A historical street scene showing village shopfronts, including Charles G. Brown's store and a cycle works, with children in early 20th-century attire standing along the road.

A Brief History of Thatcham

Name: A Brief History of Thatcham
Start: 2027-02-25T14:00:00+00:00
End: 2027-02-25T15:15:00+00:00
Location: Webinar

This talk traces the story of Thatcham from the earliest Palaeolithic finds to the present day.

It explores the hunter-gatherer communities who lived here, a hillfort and ancient trackways. Plus, the development of Thatcham through the Roman and Saxon periods, including the origins of the modern town centre. The story continues through the medieval and later history of the town, including the church, Chamberhouse Castle, Dunston House, local industries and traditions such as the Maypole and anvil firing. Finally, the talk looks at the dramatic population and housing growth of the 20th century, and how Thatcham developed from a small market town into the commuter town it is today.

This is the second of three talks in the Winter Potpourri Talks Series. The other talks take place on 28th January and 25th 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.

First-time users of Zoom, will be asked to download a small piece of software, before joining the talk.

Image: Thatcham Broadway in the early twentieth century (cropped) colourised by Jim Bradshaw and reproduced with his kind permission.

To book, scroll down.

Book Event

Member

£4

Available Tickets: 59

For members of Berkshire Family History Society

The "Member" ticket is sold out. You can try another ticket or another date.

Non-Member

£5

Available Tickets: 59

For non-members of Berkshire Family History Society

The "Non-Member" ticket is sold out. You can try another ticket or another date.

Total: 0

Tags: anvil firing, berkshire, chamberhouse castle, dunston house, local history, palaeolithic, roman, saxon, thatcham

Date

Thu 25 Feb 2027

Time

14:00 - 15:15

Tickets

£5.00

Location

Webinar

Zoom Video Conference

Website https://berksfhs.org

Organiser

The Family Research Centre

Email

booking@berksfhs.org.uk

Website

https://berksfhs.org/local-teams/

Book Now!

Speaker

Dr Nick Young

Dr Nick Young

Nick Young is a local historian, author and chair of Thatcham Historical Society, with a particular interest in the history of Thatcham and the surrounding area. He has published several books and articles on local history, and regularly gives talks, heritage walks and tours, bringing the history of the area to life through photographs, stories and research. He is also active in the local community, volunteering in areas including heritage, fundraising, and CPR and defibrillator training.

Alongside his historical and community interests, Nick is an electronic engineer, an experienced teacher and trainer, and currently works as a web developer and IT trainer.