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Next event
Wednesday 23rd February – 7.30 pm
St Mary’s Church Hall, Roade, NN7 2PU
Preston Deanery Hall: the story of a house through time
Maureen Williams  Today's Preston Deanery Hall
was originally just an annexe of the old Hall that was demolished in
1934. It had been home to one of the clerks of King James I's Privy
Council, the great-grandfather of the founder of the Glyndebourne Opera,
and one of Northamptonshire's leading shoe manufacturers, before
becoming a health clinic patronised by the great and the good. Its
history includes tales of shipwreck, robbery and hangings and pioneering
airmen!
Entrance: Members £2, Non-members £3 Children under 16: of Members free & of Non-members 50p Telephone enquiries: 01604 864498 or 862735 Please note: The Members’ Lunch scheduled for Saturday 22nd January has been postponed. The new date will be advised on our website, Facebook sites and in newsletters etc.
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Cutting Remarks Book Launch
Cutting Remarks - The Story of Roade’s Railways and Cutting through the Ages, by our Chairman Chris Hillyard, was launched on Saturday 27th November at Roade Village Hall.
 Chris Hillyard presenting a copy of Cutting Remarks to Roade resident Alvin Barby, who inspired the book. The book records the significant impact the railway had on the social and economic development of the village from the 1830s to the present day. It will appeal to railway enthusiasts, the technically minded and people interested in rural and local social history. 240 pages, 65000 words, Hardback, containing over 300 images and illustrations. Price £17.50 + £5.00 UK p&p. Roade Local History Society is grateful
to the following for their generous financial support for this book: Christopher Denton, Roade  Roade Parish Council  Click here for more details about the book.
To order and pay online, click here:
https://roadehistorysociety.sumup.link/product/cutting-remarks For non-credit/debit card purchases please email information@roadehistorysociety.org.uk
Click here to see more about Roade's railway cutting and the major exhibition we staged in 2018. |
See our What’s On page for details of other future events.
Projects - help needed!
"Projects" are an important part of our activities and we welcome help with these.
Please see our current list of ongoing and future projects for more information.
"Projects" are an important part of our activities and we welcome help with these.
Please see our current list of ongoing and future projects for more information.
New Website
At the moment we are working on a variety of projects including the development of a new website which will include the ability to display most of the photographs in the Society’s substantial archive.
Coronavirus Diary Project - can you take part?
Northamptonshire Archives and Heritage Service would like people to "begin a record or diary of your thoughts, feelings and daily activities during the coronavirus pandemic and especially any changes you have noticed in your community". Click here for details.
If you decide to take part in the project, RLHS would be very grateful if you would let us have copies of your submissions. Please email secretary@roadehistorysociety.org.uk
Northamptonshire Archives and Heritage Service would like people to "begin a record or diary of your thoughts, feelings and daily activities during the coronavirus pandemic and especially any changes you have noticed in your community". Click here for details.
If you decide to take part in the project, RLHS would be very grateful if you would let us have copies of your submissions. Please email secretary@roadehistorysociety.org.uk
Oral History Interviews
Since 2007 we have been interviewing local residents as part of our Oral History project and we have made these available for purchase on CD. Click here for more information.
Since 2007 we have been interviewing local residents as part of our Oral History project and we have made these available for purchase on CD. Click here for more information.
Telephone enquiries 01604 864498 or 862735
Scroll further down for some pictures and information about our recent events.
Recent Events
(Earlier events can now be viewed on this link:Earlier events)
News
Memorial to Captain J H A Ryan MC
 The headstone on the Ryan family grave in Roade
Cemetery has now been straightened. Captain James Ryan was killed in WW1
and was buried in France but also commemorated on the side of the
headstone and on Roade War Memorial. RLHS would like to thank all the
donors and Roade Parish Council for their support. We are especially
grateful to Gavin Warren, Chairman of Northamptonshire County Cricket
Club, who arranged for NCCC to meet half the cost of restoration. James
and his father, Dr W H Ryan of Tilecote House, both played cricket for
the County.
 Some of the donors on Remembrance Day, 14th December 2021. Left to Right - RLHS Chairman Chris Hillyard, David Clarke, Mary Wloszek, NCCC Chairman Gavin Warren, Vivian Blyth with pre-restoration photo. |
The Every Brothers - Their Story.jpeg) The play was performed again at
The Deco Theatre, Northampton on Sunday 14th November 2021. It proved to
be a great success, and we’d like to thank everyone who came to The
Deco to support us. A DVD will soon be available - details will be
posted here, and on our Facebook site “Roade Remembered”
 As part of Remembrance Day
commemorations in Roade in 2019, Ron Johnson wrote a five act play about three
casualties of WW2, the Every Brothers, sons of a London family evacuated
to our village during the war. His source was an archive kindly donated
by the family to Roade Local History Society. It was staged on 9th
November at Elizabeth Woodville School, Roade, before a packed audience
of locals, Deputy Lord-Lieutenant Col John Royle MBE, four JPs, members
of Roade & District and Duston branches of The Royal British Legion
and other military and ex-military personnel.
Using a minimal, well-lit stage set, and structured round a narrator, the drama sets out the background, and then enacts events in the home life and military careers of the brothers one by one. Keeping strictly to unadorned format and delivery, script and cast avoided sentimentality and mawkishness, instead generating a cumulative sense of tragedies overtaking a very ordinary family. It would be invidious to single out any one of the cast for special praise when each player brought a high level of competence to the part. It was an expert performance of a fine work, creating genuine emotion in the audience, and saluted at the end by that rarity, a standing ovation.   Thank you to all who came to 'The Every Brothers' and congratulations to author Ron Johnson, the cast and crew and everyone involved in making the evening such a success. The play was brilliant and it was a very special occasion. The attached Anglia News report was recorded at the dress rehearsal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvQZahyUYTc |
| Roade Cutting Of
the numerous challenges which Robert Stephenson faced during the
construction of the London & Birmingham railway, Roade Cutting
remains one of the most visibly awe-inspiring engineering achievements
of the nation’s railway infrastructure. It is the timeless legacy which
Stephenson and his engineers left to our village and the nation.
Designation as a ‘Site of Special Scientific Interest’ in 1986 ensured its protection as an asset of National Geological Significance. In 2018 its engineering excellence was recognised with the award of a prestigious ‘Red Wheel’ by the Transport Trust, designating it a ‘National Transport Heritage Site’. The Cutting enabled the completion of the world’s first long-distance inter-city railway, which was officially opened on Monday 17th September 1838. Click here for more information about the Red Wheel A two-day grand exhibition celebrating the 180th anniversary of the opening of the London & Birmingham Railway was held at Roade Village Hall on the 8th and 9th September 2018. RLHS welcomed exhibitors from a variety of national and local railway societies. Strong additional support came from local history, industrial archaeology and transport heritage organisations and many local community groups and individuals. We were very grateful for financial support from Northamptonshire Community Foundation, Milton Keynes Heritage Association and local sponsors. The principal RLHS exhibit was a model of the Cutting, former Station and diverse railway infrastructure. The model is indicative of the village’s social and economic development since the railway came to the locality in the 1830s. It was made by Society members, local artisans, artists, technical specialists and Elizabeth Woodville School staff and students. The model was accompanied by a series of display boards about the history of the Cutting and its impact on the community. The exhibition was opened by the Rt. Hon. Andrea Leadsom MP and the Red Wheel was unveiled by Stuart Wilkinson, Chairman of the Transport Trust, and Chris Hillyard RVM, Roade Local History Society. The exhibition was very successful and awards were subsequently received for the event and the model. Click here for more information about the Roade Cutting Exhibition. Chris Hillyard has responded to many requests for a book based on his research and that of Roade resident Alvin Barby. Our next publication CUTTING REMARKS The Story of Roade’s railways and Cutting through the ages is almost ready for print. See here for more information. |
Oral History Interviews Click the poster above to open a larger version in a new window Since 2007 we have been interviewing local residents as part of our Oral History project and we have made these available for purchase on CD. The interviews each last about an hour (though some are much longer) and can make excellent gifts. Income from these sales helps us to fund our various projects and exhibitions. For more information about the interviews please email secretary@roadehistorysociety.org.uk
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Recent Events
(Earlier events can now be viewed on this link:Earlier events)
| 8th December 2021 Christmas event  Ron Johnson entertained us well with
interesting old films of Northampton and Roade, a selection of photos
from our archive and a film of the celebration of Sam and Lucy’s first
ten years at Roade Post Office. All will miss them when they retire next
year.
We then joined Roade Choir in the church for carol singing. The Choir sang beautifully and we all enjoyed listening and joining in. Many thanks to all involved for a very happy evening. |
| 27th October 2021 The Best Burglar in the County Joan Wake and The Northamptonshire Record Society 
We were enthralled by local author Neil Lyon’s very entertaining talk about Joan Wake, who founded the Northamptonshire Record Society in 1920 and saved Delapre Abbey from demolition. She became known as ‘the Best Burglar in the County’ because of her success in extracting records from aristocratic families and rarely taking ‘No’ for an answer. Neil described her as a cross between Margaret Thatcher and Margaret Rutherford and brought her to life by quoting from her notes, letters and diary entries. Information about the book is available from Neil Lyon, 07712 129914 nblyon@btinternet.com. |
| 22nd September 2021 ‘Horton Hall - one of Northamptonshire's lost Country Houses’  Maureen Williams gave us a fascinating talk about
Horton Hall and some of its most distinguished owners and occupants. The
Hall was demolished in 1936 but we were able to follow its history and
see how it changed and developed thanks to the illustrations Maureen has
managed to collect during years of dedicated research.
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| 28th July 2021 AGM and ‘Down Memory Roade’
We were delighted that so many
members and guests were able to attend our first event after lockdown
and there was a very happy atmosphere. Alastair Inglis stood down
as Chairman after being a leading member of the Committee since the
beginning in 2005, including 11 years as Secretary and two and a half
years as Chairman. Sheila Fitchett presented him with a book of photos
taken at Society events over the years. Fortunately he has agreed to
stay on the Committee and the Society will be in safe hands as Chris
Hillyard was elected as Chairman.
Next we enjoyed a very entertaining trip ‘Down
Memory Roade’. Memories of Roade residents past and present put
together by Ron Johnson were read by our talented acting team (including
members of the Every Brothers cast) and illustrated with slides.
Many thanks to all concerned.
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Due to the Covid pandemic, no events took place between March 2020 and June 2021. |
| 26th February 2020 In the Thick of it: Northampton’s contribution to the Best Possible Health Care for the Nation  Roade resident Dr Andrew Jeffrey is a Consultant at Northampton General Hospital and gave us a fascinating talk about the history of local health care. We were amazed to hear about the medical advances and innovations which have taken place in Northampton since the first Infirmary in George Row opened in 1744. The innovations are continuing and it was very encouraging to hear that the outlook is good and NGH is developing links with several universities. |
| 18th January 2020 Members’ New Year Lunch at Roade Bowls Club Martin Brown and his team
provided an excellent carvery plus a choice of three delicious
puddings. This worked very well with people able to choose what
they wanted on the day and help themselves to coffee, tea and
chocs.
There were two quizzes (one using photographs taken by our late founder, Bill Hudson) and three entertaining readings by Nigel Elliott, Chris Hillyard and Marian Barber. Marian also provided the lovely flower arrangements. Many thanks to them, to all who gave raffle prizes and to Roade Bowls Club for their help and support. A good time was had by all and we look forward to another happy afternoon next January.  
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| 11th December 2019 Christmas Cheer Our Christmas event was very
enjoyable and we were delighted to welcome the Bill Hudson Photographic
Competition winners and their families and Roade Community Choir.
Those who missed the wonderful Every Brothers Play in November were able to see an exhibition about them and we all applauded author Ron Johnson.  Peter
Mawby gave an excellent presentation about the Photographic Competition
and presented the winners with their prizes. The judges didn't know who the photographers were and it turned out that 1 person had 3 winning photos and 3 people had 2 winning photos.  Bill Hudson Photographic Competition winners:
L-R Stuart Brough, Sam and Toby Brough (joint winners of children’s competition),
Les Shrubb, John Farebrother, Alan Atkinson, Hilary Rowe and children, Stuart Shrubb
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Royal Canadian Air Force Roade Local History Society has installed a small memorial to commemorate six Canadian airmen who lost their lives when their Wellington bomber was struck by lightning over Roade in 1944. |
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MACE
Tucked away in boxes in attics and sheds,cupboards and garages are the filmed
records of families and communities which are a uniquely important
window into our local and community history.
The Media Archives for Central
England (MACE), the regional moving
image archive for the East and West
Midlands, is seeking 60 partner
organisations to look for this
valuable material in their own
communities as part of a project to
find and uncover the hidden filmed
heritage of the midlands.
The project will provide new copies
of film for depositors and for
community use in local schools,
community archives and local
collections.
It will ensure the long term
preservation of the materials found
so that it can go on being used by
future generations. Roade Local
History Society has received several
films that qualify for free copying
for the owners. We will be holding a
film show in the New Year, but
meantime would welcome talking to
anyone who has potentially suitable
films that they may no longer be
able to view and would like
converted to DVD. This covers
films of such things as public
events, shows, gatherings, scenes,
etc in Northamptonshire, but does
not include films of holidays or
family.Full Circle - connecting people with the screen heritage of the Midlands.
ALTHOUGH THIS PROJECT FINISHED IN MARCH 2013, FILMS ARE STILL BEING SOUGHT
If anyone has film that should be preserved or you would like copying to DVD, please contact our Secretary (see the Contacts page |
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Books
We are building a comprehensive archive of
photographs and documents about Roade for research and publication.
To date we have produced 'Roade Roll of Honour’,
‘Roade Through The Camera’
and 'Roade Village Scrapbook 1953' and now 'Cutting Remarks The
Story of Roade's Railways and Cutting through the Ages'. See our Publications page for more information about these. |
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Events We have been organising events related to local history since May 2005.
These normally cover Roade and its environs and sometimes the wider
county. A feature of events has been 'Sons and Daughters of the
Village": presentations by residents, past and present, who have
created history in their lifetime or have interesting
reminiscences about their life in Roade. Events normally take place every month
(except August) and start at 7.30pm in St Mary's Church Hall, unless
otherwise stated. Non-members are very welcome. Entry is £3.00 per
person for non-members or £2.00 for members and refreshments are
available.
Talks may be subject to change if necessary.
For details of our next event, please see What's On or Roade News or the Notice Boards around Roade. |