Stoneleigh and Ashow News
2026 | ||
27th Jan | 1. "Who put the "Lanch" into the "Lanchester Polytechnic?" - A brief look at the life and achievements of Dr Fred Lanchester 1868-1946. Automobiles, aeroplanes, Maharajas and peaky blinders - Adrian Clarke. 2. A DVD of the local "Campaign to Stop Expansion of the Airport" in the first decade of the 21st century, followed by a short commentary - Nora Blagburn. | Meeting |
24th Feb | Triple bill! 1. "The Man who saved Kenilworth Castle", the story of John Siddeley - Pete James. 2. "Coventry Whitefriars, from religious foundation to workhouse" - Maggie Moorhouse. 3. "The brass band conductor and his defiant daughter", a tale of working-class life in West Yorkshire at the beginning of the 20th century - Sue Crofts. | Meeting |
24th Mar | AGM + "Songs the Victorians Sang" - Richard Churchley returns with another entertaining presentation. | Meeting |
28th Apr | "The Marton Museum of Bygones" with a "guess the object"! - David Fry. | Meeting |
26th May | "The Tragic Baron - Genius or Madman?". Edward, 5th Baron Leigh of Stoneleigh (1742-86), was the epitome of a cultured 18th century gentleman, pursuing interests in architecture, literature, music and science, yet he was declared "A Lunatick of Unsound Mind" in 1774. This talk examines his life, from his being orphaned early in childhood to his troubled death, and considers his experiences in the context of mental health treatment at the time - Sheila Woolf. | Meeting |
23rd Jun | "Tales from the Churchyard: Part Two". Another look at some of the unusual burials in the churchyard of St Mary's - Lisa Reay and Sheila Woolf. | Meeting |
22nd Sep | "64 years - from Source to Mouth". Douglas Faulconbridge follows his life journey from his birthplace, the Mill House on the River Sowe in Alderman's Green, to the end of the River Sowe in Stoneleigh, where he has lived for the last five years. | Meeting |
27th Oct | "Mary Dormer Harris, 1867-1936, Historian, Writer, Pacifist, Feminist... Icon!" A local girl, born at Dale House Farm, Stoneleigh, Mary Dormer Harris became a local historian of great repute in her lifetime and has left a legacy that endures to this day: through her academic work; as an educator; a suffragist; a heritage campaigner and dramatist. This talk examines aspects of her cultural legacy, reflecting her passions and concerns as well as the influence of her Stoneleigh roots - Jill Kashi. | Meeting |
24th Nov | "Beyond the Lobby of the Warwick Arms Hotel". The story of this local hotel, its owners and workers, from the days of stagecoaches and mail coaches to the present day; and anecdotes about the famous guests who have stayed here, including monarchs, national heroes and stars of stage and screen - Trevor Langley. | Meeting |
15th Dec | Christmas Social (members only). | Social |
