Frost, Freezes and Fairs
Weatherman, author and columnist, Ian Currie will take you through Britain’s severest winters over the last 1,000 years, and say how we coped and even benefited from them. How did 17th century watermen make a living when the rivers froze over? What activities took place on the ice-covered rivers at Frost Fairs. And why has the river Thames in the heart of London not frozen since the last occurrence over 200 years ago in the famous 1814 Frost Fair?
This is the first of three talks in the Winter Potpourri Talks Series. The other talks take place on 26th February and 26th March. You may book tickets for individual events or for all three talks in the series for a reduced price.
To book
Pre-booking is required, because the event link will be sent in advance.
To join this talk, you will need a computer device with speakers. Ideally, also a webcam and microphone. You also need to be able to access the internet from it. First-time users of Zoom, will be asked to download a small piece of software, which will be sent in advance.
Image: Reproduced with permission from Ian Currie.
To book – scroll down.
Date
- Thu 22 Jan 2026
Time
- 14:00 - 15:15
Tickets
- £5.00
Category
Organiser
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The Centre - Berkshire FHS
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Email
booking@berksfhs.org.uk -
Website
https://berksfhs.org/branches/
Speaker
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Ian CurrieWeatherman and SpeakerIan is a full-time weatherman and speaker and produces his own magazine called Weather eye for all fascinated by our weather. He has contributed to and appeared on many TV and radio programmes and until recently could be heard on BBC Radio Surrey and Sussex with forecasts for gardeners and growers. He also gives regular forecasts to vineyards in Sussex, Surrey and Kent.
He has written or co-written 17 books including The Kent,
Surrey, Berkshire and Sussex Weather Books and two on Weather Lore. His publication ‘Frosts, Freezes and Fairs, the great freezes on the Thames and other UK rivers’, was featured on BBC Radio 4.He is a Fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society.