Balcombe History Society was formally constituted on 14th October 2008 (see draft constitution).

Details of Meetings

An inaugural meeting took place on Tuesday 14th October 2008 and was attended by 80 residents. Votes were cast for Chair, Vice Chairs, Secretary, Treasurer and other officials. Several short talks outlined future activities and were enthusiastically received. A collection of maps and other historical documents were perused during the tea break. During the meeting, several residents shared some of their interesting personal research into the village. At the conclusion of the meeting, it was announced that there were already more than 60 members signed up.

Events

Meetings are announced in the Parish Magazine.

All meetings will be held at the Victory Hall, Stockcroft Road, RH17 6JN, starting at 8pm

Wednesday, 23^rd January

Joan Dutton - "Balcombe Buildings in the Landscape."

Local historian and Vice President of the Balcombe History Society, Joan will speak on a wide variety of buildings within the parish, covering a lengthy timespan, and will make reference to the Tithe Map Project.

Wednesday, 20^th February

John Withall "History of Wakehurst." A Blue Badge Guide since 1999, John Withall will give us an illustrated talk on the history of Wakehurst, the gardens and the development of the Millennium Seed Bank.

Tuesday, 19th March

"Bomber Command." An interview with Desmond Pelly, who had a remarkable career as a pilot with Bomber Command during WWII. The interview will be conducted by Roy Bliss.

Note - The Talk will be preceded by the ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Saturday, 11^th MAY

EXHIBITION - "The Life and Times of Balcombe People."

An exhibition will be held in the VICTORY HALL, Stockcroft Road, from 10am to 2pm. The exhibition will feature stories of some of the people who have lived in Balcombe, past and present.

Wednesday, 18^th September

Helen Poole - "Crawley and its Heritage." Curator of Crawley Museum, Helen Poole will give us an illustrated talk on the history of Crawley, Worth and Ifield, which date back to the Bronze Age.

Tuesday, 15^th October

Timespan Historical Presentations - 'A Policeman's Lot.⁹

Make a date with the past when history will be brought to life using costumes and artefacts. Tony (who was a policeman) and Lizzie Gilks will give us a humorous look at policing through the 19th and 20th centuries.

Wednesday, 13^th November

Stewart Angell - "The Sussex Secret Resistance." Stewart Angell is a founder member of the Sussex Military History Society. He will give us an insight into the strategic role played by Sussex in establishing a highly secret resistance movement.

Newsletters

Balcombe History Society

APRIL 2013 NEWSLETTER

Dear Members,

“The Life and Times of Balcombe People” Exhibition will be held on Saturday 11th May at the Victory Hall. It will be open from 10am to 2pm. Entrance price is £1, children free of charge. Everyone is welcome. Please make a note in your diary, so you can be sure to come and see the many recently received pieces on view.

There will be a wide variety of archive items on display, including several biographies and articles about well-known Balcombe people and their families. Over forty features from the Mid Sussex Times of the 1960s to 2000s, drawn from Dorothy Johnson’s ‘Scrapbooks,’ will be on view. A selection of photographs of Balcombe people will show groups from Balcombe School, Scouts, sports teams, railway staff and people at major events.

Copies of the Balcombe Census from 1841 to 1911 will be available for reference (as well as Monumental Inscriptions from St. Mary’s churchyard) and Tony Perkins will be on hand to help anyone find their family details.

Some of the families who have lived here for many generations (as have the Testers, Bottings, Newnhams and Irelands) will be the subject for a unique display of biography and memorabilia. The Webber family archive will be on view and Joan Dutton will be there to explain and answer your questions about it.

This will be a great Balcombe exhibition – not to be missed. Come early, when it’s less crowded.

Members are invited to join a whole day guided tour of the Millennium Seed Bank and Wakehurst Estate on Friday 28th June, courtesy of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The morning will feature a tour of the Millennium Seed Bank, the centre of one of the world’s most ambitious conservation programmes. It has now banked 10% of the world’s flowering plants. This is a rare opportunity to discover the inner workings of this international project. After lunch an expert guide will conduct a tour of parts of the Wakehurst estate and provide an insight into its history and current operations.

We are asking members to donate £5 per head to the Royal Botanic Gardens Trust, payable in advance when places are booked. If you would like to join the group please contact Julie Budgen (on 01444 811 641 or by email -   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )

We are grateful to Tony Perkins for his family history including links to the Bottings, Marchants and Bourne families. Also to Charles Oman for his recent donation of reports of Second World War aircraft crashes in Balcombe and Pennie Burton for archive of Rev. Henry Sarel.

Graham Gosney

Chairman

Membership

Membership is open to all. Annual subscription is £6 per person (£10 per couple). An entrance fee of £1 will be charged at meetings to cover costs (£3 for guests).

Vice Presidents: Joan Dutton, Leslie Fairweather

The Committee

Chairman: Graham Gosney

Vice chairman: Alan Dearden

Secretary: Julie Budgen

Treasurer: Rob Smith

Membership Secretary: Jasmine Waters

Programme Secretary: Sheila Illsley, Gillian Lindsay-Stewart

Archive Group Leader: George Wiginton

Study Group Leader: Harry Malthouse

Further Information

Further information can be obtained from the Secretary This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (tel: 01444 811641)

Links

Balcombe Memories