Intrigued by your family history?
Interested in tracing the roots of your family tree?
Want to find out what your grandfather or great-grandfather did in the Great War 100 years ago?
The next talk at the Norwood Society, at 7.30pm at Upper Norwood Library next Thursday, November 20, might be able to help you with suggestions and advice on how you can use local history resources to conduct your own Who Do You Think You Are-style family research.
The talk will be given by Lambeth archivist, Zoe Darani. “Even if you do not live in the Lambeth part of Norwood, we are sure you will be interested and surprised to hear about what is at the wonderful Lambeth Archives,” the organisers say.
Upper Norwood Library is at 39-41 Westow Hill, SE19 1TJ – in the lower meeting room. The talk is free, and light refreshments are provided, but the Society hopes for donations towards the costs.
The Norwood Society has already scoped out its programme of talks for 2015 (all to be held at Upper Norwood Library), and which cover a wide range of topics, from Penge to Pissaro.
January 15: Penge, the making of a South London suburb.
Author Martin Spence, will introduce us to Penge and the book he wrote about its history.
February 19: The Crystal Palace and its impact on the Dulwich Estate
Dulwich Society chairman, Ian McInnes, explores the influence of the Crystal Palace on southern Dulwich.
An airship floats by Crystal Palace in 1907. Find out more about the area’s aeronautical history at one of the Norwood Society Talks
March 19: Dickens: the Norwood Connections
Paul Graham, of the Dickens Fellowship, enlightens us about the links between Dickens and Norwood.
April 16: Balloons, Airships and Aeroplanes – all at the Crystal Palace
Jerry Green explains how Crystal Palace was involved in the pioneering of aviation.
May 21: Pissarro in Norwood
Society Chairman, Richard Lines, tells the story of artist Pissarro’s time in this area.
June 18: The Subway
Stephen Oxford has been closely involved in uncovering the history of this remaining part of the Palace and will uncover both the history and future plans.
September 17: The Crystal Palace – a sporting history.
Stuart Hibberd has been co-author of a history of Crystal Palace Football Club and will talk about the history of the club and other pioneers of sporting history associated with Crystal Palace.
October 15: The Business of Funerals
With one of Britain’s greatest cemeteries in our midst funerals are a common sight. Barbara Thomas will explore the history of undertakers and local firms.
November 19: William Booth
It is 150 years since William Booth founded the Salvation Army. Tony Fletcher will reveal the life of the man who preached to thousands in the Crystal Palace.
Coming to Croydon
- Albert Einstein – Relativity Speaking, Spread Eagle, Nov 12-15
- Oval Tavern Folk Club, Nov 14
- South Croydon business breakfast, Nov 15
- Croydon Assembly, Ruskin House, Nov 15
- Wandle Park community garden work day, Nov 16
- Streatham-Croydon women’s rugby training, Frant Road, Nov 16
- NCT Croydon Christmas Fair, St Mark’s Purley, Nov 16
- Personal safety training for volunteers, Nov 17
- David Lean Cinema, Effie Gray, Nov 20
- Norwood Society Talk: Lambeth’s Archives, Nov 20
- Choose Your Own Documentary, Spread Eagle Theatre, Nov 21-22
- David Lean Cinema, Lilting, Nov 22
- Streatham-Croydon women’s rugby training, Frant Road, Nov 23
- David Lean Cinema, Wakolda, Nov 27
- The Last Sense of Sudden, Spread Eagle Theatre, Nov 27-29
- Ghost Stories for Christmas, Spread Eagle Theatre, Dec 3
- Fog Horn Funnies, Spread Eagle Theatre, Dec 6
- Coulsdon Yulefest, Dec 6-7
- Oval Tavern Folk Club, Dec 7
- South Croydon business breakfast, Dec 13
- Friends of the Earth Green Beanfeast, Dec 15 (book by Dec 1)
- South Croydon business breakfast, Jan 24
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Local history (and community and working-class history) are fascinating fields in themselves. I find it a shame – like many librarians I’ve encountered who absolutely can’t say these things in public – that ordinary people are generally encouraged only to get involved in ‘family history’. Especially where there’s good local archives that could teach them so much more. As evidenced by all the other events listed.
No criticism of yourself, or of the archivist, incidentally. It’s probably the most effective way to promote the event. It’s more a criticism of a “me” tv culture that makes the study of history into the story of where one person came from, instead of what that part of the past was like.
Agree entirely.
But the Norwood Society is innocent of any criticism in our editorial decision to link next week’s lecture to a popular television programme: that was all ours, as we sought a “peg” on which to attract readers’ attention to the possibilities offered by the archives and other lectures – as headlined from Penge to Pissaro (which is hardly dumbing down, after all).