10.00 am, 7th November 2026.
Speakers: Keith Abbott, Jane Burrell, Sue Ellis, David Peacock, Phil Wood.
Programme details have yet to be decided but we can confirm that:
Keith Abbott will talk on Roman Roads around the area and consider where Roman Spinae might have been
Jane Burrell will set the scene and look at the history of the parish church of St Mary the Virgin
Sue Ellis will look at Speen, in particular Speenhamland, in the Coaching Era
Dr David Peacock will tell the story of the 2nd Battle of Newbury in 1644
Phil Wood will talk about the Newbury District Water Works Co. which supplied potable water from its works in Speen
Doors will open at 9.45 am and, as usual, tea, coffee and biscuits will be vailable during breaks. Lunch will NOT be provided, bring your own (tables will be availble for your use) or step out into Newbury where many establishments will be delighted to serve you. The day will end betweeb 4.00 and 4.30 pm.
Price and ticketing information will be availble here shortly.
About the speaker: Dr David Peacock
Dr David Peacock is a well-known historian of Newbury and the surrounding area whose PhD thesis was on John Winchcombe and the Tudor cloth trade in Newbury. He is the author of the current edition of 'The Story of Newbury' (4th Ed), 'The Newbury Roman Cemetery' and innumerable articles on local history in publications and in the Newbury Weekly News.
About the speaker: Jane Burrell
Jane Burrell is a retired museum curator who worked for West Berkshire Museum, West Dorset Museum Service, Airborne Forces Museum and RMA Sandhurst Collection. She is a popular speaker at local groups and societies, with a range of local history and special interest topics. She is also a volunteer speaker for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
About the speaker: Keith Abbott
Keith is a keen amateur archaeologist. Recently he has been heavily involved in Berkshire Archaeological Society's investigations in to Roman Wickham. A particular interest is Roman roads and the Wickham project has provided interesting new evidence for the roads to the west of Newbury.
About the speaker: Phil Wood
Phil Wood, an enthusiastic local historian, is a past President of the Newbury District Field Club. For the last few years he has concentrated his efforts into uncovering all there is to know about the large number of pubs and breweries that once seemed to fill the town. Study of the existing pubs also gives him the opportunity for some enjoyable field work! He has created the West Berkshire War Memorials website and the written the stories on the website of almost all of the Great War casualties listed on the Newbury War Memorial.
About the speaker: Sue Ellis
Sue Ellis is a local historian with a freewheeling interest in a whole range of subjects, including family history, historic architecture, historic water pumps, archaeology, and dollshouses.