| Status: | Active, full but can join waiting list |
| Leader: | |
| Leader: | |
| Group email: | Local History group |
| When: | On Fridays 2nd Friday 10 for 10.30 |
| Venue: | Bishop Auckland Methodist Church |
| Cost: | Included in annual subscription of £15 variable |
The Local History Group is probably the longest serving interest group within our u3a. We have reached the maximum of 100 members and the group is closed to new members, but anyone wishing to join can be added to a waiting list. We meet on the second Friday of the month at 10.15 am for 10.30 am at Bishop Auckland Methodist Church.
We follow a programme of nine lectures when the broad focus is local history. During the summer we organise outings instead of lectures.
Some of these are local but coaches are provided for longer trips. Normally the September day visit involves a Heritage Open Day opportunity.
The programme for this year can be seen on the Events calendar and you will find details of some previous events and activities in our group news section.
If you're interested in joining our group then please contact Janet or Jill.
Local History Events and Activities
Here are some of the places we have been and the things we have done recently.
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Seaton Delaval Hall
Read more: Seaton Delaval HallThis outing was a joint Local History Group/Garden Group visit to Seaton Delaval Hall in Northumberland. On 10th July, a glorious day, the group set off by coach to explore some botanical and historical aspects of the (in)famous hall and gardens at Seaton Delaval. The hall’s history was vividly outlined in a walking tour given…
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Redhills
Read more: RedhillsOn arrival we were shown into the new conference room where the tour leader, Brian Ball, gave us an introduction to the building. From there we moved on into what had originally been the cellar which was now decorated to represent a mine. As we were seated the lights went out leaving us in total…
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Hutton-in-the-Forest, Cumbria
Read more: Hutton-in-the-Forest, CumbriaOn Thursday, 11th July members of Local History and Friends & Flowers groups had a coach trip to Hutton-in-the-Forest near Penrith in Cumbria. Unfortunately our arrival was delayed by an hour due to an accident on the A66. As a consequence, most of us headed straight for the toilets and café before heading out to…
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Cragside
Read more: CragsideLocal History, Friends & Flowers, and Science, Engineering, Technology groups banded together for a trip to Cragside on Friday, 7th June. The house is late 19th Century and was commissioned by Lord William and Lady Margaret Armstrong, a Victorian inventor and a keen gardener. William is known for the Swing Bridge in Newcastle and they…
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Harewood House
Read more: Harewood HouseIn August 2023 there was a joint Garden and Local History coach trip to Harewood House. We unfortunately arrived shortly after a major power issue that had a knock-on effect to the timings for the rest of the day but we had an enjoyable day nonetheless. About half the members had booked the house tour…
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Vindolanda
Read more: VindolandaWe travelled by coach to Vindolanda Fort and Museum, which is just to the south of Hadrian’s Wall. At one time, around 5000 people lived there so it covers a huge area. We joined a public tour of the site, this gave us an understanding of the buildings and people who lived and worked at…
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Raby Castle Behind the Scenes Tour
Read more: Raby Castle Behind the Scenes TourThirty of our members attended the Behind the Scenes Tour. We were split into two groups and taken to parts of the castle that are not usually open to the public. Many of these rooms have been untouched for years. This was a fascinating and informative tour giving us an insight into how life had…
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Riveaulx Abbey and Helmsley
Read more: Riveaulx Abbey and HelmsleyA coach load of members went to North Yorkshire on a sunny August day. We spent the morning at Riveaulx Abbey and enjoyed a guided tour of the spectacular ruins with time for coffee and/or ice cream before returning to the coach. We arrived in Helmsley in time for lunch though it was market day…