Saturday, 6 December 2008

Winter Solstice Walk to Grey Hill

Once again this year we will be walking up Grey Hill to greet the Winter solstice, on
Sunday, 28th December, meeting at the Woodland Tavern at 7.30 am
Sunrise at 8.10 (approx)and afterwards breakfast at the Woodland Tavern.
Please contact me if you would like to have breakfast.

Shirenwton Local History Society December Meeting

Our December meeting will take place on Tuesday, 16th December at St. Dieniols Church, Itton at 7.00 pm. There will be a tour & talk on the history of the church (and mince pies!)
Please come and join us.

Shirenewton Local History Society Resource Meeting

There will be resource meeting on Monday, 8th December, at the Recreational Hall, Shirenewton. It will be drop-in session from 2.00 pm to 5.00 pm. Everyone welcome.

Monday, 15 September 2008

Usk Castle Friends October Conference

Saturday, 11th October, 10.00am - 4.30pm, Memorial Hall, Usk.
Mediaeval Towns of Monmouthshire
Speakers:
Tony Hopkins
Frank Olding
Jeremy Knight
Ray Howel
Keith Underwood
Steve Clarke
Bob Trett
Professor Ralph Griffiths
Cost: £7.00, Full time students £5.00
in conjuncture with Monmouthshire Antiquarians Society
More information: Stella Collard, 01291 673655

Gazebo Opening
Saturday, 11th October, 5.00pm
The Friends have recently paid for a wooden gazebo which has now been installed at the Castle. We are having an official opening after the conference. This will take place at the Castle (obviously!) and will be performed by Nick Ramsey A.M.

Book Launch, Tuesday, 11th November, 7.30 pm
The long-awaited book on Usk will be launched at a reception in the Sessions House on Tuesday, 11th November, at 7.30pm. We hope that speakers will include contributors Jeremy Knight and Rosie Humphreys. More details nearer the time but please put the date in your diaries. We would love a packed Sessions House for the occasion.

The Itton Estate Celebrations

Monday, 29th September 7.30 pm. Festival Recital
Caroline Jones (recorders) and Charles Mathews (spinet)
in the Parish Church. Tickets £8.00 icl. refreshments.

Tueaday 30th September to Friday, 3rd October icl.,2.00pm to 7.00pm daily.
Saturday 4th October 10am to 2.00pm
Exhibiton of photographs, documents and memorabilia of Itton, the Estate and the Curre Family: including the school, church and the Curre Hunt.
in the village Hall and the Parish Church.

Saturday, 4th October 7.30 Festival Dinner
Guest speaker: Canon Jeremy Winston
in the Village Hall. Tickets £25.00 (sold out, waiting list).

Sunday 5th October 3.00pm Service of Thanksgiving
Preacher: Rt. Rev. Dominic Walker, Bishop of Monmouth
in the Parish Church, followed by tea.

Tuesday, 2 September 2008

Newport Chartist Day

The 169th Anniversary of the Chartist Rising in November 1839

Will be held at Newport on Saturday, 1st November 2008
Meeting at the Newport Museum and Library
at 9.30 am - 4.30 pm
Free Admission
Further details contact
Rosalin McDermott on 01533 414589

The Newport Ship Project

There will be meeting of Shirenewton Local Hisotry Society
on
Tuesday, 30th September
at
The Huntsman Hotel, Shirenewton
at 7.30 pm
entitled
'An Update on the Newport Ship Project'
by
Neil Stevenson

Alfred Russel Wallace Day

The Alfred Russel Wallace Day will be held
on
Sunday, 21 September
at
The Sessions House
Maryport Road
Usk
at 10.30am - 3.45pm
Earl of Cranbrook on Wallace in Borneo
Fred Langford Edwards on his Wallace research
David Collard on Wallace as sociel reformer
Anne Cluysenaar reading her poetry
Further infomation:
Anne Cluysenaar 01291 673797
Stella Collard 01291 673655

Resource Session

Shirenewton Local History Society
will be holding a
Resource Session
on
Monday, 8th September, 2008
At
The Recreational Hall, Shirenewton
ot 2.00pm

Gwent Local History Council

One Day School
on
Saturday, 6th September 2008
at
Big Pit, Baenavon
Entitled "Coal Mining in the Gwent Valleys"
Further details:
01633 241561

Gwent Local History Council

Thursday, 19 June 2008

Sunday, 10th August 2008

Heritage walk and talk at Brynmawr with Frank Olding.
Meet at the Mountain Air Pub, Tredegar for light lunch (if you want) and talk at 2.00 pm

Saturday, 12 July 2008

Walk to Piercefield Estate and bring a picnic. Meet at the far end of the Chepstow Leisure Centre car park 2.00 pm

Change of Programme

Sunday, 29th June 2008
Walk to Cas Troggi Valley & Bicca Common
Meet at Wentwood Reservoir Car Park at 3.00 pm

Wednesday, 30 April 2008

New Date for Resource Meeting

There will be no Resource Session on Monday 12th May.
The next session will be on Monday, 9th June at the Recreational Hall at 2.00 pm

Castroggi Walk

The first of the Society's spring and summer walks will take place on Tuesday, 13th May.
Meeting at Cadira Beeches car park at 6.30 pm
The walk will take in the castle and some splendid views, and will last around 2 hours, (not too strenuous). Everyone welcome.

Wednesday, 23 April 2008

April Meetings

Members of the Society will be visiting the 'Origins' exhibition at The National Museum of Wales, Cathays Park, Cardiff on Saturday, 26th April meeting in the main foyer at 2.15.

Our annual Rogation Sunday Meeting, walking the parish boundary of Shirenewton will take place on 27th April, meeting at the Church at 2.00 pm. We will be walking the 4th section of the parish boundary and will be led by Bob o'Keefe. Back to the church for a welcome cup of tea (and cake). Please come along everyone welcome.


There will be a meeting of the Society on Tuesday, 29th April at the Huntsman Hotel at 7.30.
The title of the talk will be 'Roman Medicine' given by Roger Evans.
This will be an informative and I'm sure a very amusing talk, he is usually dressed as a Roman medic and will bring all his tinctures and ointments with him. Not to be missed.

Tuesday, 25 March 2008

Resource Afternoon

Our next Resource Afternoon will take place on Monday, 14th April at the Shirenewton Recreational Hall at 2.00
We have purchased the Newchurch Parish Map with the apportionment details from the National Library of Wales at Aberystwyth. Anyone interested in this parish will want to see who owned what , and when and how much!
We also have the latest volume of The History of Gwent, Vol ll
Two of our members have very kindly donated books to our library:
The Welsh Border, Trevor Rowley. Archaeology, History and Landscape.
Five very interesting booklets on Chepstow and the surrounding area by Ivor Waters.
Hopefully our new storage will be installed very soon and we will be able to display and store our archive in some sort of order.


We have been invited by Elizabeth Walker to visit the 'Origins' exhibition at the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff on Saturday, 26th April at 2.30
Elizabeth will personally take us around the exhibition, the tour will take 3/4 hour, with questions it will take in total around 1 hour. we can then wonder at our leisure around the museum. Please let us know if you intend to go on this visit, there is no charge but there is a maximum number we are allowed to take. If you require a lift please let us know and we will try of organise one.


Our April meeting will take place at The Huntsman Hotel , Shirenewton on Tuesday, 29th April at 7.30 . The speaker will be Roger Evans who will give a talk entitled 'Roman Medicine'. Not to be missed!

Tuesday, 4 March 2008

Local History Workshop

Safeguarding Local History

The workshops are being held in Monmouth and Chepstow. Each session is for 2 hours long with refreshments provided and Free.

All sessions 1.30 to 3.30
Monmouth Bridges Centre
Wednesday March 5
Wednesday March 12
Wednesday April 2

Chepstow Methodist Hall
Friday March 7
Friday March 14
Friday April 4

Book Now
You can reseve your place by telephoning Diana Bevan on 01600 860046

Tuesday, 26 February 2008

Usk Castle Friends
Spring Conference
Memorial Hall, Usk
Saturday, March 8th
10.00 to 12.30
The Spring Conference will take place on Saturday, March 8th. The theme will be the Cistercians in Gwent. David Williams will talk on the Cistercians in Gwent in general and Madge O'Keefe will talk about the architecture of Cistercians with particular reference to Tintern.
As usual, Chepstow Bookshop will be in attendance, so you'll be able to stck up on lots of new reading matter.
£3.50 Friends/Students, £4.50 others.
Send withsae, to : Stella Collard, Pen-y-Wyrlod, Penycaemawr, Usk, Mon., NP15 1NG

Monday, 18 February 2008

The Friends of the Newport Ship
The friends will be holding an Open Day on Sunday, 24th February between 11.00 am and 4.00 pm. at Unit 22, Maes Glas Industrial Estate, Newport.


Human Evolution in Britain & Europe by Chris Stringer
Six members of the Society attended this talk given at the Reardon Smith Lecture Theatre at the National Museum of Wales last Wednesday. Chris Stringer is head of a research group at the Natural History Museum, London and his talk co-ensides with an exhibition at the museum entitled 'Origins'. I'm sure everyone who attended would agree that it was an excellant talk given in a very relaxed way, illustrated with excerpts from his new book. We where then given a chance to view the exhibition in the main hall of the museum. I think a visit to this exhibition will be very worth while. Our February speaker, Elizabeth Walker, is head of the team that set up the exhibition.

Tuesday, 15 January 2008

This Section is new

This section is new in January 2008. Relax stuff will be posted here shortly.