All talks take place in the Parish Hall, Church Street, Bathford, at 8.00 pm. Coffee is available from 7.30pm, and visitors and new members are welcome. £3.00 charge for non-members at the door.
Date |
Talk |
25th September 2023 | "Bathford Parish Plan and Village Design Statement - then and now" presented by Hugh Baker.The Village Design Statement 2005 (VDS) was a triumph of community voluntary cooperation. It set out to describe the qualities and characteristics of Bathford that are appreciated and valued by the residents and to help manage change so that it can be carried out in harmony with the village setting. All changes have to be made in the context of Green Belt, SSSI, AONB and conservation areas which define the village. Despite this there have been significant changes since 2005, though some proposals have been successfully avoided. This talk recalls the changes made and looks at the possible future challenges. Before the talk, members will be sent an electronic copy of the VDS which will give the opportunity to look at least at their own locality (the link is also on the Parish Council website). The talk will still be interesting even if you do not have time to look at the VDS in advance! Our speaker was part of the initial team setting up and running the project. |
30th October 2023 | "Bathford and its shops and pubs" presented by David Howells and Marilyn Wright.Bathford is a relatively small village which, though it has a wonderful Village Shop, was compared with today, a retail mecca. There was a butcher (closed 1998), baker (closed 1995) , dairy (closed 2004), four general stores (the last closed in 1995) post office (closed 1994) and many pubs though dwindling in number. There will be photographs and maps. It is a source of puzzlement that so many outlets were presumably able to make a living, despite the small customer base. Obviously all perished under the onslaught of the supermarkets. In this talk, David will describe the history and he and Marilyn will talk of their personal experiences of using the shops and invite members of the audience to reminisce. |
27th November 2023 | Annual General MeetingIn accordance with past practice, there will be a short formal meeting and a lively social. Donations of food and drink are most welcome. |
29th January 2024 | "History of Larkhall" presented by Kathleen Holden and June Hannan.The Larkhall History Society continues to flourish, evidence of a vibrant community. In this talk co-chairs Kath Holden and June Hannam will describe aspects of the history of Larkhall from the late 18th to the 20th century. The Parish of St Saviours, serving Larkhall, was originally part of Walcot Parish. Larkhall developed as a village between 1840 and 1860, centred around occupations such as transport, laundry work and the mills on the Lambrook. The history of the Bladud Spa and the health treatments offered will also be explored. During the war, Larkhall took its share of punishment as evidenced by oral histories collected from local residents. Larkhall has always been centred around the Larkhall Inn and has a thriving retail sector with shops not part of national chains and which are patronised from people far and wide. Kath and June will explore this and many other aspects of the history of the area. |
26th February 2024 | "Batheaston By Pass and its archaeology" presented by Peter Davenport.The earliest finds "merited, publication and were of national significance". It was only during earthmoving for the construction of the Batheaston Bypass that archaeological traces were noted. The Bath Archaeological Trust, with co-operation and financial support from both Ameys and the Highways agency managed the subsequent salvage excavation. The project was managed by Peter Davenport and revealed and recorded important remains of a rural settlement founded around 250BC and continuing into the late Roman period and beyond. The building of the Batheaston Bypass which opened in 1996 was highly controversial and both the construction and archaeological phases were beset by intrusive security issues. These were aimed at those who tried to stop the project by, among other tactics, ensconcing themselves in inconvenient trees. The Bypass was supposed to continue past the Bathford Roundabout but made no further progress. Although there are, in the Bath Record Office, innumerable surveys and planning documents proposing a network of new carriageways across Bath, most of them were dropped. Peter will describe the history and background of the site and the artefacts unearthed and their present location. En passant, he will also tell us his memories of the opposition to the project and its impact. |
25th March 2024 | "Ecological surveys around Bathford" presented by Felicity Husband.Last year, the Bathford Society programme included a talk on the maintenance of the 1840s Bathford Bridge which is rated as Grade II. Part of the Network Rail request for planning permission included an ecological survey of the area up to 1 Km from the bridge. This aroused considerable interest and we circulated part of it to the membership. As a result of the interest shown we invited the company, Ecus, that had undertaken the survey to tell us how they physically undertook the survey and over what period they managed to identify 60 or so birds, as well as noting otters and other animals and giving an extensive list of plants. In this talk, Felicity, Ecus Associate Director, will talk about the methodology and effort that are part of a major survey of this kind, and will show us photographs of the more interesting species. Before the talk, members will be sent this link to the original report (also on the Bathford Society website). The talk will still be interesting even if you do not have time to look at the survey in advance! |
30th September 2024 | 1st Talk from 2024-2025 ProgrammeProgramme of Talks is still being arranged. |