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X-WR-CALNAME:Berkshire Family History Society
X-WR-CALDESC:for family historians - wherever you are
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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260716T142500
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SUMMARY:Houses and Estates Talks Series
DESCRIPTION:This all series ticket covers all three talks in the “Houses and Estates” Talks series, for the discounted price of £12.50 (members £10). You may also book each talk individually – see each separate event page. All talks are on Thursdays at 2.30pm. The venue is the Abbey Baptist Church, Abbey Square, Reading (next to the back of Reading Central Library). They last about an hour with time for questions and discussion afterwards. Tea, coffee and biscuits is included in the price.\nThursday 16 July 2026 – The History of Yeomanry House with Katie Amos\nMany of us will have visited Yeomanry at some point over the years – to register a birth or death or to attend a wedding. Best known as the former home of the Berkshire Register Office (and Berkshire FHS), but what of its past, and where does its name come from? From its origins on the fringes of the town, to polite society, a school, military links and weddings, this house has seen it all. Discover its history and some of the families associated with it.\nThursday 20 August – Purley Park and its Estate with Catherine Sampson\nBuilt about 1800 to replace an earlier house by the river, Purley Park and its estate dominated the landscape in Purley until its sale from 1920 onwards. The talk will cover the changing and sometimes turbulent history of the estate from the 1500s to present day. Also, some of the families associated with it. We will look at some of its lost buildings including its thatched lodge gates, gardener’s cottage and boathouse and the parkland which was gradually replaced with housing during the twentieth century. However, it is the families associated with the house who provide the most interesting and sometimes controversial stories. The gambler who “lost” the house over a card game at White’s Club, the book and print collector who donated his vast collection to Eton College, and the irrascible Major Storer who mistakenly threw his wife’s china tea service into the Thames. \nThursday 17 September 2026 – Opulence and neglect: the changing fortunes of the Vachells of Coley House, 1638-1705 with Dr Margaret Ounsley\nUsing two inventories of goods in Coley House taken in 1630 and 1710, Dr Margaret Ounsley reveals what they tell us about everyday life in one of Reading’s ‘great houses’ at these times, but also the massive social and economic changes going on in the 17c and the changing fortunes of the Vachell family.\nFind out more in these fascinating face-to-face talks. \nPre-booking is preferred, but you can pay on the door for this series ticket at the first talk, if there are spaces available.  \nLocation image: Abbey Church – Gazamp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped)\nScroll down to book.\n \n
URL:https://berksfhs.org/events/houses-and-estates-talks-series/
ORGANIZER;CN=The Centre - Berkshire FHS:MAILTO:booking@berksfhs.org.uk
CATEGORIES:Talk
LOCATION:Abbey Square, Reading RG1 3BE
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