17th November 2025 The Brindle Estate & the Cavendish family Darren Cranshaw On 17th November, Darren Cranshaw, the Society’s own archivist, explained the history of the Brindle Estate and also how the Cavendish pub got its name. Darren was well placed to give this talk, since his family have been tenants on the estate for […]
Reports from previous talks 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2019 / 2020 16th February 2026 Annual General Meeting and display of artefacts There was an encouragingly large turnout of members for the Annual General Meeting of the Brindle Historical Society on Monday 16th February. In giving a summary of the society’s year, Henry Stone mentioned […]
Curtain Up! Theatre History 16th March Adrian Tayler This presentation charts the development of British theatre from the Middle Ages onwards, concentrating specifically on the story of the Lancaster Grand theatre (which opened in 1782) and the many and varied acts that have performed there over the years. Visit to […]
2025 was an enjoyable year on the bike. I decided last year that mountain biking wasn’t for me (after an unfortunate spill near the summit of Whernside) so this year I stuck to roads and paths which suited me more. I don’t like getting muddy and my shoes and clothing aren’t appropriate for MTB use […]
December 14th – 17th 2025 Sunday 14th December Two friends had come over from California to a cottage in the Cotswolds for the Christmas period and had very generously invited us to stay a few days with them along with another couple who’d travelled from Chichester. We’d planned to drive down on Sunday morning, but […]
Saturday 13th December 2025 When I check the definition of a professional cyclist, I get something along the lines of “A professional cyclist is a highly trained athlete who earns a living by competing in bicycle races…” So what’s the difference between a professional and an amateur? Surely it’s just the act of getting paid. By […]
If you’re reading this, you’ll realise that my Christmas letter has gone digital this year. It’s still the same 2,000 words of self-referential drivel, but now it’s illustrated with photographs and most importantly, it’s saved me a lot of printing. As I write, our house could be described as being in a state of accidental […]
Friday 21st November 2025 I have found myself once again cat-sitting for Felix (Emily’s cat) so I’ve planned a few things to do while I’m here. Cycling, gardening and writing Christmas cards are on the agenda. It was very cold overnight in Sheffield so I really didn’t want to venture out too soon. When I […]
I’d booked to see a number of artists between September and November this year, the first one being on the 4th September when I had tickets to see Tommy Arch, the former drummer with Holy Moly and the Crackers. I’ve seen him once before when he was acting as support, but this was his first […]
Sunday 12th October 2025 We drove Tilly to the cattery at 10am this morning before heading down the M6 to Rutland Water where we’d booked a couple of nights in a posh hotel courtesy of Secret Escapes. The weather forecast was for the early morning mist to clear, but it didn’t, and we so arrived […]