Please contact us for information on our meetings, visits and newsletters – do join us for regular news
Non-members are welcome to attend our evening meetings. Advantages of and how to become a member
Meetings & visits must be pre-booked by email: bookings@stroudlocalhistorysociety.org.uk
For visits, we meet at the destination.
Meetings are often at St Laurence church hall, The Shambles, Stroud – we open the doors early for a hot drink and chat.
| DATE/TIME/VENUE | SUBJECT | |
|---|---|---|
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| Thursday 18th June 2026 | Rivers of Cloth | |
| St Laurence church hall. Doors open 7pm for 7.30pm start | DVD by Stroudwater Textile Trust showing cloth production in local mills plus a talk by Ann Taylor | |
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| July 2026 | A walk in Nailsworth – only advertised to members | |
| A short walk to see the sites of lost inns and buildings connected to Nailsworth Brewery. Plus other buildings along the way. Time – about 1 hour. Distance – about 1 mile. ————————————————————————————— | ||
| August 2026 | A talk and short walk in Craham– only advertised to members | |
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| Thursday 15th October 2026 | Do you remember the railcar? The "Chalford Auto" by Mike Smith | |
| St Laurence church hall. Doors open 7pm for 7.30pm start | The "Chalford Auto" was the popular little train that served the people of the Stroud district for many years stopping at many stations and halts between Chalford and Stonehouse. Introduced in 1903 the service was extended from the Golden Valley to Gloucester in 1921 but sadly succumbed to Doctor Beeching's axe in 1964. Tonight's talk will look at the origins of the service; the stations and halts it served; its locomotives and coaches and its demise in 1964. | |
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| Thursday 19th November 2026 | The 1926 UK General Strike by Stuart Butler | |
| St Laurence church hall. Doors open 7pm for 7.30pm start | The centenary of the General Strike this year has been marked by a number of events all over the country. How did this unique event that the government and its supporters viewed as a threat to parliamentary government and the constitution play out in Stroud & District? How did this unique strike that the TUC and its supporters viewed as an industrial not political struggle play out along the railway between Stroud and Swindon? Stuart Butler who has co-written a pamphlet about the General Strike in Stroud and Gloucester with Tony Condor; exhibited spoken walked and talked about the General Strike in May this year will inform and entertain in his talk. | |
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| A Sunday afternoon in February 2027 | Strange Tales from the Darker Side with Nick Brunger | |
| Members Gala Afternoon with sandwiches and cake | – a selection of weird and wonderful stories inspired by and connected with events from our county's past. Nick is an award-winning magician and storyteller with recent appearances at the Everyman and Cotswold theatres Blackfriars and the Folk Museum in Gloucester and at Woodchester Mansion. | |
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| Thursday 18th March 2027 | Brimscombe Mill 1086-2025 by Sharon Mansell –A history in pictures | |
| St Laurence church hall. Doors open 7pm for 7.30pm start | Its fascinating history mirrors much of that of the other valleys in the Stroud area. It began as a medieval fulling mill and became a large centre for textile production during the first Industrial Revolution. By 1889 it was divided into Upper and Lower Mill and it had 120 power looms and 6 400 spindles. Its decline coincided with the decline of Brimscombe Port and much of it was destroyed in the Twentieth Century. Some buildings have survived and are being renovated for new use. |
Link to Past meetings