Wharf Talks
JUL 20th THE HISTORY OF SWIMMING IN PLYMOUTH By Karen Moore
KAREN MOORE: Karen Moore is an Independent heritage researcher and member of the Plymouth
Community Heritage Network. She is a Postgraduate in Social History - her specialism being
her hometown of Plymouth, in particular swimming in Plymouth.
TALK: Karen will share with us some of her ongoing research into the history
of swimming in Plymouth, through a two part presentation -‘Teaching
the Plymouth Mermaids: Madame Gent, Plymouth Swimming Teacher, 1880 –
1905’ and 'Dip your toe in the water' Swimming activities in 1920’s Plymouth.
JUL 27th RAILWAYS FROM LOSTWITHIEL TO CHINA CLAY By Bernard Mills
BERNARD MILLS: Railwayman of 57 years railway service, Bernard worked in the ticket office at Tavistock North for the last 18 months of the station’s life. He always took a camera to work and as a lifelong railway enthusiast has been photographing railways for the better part of 6 decades. He has written a number of books on railways.
TALK: The talk is a look at the railways that served the china clay area, some long gone, by way of a journey from Lostwithiel to Fowey and then over the former line to St. Blazey. We then visit Par Harbour to see Judy and Alfred in action including very rare pictures of Judy working the short branch to Par Moor. We then move on up the still extant Newquay branch to examine in detail the now long gone and mostly eradicated branches to Carbean Wharf and Carbis Wharf, with some eye catching views of both then and now .
AUG 3rd FOLLOWING FOLK SCAPES: THE LYCH WAY AND
BRITISH FOLK BELIEF By Harry McNeile
HARRY MCNEILE: Harry McNeile has just completed his undergraduate in history at the University of Warwick. Funding permitted, Harry shall be undertaking an MPhil in Heritage Studies at the University of Cambridge later this year. His research interests centre on public history, memory and heritage. Harry has undertaken funded research into the digitisation of the public history sector, authoring 'Archives to Airways: Translating History for Public Audiences’. His dissertation focuses on the National Trust and its connections to legacies of enslavement. At Rewind, a student-run public history initiative, he co-produced and presented a national award-winning documentary. While working as a Junior Researcher at History Hit, he contributed to the production of over ten documentaries and podcasts for platforms including Channel 5. Earlier this year, Harry also had the pleasure of serving as an assistant curator for an exhibition at the Lord Leycester Hospital in Warwick, which explored the little known lives of the Almshouses’ early modern Brethren.
TALK: Can a landscape reveal something of the folkloric beliefs of a society, and if so, how do we learn to read it? Harry will explore Dartmoor’s Lych Way, an ancient path upon which locals carried their dead from the bedside to the graveside. For many hikers today, the Lych Way appears like any of the many walking routes you can take across Dartmoor, but when walked with a folkcentric gaze, the path becomes a window into the beliefs, fears and anxieties of Devon’s medieval and early modern past. Harry will cover the rituals employed by these communities to help get their loved ones to heaven, while ensuring that the dead were unable to return to haunt them; he will also explore the supernatural entities said to traverse Britain’s corpse roads and what they reveal about these communities’ relationship to death. To close this talk shall discuss how corpse paths like the Lych Way have received a second life in popular culture — no longer as routes for carrying the dead, but as focal points of living folk culture.
AUG 10th THE ENGLISH CIVIL WAR IN THE TAMAR VALLEY By Paul Reid
PAUL REID My name is Paul Reid, but everyone calls me "Critter". I'm 60 years old and have always lived in the Tamar Valley. I have a keen interest in military history and a specific interest in the 17th Century which has developed whilst I was an English Civil War re-enactor over a 35 year period. I am married with two grown up children and a grandson.
TALK: This talk is in two parts: the first section gives a broad background to the English Civil War putting it in context of when it was, why it happened, who took part and how they fought. The main section then gives a more detailed look at the important skirmishes and battles that took place in the Tamar Valley itself, along with the ongoing results of those conflicts. Despite the military topic, I keep the talk light hearted, interesting and not too academic.
AUG 17th TAVISTOCK: THE ONCE AND FUTURE ABBEY By Simon Thompson and Will Hay
SIMON THOMPSON: Simon Thompson was a professional archaeologist working for 20 years at the Museum of London, before moving with his family to Tavistock. Here, as a volunteer with Tavistock Forward, he helped bring about the digitisation of the 1752 Wynne map – now freely available online at the National Library of Scotland. He is currently involved with the TASS Lifestories project as well as Tavistock Heritage Trust’s ‘Rediscovering Tavistock Abbey’ project
WILL HAY:Dr Will Hay, PhD is a former Lecturer at the University of Plymouth, where he taught Social Work students and specialised in Criminal Justice. He is a member of the LifeStories Project steering group, and has a particular interest in oral history and preserving the memories of Tavistock's residents
TALK: What was life in a monastery really like — and what might still lie hidden
beneath Tavistock today?
In this lively two-speaker talk, local historians Simon Thompson and Will Hay, currently working on their forthcoming book Monky Business, explore the surprising realities of monastic life. Far from being only about prayer and chanting, monasteries were busy, complex communities at the heart of medieval society. The second half of the talk turns to Tavistock Abbey, once one of the most important religious houses in the West Country. We will look at what we know, what we have lost, and what may yet be rediscovered — including the aims and plans for new archaeological investigations that could reveal the Abbey’s hidden story. Come and discover the past beneath your feet — and the future of Tavistock’s Abbey.
AUG 24th WAVES ACROSS THE OCEAN By Simon Boxall
Dr. SIMON BOXALL: Dr Simon Boxall is a senior lecturer in Oceanography at the University of Southampton and is also responsible for the public understanding of the oceans. He has appeared in over 100 documentaries relating to the oceans and regularly presents news items on subjects from tsunamis to coastal erosion, and great white sharks to major marine pollution incidents.
TALK: We all come across waves, whether on a cruise ship in a storm or the gentle lapping of waves against the shore as we enjoy a day at the beach. But what causes waves and how diverse can they get? Rogue waves that can exceed 30m in height, the 18 m tidal wave that hit Bristol, and the enormous energy potential in our waves. They can be both destructive and useful.Find out more in this talk that illustrates a complex science phenomenon in easy to understand terms.
AUG 31st BANK HOLIDAY - CLOSED
SEPT 7th IN THE MOOD OR DANCING THROUGH A WAR. By Dr. Francis Burroughes
Dr. FRANCIS BURROUGHES B.E.M. Lecturer and after-Dinner Speaker, for W.Is., Rotary & Round Tables, U3As and special interest groups and societies.
TALK: The story of my mother, an Army nurse before and during the Second World War, whose service took her from Chorley in Lancashire, throught the Blitz in London, to the West Country and finally to Dachau in Germany. Illustrated with excerts from her diaries for the years 1936 -1945
SEPT 14th PUSHED TO THE EDGE - WORK IN INDONISIA WITH ORANGUTANS. By Nigel and Sarah Hicks
NIGEL AND SARAH HICKS: Nigel qualified as a vet from Bristol University in 1973 and spent most of his working life as a mixed practice vet with his own practice in Lifton for nearly 25 years. Sara, his wife has worked with animals most of her life as a boarding and breeding kennel manager and also has several years experience as a practice trained working veterinary nurse.
TALK: The talk gives the background of the work of the charity together with facts and figures about orangutans before discussing deforestation and the causes of habitat loss which result in orangutan losses and the need for intervention and rescue. There are multiple images and video clips of the veterinary problems encountered, of us working in the centres, the pathway to rehabilitation and (hopefully) ultimately the release of the orangutan’s back to the wild. The talk concludes with a synopsis of the charity’s current activities and future targets. Whilst continuing orangutan losses are a rather depressing fact, we maintain and offer our listeners a positive outlook!
SEPT 21st MORE FROM MARY TAVY AND MORWELLHAM POWER STATION
By Jake and Josh
JAKE AND JOSH: Both employees at Mary Tavy HEP
TALK: The talk gives an explanation on when and how the power stations were built, the three respective reservoirs supplying the stations, the leat network and canal and the different type of turbines within the power stations. Josh will talk about the modern challenges of operating such an old power station and the regulations we have to adhere to. Josh will take questions at the end.
SEPT 28th RURAL MEMORIES By Tich and Debbie Scott
TICH AND DEBBIE SCOTT: Tich and Debbie met in the 70's, married in the 80's and have two grown up children who live on the farm with them and their children. For many years they were fencing contractors crisscrossing the county of Devon and beyond. They have been running Properdartmoortours for nearly 15 years, doing photo presentations for 10 years and raised over £3000 for FORCE, a cancer charity based in Exeter.
TALK: A talk about things people in the country side used to do but do no longer. You will be taken back remembering things your fathers, mothers and grandparents used to do!
OCT 5th PUTIN, TRUMP AND UKRAINE - AN UPDATE By John Dobson
JOHN DOBSON:Graduate of London and Southampton Universities. 31 years in Royal Navy with his final job being a Naval Attaché in Moscow). Cabinet Office working for John Major PM., then owner/operator of a group of nursing homes. Since 2016 he has been a columnist for Indian Sunday Guardian and is a Visiting Fellow at University of Plymouth.
TALK: The real reason for the war in Ukraine and how autocrats are using it to change world geopolitics.
OCT 12 th THE GROWTH OF PLYMOUTH DURING MEDIEVAL TIMES
By Alan Bricknell
ALAN BRICKNELL: Alan is an amateur historian with particular interests in local history and the history of medieval England. Since retiring from a career in the computer industry more than seventeen years ago, Alan has been actively involved in the running of Plymouth U3A, serving initially as Membership Secretary and then Treasurer, and now leads several U3A special interest groups. Alan is also an active member of the Ford Park
Cemetery Heritage team, which prepares regular exhibitions for display in the cemetery visitor centre and offers guided walks around the cemetery for members of the public.
TALK: An illustrated talk covering the growth of Plymouth from its early
beginnings as a Saxon farm through to the granting of its charter in 1439. The talk includes the origins of some of the local place names; Plympton and its place in the development of Plymouth and the invasion of the Bretons in 1403. It also looks at the question “Was Plymouth ever a medieval walled town?”
OCT 19th WITCHLAND: TALES OF THE “WITCHES” OF ENGLAND’S CIVIL WAR. By Marion Gibson
PROF. MARION GIBSON: Professor of Renaissance and Magical Literatures, Director of Flexible Combined Honours.
TALK: During the English Civil War of the 1640s many communities experienced witch trials. The witchfinders are famous, but who were the people they accused? In this talk, Marion Gibson reveals new discoveries based on archival research. She is Emerita Professor at Exeter University and the author of Witchcraft: A History in 13
Trials and Witchland: A Tale of Witch Hunting and War in 17th Century Britain.
OCT 26th 1918 – HOW SOME DEVON NEWSPAPERS REPORTED
THE LAST 100 DAYS OF WW1 By Robert Hesketh
ROBERT HESKETH: Speaker, freelance writer and photographer with a strong interest in local
History, Robert has published over 70 Devon, Dorset and Somerset titles and written numerous illustrated articles for The Countryman, Dartmoor Magazine, Country Walking, Trail, Cornwall Life and other publications. He offers guided history tours of Exeter and Bovey Tracey.
TALK: This talk is based on a close study of Devon newspapers – mainly the Devon and Exeter Daily Gazette and the Western Times.
Beginning with the massive Allied attack on August 8th, 1918, it shows how the fortunes of war turned against the Central Powers and especially against Germany, which had made impressive gains on the Western Front during the spring with reinforcements released from the Eastern Front in a last desperate gamble to win the war before the mass arrival of American troops. Through the use of new tactics and the “All Arms Battle”, the Allies won an unparalleled series of victories in only a hundred days to force the Armistice of November 11th – but at a terrible cost. Battle reports and editorials reveal the dramatic unfolding of events in what historians later called the “Last Hundred Days”.
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COMING FOR NOV / DEC 2026 / JAN 2027
Nov 2nd KNEE DEEP IN BERYL COOK ARCHIVE Hilary Bracegirdle
Nov 9th CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS Felicity Goodall
Nov 16th THE ICE MAN: Prehistoric Murder in the Alps Andrew Thompson
Nov 23rd HISTORY OF BEEKEEPING AT BUCKFAST ABBEY Clare Densley
Nov 30th TBA - something about Opera as a CEO Aiden Lang
Dec 7th FROM CASHIER No. 3 TO MY LIFE OF CRIME Terry Green
Dec 14th THE TAVI COUNTRY BUS Ray Stenning
2027 NO TALKS FOR CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR PERIOD
Jan 11th STROLL ALONG THE TRAMWAY Simon Dell
Jan 18th TBA Paul Rendell
Jan 25th THE LANDSCAPE AND HISTORY OF LOPWELL DAM & MARISTOW
Sharon Gedye