HRGS are pleased to announce the talks for 2024.
The talks are free for members. Join Us to become a member.
For E-Members the fee is £1.50 and for Non-members £3, who are invited to join the talk.
Tickets available on the door or via our Online Shop,
The talks for 2025 are:
- Wednesday 12th February 2025
- Aviation on Sheppey by Martin and Rosemary Hawkins
- Husband and wife duo Martin and Rosemary volunteer at the Eastchurch Aviation Museum and will share with us their extensive knowledge and pictures on the development of the birth place of aviation on the Isle of Sheppey.
- Wednesday 19th March 2025
- Prison Hulks and Deadman’s Island by David Burton
- This talk will take us to the uninhabited Deadman’s Island, just a short distance from Queenborough Harbour. David will give an illustrated talk on the history on how Deadman’s Island came about and why it is out of bounds to the general public
- Wednesday 16th April 2025
- Did the Great War advance the cause of Medicine? by Dr Paul Staker
- Dr Paul Staker is a retired GP and a member of the Society of Apothecaries of London. He is keen to share his knowledge and research into: Did the Great War advance the cause of Medicine?
- Wednesday 21st May 2025
- The Secrets of Bayeux Tapestry by Mark Heard
- The Bayeux Tapestry is one of the most treasured artworks in the world, depicting the Battle of Hastings, which changed the course of European history. Come along, you might be surprised at how much you don’t know about one of the most famous craft projects in history.
- Wednesday 18th June 2025
- The Owlers by Colin Dixon
- This is a story about the Holkhurst Genge and of intrigue, mayhem, and smuggling from a sleepy village in the heart of Kent in the 1700’s. The gang used the “Oak and Ivy Inn”, along Rye Road in Hawkhurst as their headquarters.
- Wednesday 16th July 2025
- The Amazing History of Lighthouses by Mark Lewis
- Lighthouses are more than just tall towers with flashing lights. They are symbols of hope, courage, and navigation. They have a rich and fascinating history that spans centuries and continents.
- Wednesday 17th September 2025
- AGM & The Lost Communities of Sheppey by Chris Reed and friends
- Join us to hear the tales of Sheppey’s lost community via three ladies who will dress up and perform in character, to tell us about the history and people of Sheppey from times gone by.
- Wednesday 15th October 2025
- A talk on ‘Uboat 547’ by Jerry Cooley (The Sixth Mary Cooley Memorial talk)
- U 547 is a Type IXC German U-Boat known as ‘The Birkenhead U-boat’ and is one of very few U Boats to be raised intact, after being sunk in very strange circumstances. Find out more at the presentation!
- Wednesday 19th November 2025
- Edwardian Life Through Postcards by Helen Allinson
- Local historian Helen Allinson will talk to us about Edwardian Life through the many images on Edwardian postcards from that era.
- Wednesday 3rd December 2025
- The Victorian Lion Queen Eileen Bright by Pauline Holmes
- 17-year-old Ellen Bright, was dubbed the “Lion Queen” in her lifetime for taming and exhibiting the big cats at her uncle George’s famous ‘Wombwell’s Travelling Menagerie’ which toured the country.