Strensall Local History Group

The Strensall Local History Group aims to promote and study the history of the Parishes of Strensall & Towthorpe, and to disseminate historical information through meetings, publications, lectures and events. For more information contact the Group: slhg@gmx.com.

MEETINGS

Meetings are held in the Function Room, Strensall Village Hall at 7pm on the last Wednesday of the month, except where stated. No meeting in August or December. New members are always welcome.

Subscriptions for 2011/2012: £10 per person. Visitors: £2 per meeting.

Next meetings:

• 25th January 2012: The Tax Man cometh - a talk by John North about local tax collecting, how and what taxes were raised.
• 29th February 2012: Strensall Dig and Delve, and a Farmer's Diary - this is a hands-on exploration into the Strensall history archives led by Janice Leadbeater, with some extracts from a local farmer's diary.
• 28th March 2012: History of Strensall Common - Richard Lawson and Janice Leadbeater will present some history and background to the Common, and how it has changed over time.
• 25th April 2012: George Hudson the Railway King - a dramatic presentation by Chris Cade.
• 30th May 2012: The Rowntrees of York - a talk by Bridget Morris of the Rowntree Society about that great family, its impact on employment and working conditions, and the legacy for future generations.
• 27th June 2012: Rowntree Society Walk - an outdoor meeting around parts of the city of York connected with the Rowntree family.
• 25th July 2012: Strensall Village Walk - another outdoor meeting, this time around the centre of Strensall.
• 26th September 2012: The Merchant Adventurers of York - a talk by Lauren Marshall, Hall Manager, on the Hall and its history.
• 31st October 2012: AGM, followed by a spirited presentation by Richard Lawson on the Ghosts of York.
• 28th November 2012: Social evening and quiz.

WORKING GROUPS

Working Groups provide opportunities for members to concentrate on areas of particular interest. These Working Groups are:

Archaeology including Metal Detecting : the group aims to explore the archaeology of the village in all its forms; current interests are the Manor Hall and its surrounding fields, a "Roman road" and a survey of the remains of ridge and furrow.

Buildings History: this group is tracing the history of some of the older residences in Strensall through old documents and records.

Community Groups : the group aims to trace sporting and other activities which went on in the village in days gone by.

Family History: a group which aims to help members get started on researching their family history using the internet and other archive material.

Oral History: the group aims to secure an oral record of the history of the village by recording residents of Strensall as they recall their memories of the past.

Photography: by collecting old pictures of the village, this group is building up a useful database. It has published a book "Strensall Then and Now" which includes old photographs of Strensall alongside their modern counterparts. The latest project is to download photographs on to the Internet using Commanet Community Archive software.

The Resources Group and the Technology Group support the work of the other groups by providing a database of resources and technical help where required.

"STRENSALL THEN AND NOW"

One of our earlier projects was the publication of STRENSALL THEN AND NOW which features old photographs of the village alongside their modern counterparts. Copies are still available and on sale from Strensall Library or Strensall Post Office, price £3.

LATEST NEWS

We are currently developing our own website which should be ready for publishing soon. The cataloguing and evaluation of the Slater archive continues; the large quantity of information contained in the archive is taking a considerable time to process. It is hoped to disseminate the catalogue in the near future. We have almost completed a geophysical survey of a feature described as a Roman road located in a field near the village. The results are encouraging and further surveys are planned, subject to the weather and ground conditions.  In addition to the 'road', other features suggest ridge and furrow.

                                   Field Surveying Happening in Strensall

                                   Walking the walk - geofizzing near Strensall