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Croydon’s sage old society offers walks and talks for 2025

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The Croydon Natural History and Scientific Society – CNHSS – enters its 155th year with its latest programme of talks and walks, most of which are open to the public (free, though they ask for a small donation), and most require booking.

In February 1870, Henry Long, a chemist trading on Croydon High Street, placed an advertisement in the Croydon Chronicle calling for gentlemen interested in a society for conversation and the exhibition of objects to contact him.

As the CNHSS explains: “At the time, microscopy was a growing interest due to great strides that had been made in its development, hence our original name of the Croydon Microscopical Club…. With a couple of name changes along the way, to Croydon Microscopical and Natural History Club in 1877 and to Croydon Natural History and Scientific Society in 1902, we are pleased to say that we have continued meeting and publishing even through the two world wars.”

CNHSS’s talks take place at East Croydon United Reformed Church, Addiscombe Grove, CR0 5LP, not far from East Croydon Station, with its trams and buses. “There is no entrance fee for our talks, but we do invite a small donation of £3. Zoom talks are free of charge but need to be booked as shown under the event.

January

Monday 13, 7.45pm: ZOOM TALK: “The anatomy of Birds: beak and wing morphology and adaptations”. This talk by Jenny Donelan will cover the general anatomy of birds and how they differ from other species. It will then move on to look at beak and wing morphology specifically. Jenny will be taking an in depth look at wader beaks and the astonishing morphological variety within this group of birds, and also how wing shape and flight action are linked. There will be some interactive elements so please do bring along a pen and paper. Booking required: Visitors please email cnhss.info@gmail.com with subject ZOOM BIRDS VISITOR by 3pm on Monday January 13.

Wednesday 29 7.45pm: ZOOM TALK: “Tulips: a terrible, triumphant story”, by Nick Dobson. Renowned for their beauty, tulips have a turbulent history in which they have broken hearts, and won and lost fortunes, helped to depose monarchs and saved the starving in wartime. We will learn more of that history in this lavishly illustrated talk. Booking required: Visitors please email cnhss.info@gmail.com with subject ZOOM TULIPS VISITOR by 3pm on Wednesday January 29.

February

Monday 17 7.34pm: ZOOM TALK: “William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Movement”, a talk by Mark Lewis. Celebrating the life and work of this illustrious poet, artist and social reformer, who pioneered a movement that reacted against the soulless machine production of the Industrial Revolution and attempted to promote joyful labour, the enjoyment of fine craftsmanship and simplicity of expression. Booking required: Visitors please email cnhss.info@gmail.com with subject ZOOM MORRIS VISITOR by 3pm on Monday February 17.

Sunday 23 10am: ECOLOGY WALK: “Summer saunter for heather on Shirley Heath”. Meet at 10am at the east end of Palace View, TQ370649. Led by Jane McLauchlin and Malcolm Jennings.

March

Saturday 8 2.30pm: TALK: “London’s Lesser-known Lost Rivers”, by Dr Tom Bolton. You probably know about the buried River Fleet, perhaps the Tyburn, the Effra, the Westbourne, the Walbrook. But what about the Bollo Brook, the Cock and Pye Ditch, Counter’s Creek or the Moselle? Tom Bolton has published two books tracing the routes of buried rivers though the London streetscape, and this talk focuses on the lesser-known watercourses which are perhaps even more revealing than those that are better researched. Travel from the intrigues of medieval Chiswick to the lost circus streets of Hackney, bobbing on the waters of buried brooks. Place: The small hall, ECURC.

Monday 24 7.45pm: TALK: “A bit of metallurgy”, by CNHSS member Jim Lugsden, on a little of the history and uses of iron and steel. Place: The small hall, ECURC.

April

Wednesday 16 7.45pm: TALK: “Plate Tectonics”, by Martin Eales. A discussion of the unifying theory of plate tectonics to explain the geological processes from volcanoes to mountain building. We will discuss how earthquakes and volcanoes occur at plate boundaries where oceans are being destroyed and we will travel to the Mediterranean and the Ring of Fire around the Pacific Ocean. We will also visit regions where oceanic crust is being created from hot spots in Hawaii to rifts in East Africa and the Mid Atlantic Ridge on Iceland. Continental collisions are currently forming evolving mountain ranges such as the Himalayas to the Alps and caused the unification of the British Isles some 400 million years ago. Place: The Small Hall, ECURC.

Saturday 19 2pm: ECOLOGY WALK: “Spring flowers in Happy Valley and Devilsden Wood”. Meet at 2pm in the public car park behind The Fox (not the pub car park), TQ317568. Led by Jane McLauchlin and Malcolm Jennings.

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