. There is a happy outcome as she went to stay with friends but didn t tell anyone. The part of the 16 year old girl was played by Glynis Johns who would have been 30 years old at the time. (She always looked a lot younger than her years)<br><br> In the clip we are going to see you will recognise the Town Bridge with St Paul s in the distance, the old pollarded willow trees along the embankment with the suspension bridge in the background and also the house at No 2, Kimbolton Road. There is a shot of a walk-way over a wier of a large river but this was taken at Teddington and not Bedford. Peter believes this could be the only feature film to use Bedford as a location.<br><br> The second film is from the TV Channel 4 series of programmes called Witness . In August of 2003 one of these was a 40 minute programme called Maidens of the Lost Ark  all about the Panacea Society based in Bedford. We see the first 14 minutes which is a fascinating insight into that cult religion.<br><br> Next we will see archive clips from John Huntley s collection. John Huntley specialised in buying up old stock shots of unused feature film footage from film studios and built up a huge collection of cutting room floor  film that never appeared in the final film. Although he died some years ago, the archive continues to flourish and is run by his family. We will see out takes from Brief Encounter  made in 1945 followed by the Midland mainline possibly between Ampthill and Bedford. Running time 10 minutes. A Bedford & North Bedfordshire Century. A collection of archive film from 1912 to 1999 held by the East Anglian Film Archive. Professional and amateur film narrated by Nigel Lutt of the Bedford and Luton Archives and Record Service. It contains some clips which appeared in the Bill Johns film when talking about Bedford Film Makers . Also featured Bedford Regatta 1912, the Oakley Hunt, St Peter s Green before 1918, the Palace Cinema in the Bedford High Street. The R 101 showing preparations and launch in 1930 and the following tragedy including the mass funeral of the 48 people who perished. Bedford Rugby Union Football Club (The Blues) and Leslie Partridge films including 1936 Coronation of George VI. Run Time 11 minutes.<br><br> <span id ="s1"><b>Wednesday 11th January 2012 at 7.30 pm. <br> Illustrated talk by Stephen Coleman: Greensand Heritage:<br>Archaeology and Historic Landscape across Central Bedfordshire.</b></span><br><br> Stephen, who is the Historic Environment Information Officer for Central Bedfordshire Council, will discuss the human impact on and use of the Greensand Ridge running across the centre of Bedfordshire. The Ridge has a distinctive historic landscape character because of its sandy soils which means it has always been poor marginal land. In its natural state it would be heathland: until the 19th century some large open common heaths did exist, as at Leighton Buzzard and Sandy, but none survive now.<br><br> Other dominant and distinctive land uses on the Ridge included extensive medieval rabbit warrens, as at Ampthill and Millbrook, and Bedfordshire s largest medieval deer parks, such as Ampthill, Beckerings, Brogborough, Steppingley and Woburn. Some of these were later developed into large landscape parks whilst several others were created anew from the 17th century onwards, as at Woodbury in Everton, Old Warden, Southill and Wrest. The Ridge also has the most extensive areas of plantation woodland to be found in the county, mostly coniferous, and predominantly associated with the Bedford Estate. In addition the Ridge is where the majority of ancient woodland survives in Bedfordshire, as at Sheerhatch, Wilstead, Flitwick and both King s Woods, and is where the important archaeological remains of several medieval monastic houses can be found, such as Warden Abbey, Chicksands Priory and Woburn Abbey.<br><br> Other significant archaeological sites include three Iron Age hillforts at Sandy overlooking what later became the site of the Roman town and associated Roman road which were strategically located in the gap made by the River Ivel through the Ridge. Elsewhere there are medieval castles and ringworks, as at Meppershall, Cainhoe and Quince Hill in Old Warden, and a number of medieval moats where glacial clays cap the Greensand. Abandonment of arable land is documented in several places during the 14th century due to exhaustion of the poor soils and is associated with the desertion or shrinkage of settlement in places like Linslade and Lower Gravenhurst.<br><br> In more recent times the Secret War against Germany during the Second World War was largely conducted from the south western part of the Ridge with some unusual structures still surviving. However, the predominant and most distinctive feature of the built environment in many villages on the Ridge is the local dark brown sandstone (ironstone) quarried from it and used for constructing most of their churches, several other historic buildings and for walls.<br><br> <span id ="s1"><b>Wednesday 8th February 2012 at 7.30 pm :<br> Richard Wildman & Alan Crawley; Bedford Then and Now.</b></span><br><br> An illustrated talk on views of Bedford past and present, drawing on the authors  latest book, Bedford Then and Now, due to be published in November 2011. This is their second book for the History Press. The first, Bedford's Motoring Heritage (see Book Review Page 1), was published in 2003 and reprinted (with corrections) in 2010.<br><br> <span id ="s1"><b>Wednesday 7th March 2012 at 7.30 pm :<br> Josh Tidy: The Spirella Corset Company of Letchworth.</b></span><br><br> An illustrated talk on the history of the world famous corset company from Josh Tidy of Letchworth s First Garden City Museum. The Spirella Company was founded by William Kincaid (1868-1964) an American entrepreneur, who came came to Letchworth Garden City after hearing about the establishment of a new community - the world's first Garden City - and the man behind it, Ebenezer Howard. The company started in 1910 in wooden sheds and rapidly achieved an international reputation.<br><br> Kincaid, like Howard, was a man ahead of his time, and commissioned architect Cecil Hignett to design a state-of-the art factory of great beauty. The factory was completed in 1920 and provided the perfect environment for his workers to be happy, contented and highly productive, and was worthy of being called 'The Factory of Beauty'. The building still exists and is Grade II listed, though  with the collapse of demand for corsetry from the 1960 s - now converted to use as a business and conference centre, restored and run by the Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation.<br><br> <span id ="s1"><b> Wednesday 11th April 2012 at 7.30 pm : <br> Mike Luke: Ancient Life in the Biddenham Loop.</b></span><br><br> Illustrated talk on the recent Albion Archaeology excavations in the Loop. The Biddenham Loop has been the scene of human activity from the Palaeolithic through to the present-day, but the majority of the archaeological evidence spans the Neolithic to the early 4th century AD. A small number of probable Neolithic monuments, including rectangular and oval enclosures, were identified. Dating and function remain uncertain because the evidence for them derives mainly from non-intrusive survey. The high density of late Neolithic/early Bronze Age monuments, including thirty ring ditches, is suggestive of a monument complex . The Biddenham Loop was continuously occupied until the end of the Romano-British period. This longevity of settlement must be due in part to local topography: a riverine location with adjacent land just above the flood plain. Six unenclosed, early-middle Iron Age farmsteads were identified. Four late Iron Age/early Romano-British farmsteads were close to, but not in exactly the same location as, their predecessors. They continued to be occupied into the late 1st century AD, although they were augmented by extensive rectilinear systems of ditched enclosures. A system of fields, associated with the farmsteads, was present over most of the interior of the Biddenham Loop. Trackways linked the farmsteads and provided access to the floodplain and, probably, the substantial contemporary settlement at Kempston Church End. For further reading, see Mike s excellent report: No.125, 2008: Life in the Loop: Investigation of a Prehistoric and Romano-British Landscape at Biddenham Loop, Bedfordshire, by Mike Luke ISBN 978 0 9556546 1 9; 320pp, 192 illustrations; £2.<br><br> <b>Wine will be served during the interval.</b><br><br> <span id ="s1"><b>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</b></span></p> <p> <a href="http://www.www.theroyalweddingwilliamkate.com"/><b><span id ="s3">Royal Wedding</span></b></a><br><br> <span id ="s1"><b>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</b></span></p> </div> </body>