Sandhurst Historical Society
Prospectus The Sandhurst Historical Society was formed in 1996 by a small group of enthusiasts who wished to meet socially from time to time in order to discuss various historical topics and to make occasional visits to sights of particular interest. Since that time, the society has proved popular with a great number of people. The annual subscription is currently £10 and visitors pay £2 to attend a single meeting. The Society is managed by an elected committee which organises monthly meetings with expert speakers on a wide variety of topics. Several day-trips are also made each year to sites of historical interest across a large part of southern England. The Society’s activities are not confined to the local history of Sandhurst alone. Members with interests in many branches of history are drawn from several other nearby communities. Meetings are normally held on the fourth Thursday of the month at the Sandhurst Memorial Centre at 7:30pm. They take the form of a brief introduction, followed by an expert presentation, refreshments and finally an open forum discussion before the meeting closes at around 9:30pm. The meetings are conducted in a friendly, informal style and pride is taken in helping visitors to feel at home. There is always ample parking. Talks have covered a remarkable selection of topics ranging from the history of the Thames Valley Police to that of Broadmoor Hospital and other nationally significant institutions. Other talks have been given on the subjects of: local roads; railways; canals; postcards; the evolving shapes and forms of chimneys and fireplaces; the dating of old photographs; aerial photography and dozens of other topics. Our outings usually begin by boarding a luxury coach outside the Memorial Centre at about 8:00 am and end at the same place in the early evening. Visits have been made to such places as Winchester, Wellington and Oxford colleges, Maiden Castle and the Houses of Parliament and an expert guide always accompanies the group. Mark Corney, of ‘Time Team’ fame, has accompanied visits to Cirencester, Dorchester and Bradford on Avon (to a Roman ‘dig’, not then open to the general public, where Mark was the lead archaeologist). Many other Roman, Saxon and other ancient sites have also been visited. The Society supports an active Research Group which has produced two booklets since the Society was formed: “The Public Houses of Sandhurst and Crowthorne 1740 - 1950” and “Sandhurst - a look back in time” which tells the history of many of the large houses and estates which once occupied sites now covered by housing estates. These books are available to order on this website. All members are encouraged to take part in Society research. Anyone wishing to learn more about the Society will be welcome at any members’ meeting and these are advertised in local newspapers, the Sandhurst Residents’ magazine and posters in local libraries, as well as on this website of course ! Why not come along to a meeting and see for yourself ?! The Sandhurst Hisotrical Society, 2004
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