Whitwick & District U3A - History Group
Objective
During the winter months the group usually meet in Thringstone Methodist Church Hall for a speaker. The summer programme comprises visits to historical sites and history based walks. During the year there is a combination of local history plus subjects from further afield.
Timing
Generally the last Monday of the month but may be changed to accommodate opening times of the places we visit.
Calendar
2019
Mon Jan 28th - Childhood Outings and Shared Lunch
Spend a minute or two to share your memories of childhood outings - family,
school, church, factory outings from the past. Bring something to share at our
buffet. 11.45 for 12.00 noon, Thringstone Methodist Hall.
Mon Feb 25th - Tudor Coal Mining at Lount, Coleorton
From Coalville Historical Society we have former Museum Curator Stuart Warburton's
talk on Tudor coal mining and the race against time to excavate remains before
they were destroyed by opencast coal mining. 1.45 for 2pm, Thringstone Methodist
Hall. £3
Mon Mar 25th - A Coal Mining Dynasty
Swannington Heritage Society's research into the owners and engineers of the
Califat Coal Mine identified Benjamin Walker a coal mine owner in Newbold, Coleorton
and Swannington, who was central to a 150 year dynasty of coal mine owners,
engineers and merchants from Staffordshire to Middlesex. 1.45 for 2pm, Thringstone
Methodist Hall. £3
Mon Apr 29th - Framework Knitting
From the home to small factories, framework knitting was an important industry
in Leicestershire. Speaker from Wigston Framework Knitters Museum. 1.45 for
2pm, Thringstone Methodist Hall. £3
May - no meeting as last Monday is a Bank Holiday.
Mon Jun 3rd - National Gas Museum, Leicester, 2pm.
A chance to see many intriguing artefacts from the history of the gas industry.
NOTE DATE - The last Monday in May is the Spring Bank Holiday and the last Monday
in June coincides with the WAD holiday in Caernarvon. So the 3rd June has been
chosen as the date that seems to impact the fewest members.
Mon Jul 22nd - Planning Meeting
Griffydam, 2pm
Mon Sep 30th - Breedon Iron Age Fort
with former county archaeologist, Peter Liddle. Breedon Priory Church,
2pm
Mon Oct 28th - Gas in Leicestershire from the 1820s to
the 1980s, Paul Siddals.
We all take gas for granted and seldom wonder how it came to be available. Paul
will explain how the gas industry developed in Leicestershire over its first
160 years, including how it developed in Coalville and NW Leics, from the gas
works in Whitwick, Ibstock, Ashby and Measham, to the conversion to natural
gas and after. Paul spent most of his working life in the gas industry, and
in the 1970s he was the distribution engineer for the west of Leicestershire
and had an office in what had been Whitwick gas works. He still lives in Whitwick.
1.45 for 2pm, Thringstone Methodist Hall. £3
Contact
Roger (Bis) Bisgrove at 
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Pictures
More pictures are available in the Gallery
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September 2017 - The group
went on a guided tour of the New Lount Colliery site at the New Lount
Nature Reserve near Newbold. The colliery closed in 1968. We were guided
by John who, together with 3 former colliery workers, explained the workings
of the old colliery. The site has been developed as a heritage trail by
the joint efforts of the Newbold Heritage Group and the Coleorton and
New Lount Volunteer Group. Several information boards were installed in
May this year, which are full of interesting information.
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