THURSDAY 3RD OCT: Limited menu! Plenty of coffee and cake. Café is open until 4pm during weekends and the school holidays.
Please note, the waterplay feature is closed Monday mornings for routine cleaning and maintenance.
Precious Strand’s History and Inspiration for Recycling Textiles - A talk by Sharn Matthews Talk Overview In past centuries textiles were comparatively expensive and were valued and re-used accordingly in most cultures. Today it is not the cost of purchase that concerns us but the environmental costs which are becoming more important. This talk explores […]
‘Any Old Iron’: The History of the Butlin Family and their Furnaces in Wellingborough - A talk by Jon-Paul Carr Talk Overview An illustrated talk of the history of a Northamptonshire family and their pioneer involvement in the 19th and early 20th century iron ore manufacturing industry. Details will be explored about the family background, […]
Caroline Chisholm - A talk by Bernadette Millar Talk Overview This talk describes the life of a woman who was born a few miles from here. She spent her whole life helping the poor and helpless both here and abroad, fighting against the prejudices and discrimination that ruled Victorian society at the time. Penniless herself […]
Philip Manfield: His Life and Contribution to Shoe Making in Northampton - A talk by Dr Izabaela Robinson Talk Overview Sir Philip Manfield was a prominent local businessman, politician and public servant whose contribution to the establishment and growth of the footwear manufacturing industry is intricately linked with the history of Northampton itself. This talk […]
Raunds: The Town on the Edge - A talk by Susan Copperwheat Talk Overview Famous in the footwear industry, the talk is also of recent discoveries that enhance its history and future. The Speaker Susan Copperwheat is a Local & Social Historian based in East Northamptonshire, and a member of Northamptonshire Heritage Forum. She has […]
Sorcerer's herbs - A talk by Michael Brown Talk Overview This is a talk with a Harry Potter - type theme. There were many plants used for magical purposes. Mandrake was not the only dangerous plant to harvest. Beware of woodpeckers waiting to peck your eyes out! You will have to hear the talk to […]
When Olive Oil was for Earache - A talk by Sharn Matthews Talk Overview British food changed considerably during the 20th century as a result of new technology, international influences and celebrity chefs. This talk highlights some of the key changes which have resulted in our favourite foods and how we eat today. The Speaker […]
Talk Overview Presented by finalists from the BBC’s multi award winning series Race Across the World, Stephen and Viv talk about their adventures as they travelled from northern Japan all the way to Lombok in Indonesia. Over eight gruelling weeks and covering 15,000 kilometres they crossed six seas, eight borders and all on a very […]
An overview A talk spanning ancient & modern times, with many peculiar items. There is also an option to explore the area yourselves afterwards, to find a few of them, including blackberries! The speaker: Susan Copperwheat, a Local & Social Historian based in East Northamptonshire, and a member of Northamptonshire Heritage Forum. "I have been […]
An overview The Song of the Nightingale – following on from his presentation earlier this year about kingfishers, Nick Penny will talk about nightingales in Northamptonshire. He’ll include the reactions of local writers John Clare, HE Bates and “BB” to the nightingale’s glorious song and will play his own harp music to recordings of birds he made […]
An overview Andy is a retired Detective Chief Inspector and was trained as a Senior Investigating Officer. He spent some years working on the Homicide and Major crime Team. His talk looks at how the police respond to a major crime and in particular to a homicide, what is an incident room and how does […]
The talk: Northamptonshire on the Big and Little Screen: Movies, TV programmes, film and TV stars from the county An overview Northamptonshire connections with Stars from the Silver Screen and Personalities from televisions past are investigated in this illustrated talk. Aspects of connections with county Actors and Actresses, involvements with early cinema, British Films, the Golden Age of […]
