All Events

This is the second of three talks in the Transport Talks Series. You may book tickets for individual events or for all three talks in the series for a reduced price. Many of us will have travelled on the London Underground and admired the beauty of some of our underground stations. This talk celebrates their design and architecture. Hear about such diverse subjects as architecture, posters, signage, decorative tiling, Art Deco lighting, general fixtures and fitting and much more in this fascinating talk by a life-long railway enthusiast. Early booking is recommended as this is likely to be a very popular talk. 

Are you a relatively new member of the Society? Want to get the most out of your membership? This informal workshop will introduce you to the range of benefits that you have available to you. It will include accessing the Society’s transcriptions, the mechanisms to enable you to collaborate and share your research with others, ways to obtain help in breaking down brick walls, and the various discounts and savings available for members. Q& A welcomed. Open only to members of Berkshire Family History Society.

Our ancestors moved and sometimes great distances. A practical talk about things you need to think about to find your ancestors if they moved around the country.

This workshop is designed for family historians researching their ancestors who were in the Royal Flying Corps in World War One. The workshop will unravel the mysteries of the RFC for family historians, looking at where and how it operated, as well as looking at the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) and how it operated in conjunction with both the army and the navy. It will cover the jobs undertaken by the personnel of the corps, both flying and ground based. as well as their planes, how they were trained and lived and how to locate their records. Pre-booking is required so that the meeting link can be emailed to you. 

An exploration of stories, favoured epitaphs and funerary monuments found in Berkshire's Graveyards.

Join our guide, Chris Curnow, for this rare chance to look around St Nicholas’ Church in Hurst. There has been a church on the same site in Hurst for over 900 years. Come and learn about its colourful and exciting history, from its connection to the Civil War, the Battle of Trafalgar, its association with Merton College in Oxford as well as the village's own bread charity. 

Will your genealogical research survive into the future? Discussion of ways to preserve it.

An important time of the year for any rural community, the Hiring, Mop or Statute Fair reached its peak popularity in the 19th Century as a way to seek and to provide employment. This talk will outline How, when and where the fairs worked; The evidence they leave behind; The campaign against the fairs; Registration societies; Why the fairs declined as employment tools; Some of the other attractions provided.

This is the second of three talks in the Autumn Potpourri Talks Series. You may book tickets for individual events or for all three talks in the series for a reduced price.  Katie Amos is known as the Local Studies Lead for Reading Library, but she has also been a member of the Reading Arts Front Of House team for over 30 years too. With these dual roles, she is ideally placed to discuss the histories of the three Arts venues - The Hexagon, Concert Hall and South Street. From old to new, each venue has a different feel, but they have hosted many national and international stars over the years, some of whom may get a mention in this talk.

This presentation will explore the latest free online resources offered by UK local library services to their members, reflecting the changes in dataset availability throughout 2024.

Love books and reading? Looking for something different for a Christmas present? Over recent years. Berkshire Family History Society has been given many pre-loved books to sell. These are predominantly local history, family history and social history books - although we also have a fair number of military and transport history books, plus others. If "history" is your thing - then come along and grab a bargain. We also have a selection of vintage maps. We need to clear the decks a little so everything will be out on display. Plus we will also have some of our extensive bookshop of new books, maps and publications available to purchase, including our data CDs. The book fair lasts for three hours, and you'll be able to buy refreshments whilst you ponder your purchases.