Within this section dedicated to the Windsor Local History Group, you will find information about our membership and how we operate through our constitution. A number of our members are experts in their fields, and are happy to share that through talking opportunities in Windsor and the surrounding area.
Our Meetings
We meet every month at the Windsor Mencap Hub at the back of the Castle View Retirement Homes in Helston Lane. It costs £3, which goes to cover the costs of the room and the refreshments. In addition to regular updates and discussions on various topics, we will occasionally host guest speakers on a semi-regular basis. If you would like to attend, please get in touch with us, and we will be happy to provide you with more information. We look forward to seeing you.
We don’t publish minutes of our meeting, that is for the members. However, we have put together a selection of Past Meetings to give you a flavour of what happens. It has some standard meetings, AGMs, Summer Celebrations, and Christmas Party. You can also visit our Facebook Page where we take some of the topics discussed at our meetings and share them with the community.
Our Events
The Group participate in a number of local fairs throughout Windsor and Eton.. At these events, you will typically find us with a wide selection of new and second-hand books, as well as our own Windlesora magazine, featuring both current and back issues. We spend much of our time answering questions and discussing the rich local history of the area. Our concept is simple: share our passion and knowledge of local history and also take the opportunity to listen, and hear stories, experiences and knowledge.
Please have a look at our Calendar of Events for the forthcoming months. It has our meetings, the annual open day, and any fairs that we will be attending such as the Eton Action Fair. We also include events from other Societies such as the U3A, that we think will be of interest.
We also host an annual WLHG Open Day, featuring a range of exhibits, videos, maps, pictures, old newspapers, and more, along with a comprehensive sales table. The Friends of the Windsor and Royal Borough Museum also attend. Held in October or November, these are extremely popular and are usually held in Windsor Baptist Church.
In September, you will find us at The Eton Action Fair run by Eton College in aid of charity. A number of our members will be there to answer your questions about the local area and people. There is also a sales table with books, magazines and other items that the local historian would find useful in their research. Please come along and see us. We are easy to find with our large flag prominently displayed.
St Andrew’s is the old Clewer Parish church located in Clewer Village. It is one of the oldest buildings in Windsor being located at a crossing point of the River Thames. Each year, they have a fundraising open day with multiple stalls such as jams, Indian food, jewellery, and ourselves. We usually have a small sales table with Windlesoras, old books, and other material.
Our Publications
A major part of the WLHG is the publication of books, pamphlets, and our regular Windlesora magazine. In here, you will find invaluable information about our work, and a lot of our published articles reproduced in full. We do hope that you enjoy them and find them informative and useful in your studies.
The Group contributes to wider publications such as the Berkshire Old and New by the Berkshire Local History Association. These magazines are freely available and contain a rich source of information about the history of Berkshire. We are reproducing our members’ articles so that they are easy to search and copy.
Over the years, the members and the Group have written and Published Books about a wide variety of local subjects. These contribute to recording the local history for the community and for the future. They also contribute to the funds for the Group to allow us to continue our meetings and research work.
Our Research Materials
The Group possesses an extensive array of printed materials such as local newspapers, maps, photos, postcards, audio/visual materials, and traditional books. We are also looking to build a digitized archive for future generations. If you are interested in either receiving or providing information or materials, please get in Contact with us.
We also have a collection of Press Clippings from over the years. These include a regular column by Elias Kupfermann, which are excellent nuggets of local history. Other clippings include notable people, buildings, and events as well as some about ourselves. We thank The Express, the Maidenhead Advertiser, and the Windsor and Eton Express for permission to reproduce them.
We also have an Archive of the Windsor & Eton Express from 1814 to 2020. We are trying to repatriate the 1812 – 1814 volume that we had restored to have the complete journey from when Charles Knight started publishing it. This is an invaluable source of local knowledge. Only up to 1917 has been digitised and made available online. The Express and Maidenhead Advertiser has from the eighties onward available online for a fee.
Donate
The WLHG relies on raising the majority of our funds through having stalls at fairs. Our publications, especially new books and Windlesoras, take a substantial chunk of those funds to initially publish. Hopefully, they are successful and cover all our costs – sometimes it takes a while to achieve that. Often, we receive a Donation to help push things over the finishing line. Help is always welcome!
Our Public Speakers
The WLHG has several Public Speakers who are available for talks to small gatherings. From Windsor during the wars, to St George’s Chapel and Windsor Castle, to the development of the Garrison Town, all our talks are interesting and informative. Get in contact for more information.
Our Book Reviews
We are lucky to be offered books about Windsor in advance of their publication, or at their launch. Our team develop Book Reviews, which are included in our Windlesora magazine. There is a separate index to aid in finding them quickly. Books include those about people, buildings, and events in the area, and also those offering advice to those undertaking historical projects.
In Memoriam
We have an In Memoriam section for our past members who have made a significant contribution not only to the Group, but also to Windsor and the local environs. They are sadly missed but leave behind a legacy that all are proud of and will continue to be referenced for generations to come.
Our Members
We are pleased to present our members here and include their roles and responsibilities for completeness. They are all passionate about Windsor and Eton, and many are members of other local societies, too.
| Dr Brigitte Mitchell | Jeanne Shinskey | Anne Taylor |
| Tony Davenport | Phyllis James | Leslie Grout |
| Iris Baker | JacquieCawthorne | Christine Hughes |
| Margaret Kirby | Natalie Ward | Sue Mercer |
| Len Nash | Tom Wigley | Norma Wood |
| Jane Cockman | Ken Sutherland | Susy Shearer |
| Alison Haymonds | Sue Ashley | Fiona Try |
We are also pleased to have the support of the following Associate Members:
| Andy Fielder | Derek Hunt | Roger Cullingham |
| Sonia Sayed | Carol Dixon-Smith | Margaret Lenton |
Here are the current specific roles and responsibilities within the Group:
| President | Dr Brigitte Mitchell |
| Chair | Margaret Kirby |
| Vice-Chair | Dr Brigitte Mitchell |
| Secretary | Anne Taylor |
| Treasurer | Ken Sutherland |
| Editor | Jane Cockman |
| Events | Susy Shearer |
| Webmaster | Ken Sutherland |
Our Memberships
We are members of the British Association for Local History (BALH) is the national charity promoting local history and serves local historians. Formed in 1982, the BALH is aimed at contributing towards enriching and extending our understanding of the past through publications and events.
We are also members of the Berkshire Local History Association (BLHA). They help people interested in local history, either as a researcher or resident, helping them discover more about their locality. They run talks, study days, and walkabout trips, and also publicise members’ events and talks.
Our History
The Group was formed in 1976 when several WEA students and tutors formed the Windsor Local History Publications Group. The stated aim was to foster research in the field of local history, specifically the town and people of Windsor, and to publish the results.
1812 – 1830.
The word “publications” was dropped in 2004, and the group became known as the Windsor Local History Group. Members have individual topics and specialisations but share their knowledge and research. This can be through books, articles, talks, social media, and of course, our popular annual journal, Windlesora.
Our Constitution
Our Constitution is available online. It sets the guidelines for our Group and ensures that we are run in a well-organised and predictable way. It ensures that funds raised as used sensibly and towards the goals of the Group. It is regularly revised as people start using different methods to find sources of relevant historical information.
Windsor Local History Group 