The Heritage Group cannot recommend or endorse these speakers.
The list is provided to assist in contacting people who make presentations on a variety of topics.
All arrangements must be made with the speaker.
There may be charges for these services and expenses may be claimed.
The list is arranged by Name, Contact details, Subjects of talks.
The list is provided to assist in contacting people who make presentations on a variety of topics.
All arrangements must be made with the speaker.
There may be charges for these services and expenses may be claimed.
The list is arranged by Name, Contact details, Subjects of talks.
Staffordshire Archives and Heritage Service
For information contact: Helen Johnson, Community Engagement and Partnership Officer Email: [email protected]
We offer a range of talks about our collections for local groups and societies.
Alan Lewis
Contact Number: 01785 823982
- "Charles II and the Legacy of the Royal Oak” – it’s not just about a pub
- “What’s in a Word” – the origin of some everyday words and phrases
- “Sapper Norman” – one story amongst many from WWII
- “HMS Royal Oak” – 275 years of history
- "Staffordshire" the creative county and it's people.
'Thorpe View’ Mappleton, Ashbourne, Derbyshire. DE6 2AB
Email address: [email protected]
Contact Number: 01335-350536
- Over 20 talks available.
- They are of a social and cultural historical nature, some relating specifically to Staffordshire and Derbyshire.
- There is often a focus on Victorian England. Talks leaflets on request or see website
Museum of Cannock Chase, Valley Road, Hednesford, Staffs. WS12 1TD
Email address: [email protected] Contact Number 01543 877666
- Behind the Scenes’ (about the work of the museum on a day-to-day basis)
- ‘Make Do’ (about the WW2 Homefront)
- ‘Houses from History’ (domestic life through the ages)
- ‘From Coal Face to Fire Place’ (the story of coal mining in our area)
Website: www.nicholas-corder.co.uk
Email address: [email protected] Contact number: 01785 824 064
- Some Staffordshire Murders (based on my book
- Foul Deeds and Suspicious Deaths in Staffordshire and the Potteries.
- The Bayeux Tapestry.
- Downshifting - Why having more makes you poorer (based on my Book Escape from the Rat Race)
- Two Men in a Barrel (A Whisky-tasting tour of Scotland in the style of Jerome K Jerome)
- The Ukulele - from Madeira to Morecambe - A history with songs.
- A Writer’s Life for me - the pleasures and pitfalls of attempting to make a living by writing
- Turned out nice again - the George Formby Story - with songs
26 Main Road, Ketley Bank, Telford. TF2 0DH.
Email address: [email protected] Contact number: 01952 614319 Mobile: 07976 1000087
- The Life and Works of Thomas Telford.
- The Best of Shropshire's Heritage and Landscape.
- Telford and Wrekin: Then and Now.
- 1709-2009: Celebrating the Birth of the Industrial Revolution in Coalbrookdale..
- A visitor's Guide to Telford and Wrekin..
Email address: [email protected]
- The History of Playing Cards
- American Gangster 1919-1941
- The History of Russia
- Egypt.
- Admiral Lord Anson and Shugborough.
5 Silkmore Crescent, Stafford. ST17 4 JL Contact number: 01785 258589
- Ten Steps to Time Team (A History of Archaeology)
- The Origins of Stafford (Archaeology and History)
- The Discovery of Stafford Castle (History, surveys and excavations)
- Medieval Watermills of Staffordshire (Excavations in Tamworth and Stafford and the evidence of Domesday)
- Monastic Sites of Staffordshire ( Medieval monasteries, their physical remains and their history after the Dissolution)
- The Medieval towns of Staffordshire (The origins and development of boroughs and markets)
- The Medieval Churches of Staffordshire ( Architectural history)
- Chartley Castle ( Chartley village, Chartley Castle and Chartley Hall)
- Medieval Countryside of Staffordshire (Villages, fields and woodland)
- Medieval Industry of Staffordshire (Using documentary and archaeological evidence)
- The Pattern of Staffordshire Building (Traditional techniques and materials used in building)
- Stone Flint Mill (The archaeological and historical evidence. Featured in Channel 4's Restoration Man)
- My favourite Staffordshire Places (A personal choice of 20 places in the historic county)
- An Introduction to Archaeology ( A definition and description of modern archaeology)
- Per talk David normally charges a £40 fee plus travelling costs at 30p per mile travelled
12 Mitchell Rise, Yarnfield, Stone, Staffs. ST15 0TR
Telephone: 01785 760008 Mobile: 07528 615417 (Please leave a message if there is no reply)
Email address: s.farrelly@btinternetcom
- The Atlantic Telegraph - the laying of the first trans-Atlantic cable
- Guglielmo Marconi - the Man, his life and his Wireless
- Trying to Connect You - the evolution of telephone exchanges
- James Brindley - the father of British canal engineering
- Legends of the Stones - a light-hearted tour of some stone circles
- A Trip to the Seaside - the history of our seaside piers
- Unpicking the Thread - who invented the sewing machine?
- When the War Came to Yarnfield - the munitions factory, the railway, the Americans and the GPO
- Keeping Off the Rocks - a brief history of British Lighthouses
- The Americans in Stone 1942 to 1945 an examination of operations carried out for the 8th Army Air Force in the Stone area during the war
- Curious Discoveries On the Staffordshire Map – a quick tour around some geological features, some industrial sites and some man-made oddities around the county
- The Other Darwin - Erasmus Darwin". A truly remarkable man in many different areas of expertise and rather over-shadowed by his illustrious descendent.
Email address: [email protected] Tel: 07892 909997
- Beasts of the (Battle)field: Animal Symbolism in the Staffordshire Hoard
- Medicine and Magic in Anglo-Saxon England
- The Hero and the House Fire: How we almost lost Beowulf
Email address: [email protected]
- Jane is a professional embroiderer, specialising in historical textiles and works with groups to create accurate examples for their local property and offers a talk about her work. Projects include: -
- The Ancient High House, Ford Green Hall, Little Moreton Hall, Staircase House, Stockport and the Globe Theatre. A wide range of images explains the processes, materials, local influences and status projected on a screen, if available, and on A4 boards to pass round.
- "The Just Sew Stories", describe the little known connections of late 19th century stitchers and their families. Images are available for closer examination and audiences are encouraged to bring their small examples of the Arts & Crafts movement.
- "Over the hills and far away", slides of William Morris's little known visit to Mid Wales, with large display screens from an exhibition Jane curated for Moma Mid Wales and digital images if the equipment has an operator!
- Currently preparing a lecture on 19th century Ecclesiastical Embroidery in the Midlands, it's symbolism and restoration. Similar format to the previous lectures.
- Charge £35-50, depending on the size of the hosting group, and travel from Stone, Staffordshire.
Email address: [email protected] Tel: 01283-732255
2 Church Lane Cottages, Church Lane, Sutton on the Hill, Ashbourne. DE6 5JA
- THE ENGLISH HIGHWAYMAN - A history of mounted English highway robber 1570 to 1831 Talk delivered in costume with table display.
- Charges £35 per talk. Travel charge £5 up to 10 miles, negotiable thereafter. Travel distance up to 25 mile radius from my home. Digital projector available, but no screen.
18.Larchfields, Stone, Staffordshire. ST15 0DD. Tel: 01785 814067
- The 1st Duke of Sutherland – a kindly landlord or a cruel tyrant?
- The Dukes and Duchesses of Sutherland after 1833 and their local impact
- The RAF Fauld Explosion, 27. Nov 1944
- The Potteries Blitz – June 1940 to March 1941
- Lidice 1942 – its destruction and the part played by Staffordshire people in its re-birth
- Dr William Palmer of Rugeley – Saintly Billy or Mass Murderer?
- Staffordshire soldiers and the Great War
- Stone’s contribution to the Great War
- From Staffordshire to Australia to the Somme – the experiences of a young emigrant
- Chimney Sweeps’ climbing boys (in particular at Staffordshire and the part played by Francis Wedgwood and others in ending the abuse)
- Staffordshire and the Coming of the Tudors in 1485
- Local ‘Democracy’ in the 18th Century
- The Golden Age of Stage-coaching (with particular reference to Staffordshire)
- Staffordshire Hoards (1831 – 2012)
- The Lost Treasure of Stone – the mystery of the unique Priory Seal.
- All talks last for about 1 hour and are fully-illustrated (Power point). I charge a standard, all-inclusive fee of £30 per talk.
Email address: [email protected] Tel: 01827 735832
Website poultonsmith.co.uk/talk.html
- Origins of Place Names - a look at the place names of England. Which names? The audience decides in an extended Q&A session.
- Origins of Pub Names - as with place names, plenty of opportunity to ask specific examples.
- Animal Myths - a look at the many astonishing ideas which have become part of our history and have never had any basis in fact.
- The Saxon Era - the Dark Ages and why they were anything but dark.
- The Humble Privy - a history of the toilet in its many forms.
- Talking Butts - the many ideas in history which may be well known but have no basis in fact.
- Stupid Moments in History - the Charge of the Light Brigade may be known as a big mistake, but it was nowhere near the most foolish.
- Old Wives Tales - everything from curing warts, to determining the sex of a child, and avoiding a miscarriage as an 8yo boy!
- Numerous etymological talks - every word has an etymology and defining same can only add to the knowledge and history of a subject, often with surprising results.
Email address: [email protected] Tel: 07809 837577
18 Farrington Road, Ettingshall Park, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, WV4 6QH
- ‘The Rise and Demise of the Bromsgrove Guild’ - An Illustrated History of the Metalworkers to HM the King.
- In Search of the Bromsgrove Guild in the West Midlands – Where you can still see their artistry.
- The Bromsgrove Guild’s Great War
- “Let my quick fate a warning be…” Fatal Transport Accidents in the West Midlands, 1820s-1920s.
- “Oh, what a bostin war!” – The Black Country in 1914
- Wolverhampton and the Great War – An under-whelming response?
- Forgotten Great War Soldiers of the Midland Railway - Part One.
- Forgotten Great War Soldiers of the Midland Railway - Part Two.
- The Adventures of Harry Payne – the Edwardian “Literary Tramp”.
- Current charge £50 for a presentation and an additional £10 if travelling further than 20 miles from my house (Wolverhampton).
Email address: [email protected]
Tel: 07746 800484
- FAMILY HISTORY
Talk 2) MORE THAN JUST A LIST OF NAMES AND DATES. For those who have already started their family history, and would like to put flesh on the bones of their ancestors. NB. Both talks can be condensed as one talk for a mixed audience. Talk 3) FASCINATING FAMILY HISTORY. Anecdotes and stories of interesting discoveries found during the speaker’s own research.
Talk 4) A FAMILY HISTORY BOOK. How to write your family history for the future generations.
- STORIES GRANDDAD TOLD
They can be told to anyone with an interest in that period and the country way of life at that time.
- MY FATHER, POW
- LOCAL NINETEENTH CENTURY MURDERS
- ROGUES, VILLAINS & THIEVES
- BIRMINGHAM, ITS HISTORY & ITS PEOPLE
- LAVINIA, PRINCESS OR FAKE?
- DIARY OF WILLIAM LEA
- WW1 NARRATIVES
Talk 1) WW1 Stories from the Front
Talk 2) Dear Mother A WW1 Tragedy. Letters between a mother and son in 1918. Warning, the latter part of this talk is quite a sad account.
- READ ALL ABOUT IT
- DR WILMORE’S REVENGE
- NATIONAL TRUST PROPERTIES
Another single talk combines the stories of the families of the Warwickshire properties of Baddesley Clinton and Packwood House.
Talk 2) A WEEKEND AWAY. Descriptions of properties around the country worth a visit.
- FACT STRANGER THAN FICTION
Penny Wheat
Email address: [email protected]
Tel: 01785-615085 - mob: 07432 168292
“The Craft of the Silversmith.” An illustrated, lively and amusing talk by a practising silversmith and lecturer, with many photographs, examples of work and items for sale.
- “From behind Bars” (Suitable for zoom)
- “And You Visited Me”,
- “The perils of a Public Speaker” (Suitable for zoom)
An amusing and light-hearted talk, based on many years experience doing the rounds of Staffordshire’s WIs, Townswomen’s Guilds, Probus, Rotary and other such groups.
- “Miss Ellen Nee“ (Suitable for zoom)
- Dig it!
- Well I never!
- Please note: -£55 plus travel expenses, from 2023
Please contact speakers directly as the Heritage Group cannot undertake this.