Eastwell History Group
Come along and enjoy a fascinating series of presentations covering the history of Eastwell and surrounding area, the people who lived there and the events that shaped its story.
Activities
The Group carries out a wide range of activities, the most high-profile of which is the conservation of the ex-Eastwell Ironstone Co. locomotive ‘Lord Granby’ (see below). In addition, we research local history throughout the ages, undertake historical walks of the village and of the routes of the ironstone mining, and hold a variety of social and fund-raising events. For more information and to book your place on any activity please contact:
John Wood - john@lordgranbyrail.org.uk or 01949 861836.
See below on how to become a member.
Forthcoming Events
Lord Granby and The 100 Club
Did you know we have a 100 Club for the conservation of ‘Lord Granby’ our
ex-Eastwell Ironstone Co. locomotive; in service from 1902 to 1959?
Just £5 per month gives you entry into the monthly draw for cash prizes. Your support for this project is extremely important to us.
For more information contact John Wood - john@lordgranbyrail.org.uk or 01949 861836 or visit www.lordgranbyrail.org.uk for full details.
For the latest on the Lord Granby project visit our Facebook page
Fundraising Tea Towel – Get Yours Now - £4
The ‘Countryman’s Weather Sayings’ tea towel is now available and it is already selling well. At just £4 to members and supporters it is great value and makes an ideal present or even a wall-hanging display. All proceeds go to Eastwell History Group funds. To reflect Eastwell’s rural community, it is based on the weather sayings of typical local countrymen and is a good quality cotton towel. It makes an ideal present; get one for each of your friends.
Contact John on 01949 861836 or see Alan at Crossroads Farm.
Thu 5th Sep 7.30pm Eastwell Village Hall
A talk by Matthew Morris of ULAS on the excavations recently undertaken at Leicester Cathedral.
Over the past three years, archaeologists from University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS) have been working with Leicester Cathedral to reveal the story of the 900-year-old church and the Roman city buried beneath it. The excavations, carried out before construction of a new Heritage Learning Centre in the Cathedral Gardens, have resulted in a remarkable archaeological archive of regional and national significance. Discoveries include a highly unusual, continuous 850-year sequence of burial activity, as well as Anglo-Saxon, Roman and prehistoric activity dating back over 15,000 years. The results have the potential to tell powerful and engaging stories about Leicester’s past which, will capture your imagination.
Thu 10th Oct 7.30pm Eastwell Village Hall
A talk by John S Thomas of ULAS on the Iron Age hill fort at Burrough Hill. This talk will be given by John S Thomas who many will remember speaking to us in 2023 about the Roman Villa remains with its mosaic floor discovered in Rutland. Burrough Hill is an Iron Age hillfort 7 miles south of Melton Mowbray. Situated on a promontory about 210 metres (690 ft) above sea level, the site commands views over the surrounding countryside for miles around. There has been human activity in the area since at least the Mesolithic, and the hillfort was founded in the early Iron Age (1200 BC to 500 BC). The hillfort seems to have been built in the Middle Iron Age and continued in use until at least the early Roman period. Various excavations have recorded parts of the ramparts, a 'guard chamber', Iron Age/early Roman pits in the fort's interior and roundhouses in the northern part of the fort. John will explain in detail the work that has been undertaken in recent years to learn more about this important site.
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Annual Pub Quiz - Sat 8th Jan 2025 7:00pm Eastwell Village Hall. There will be a light supper and entrance will be £7:50. Teams of six maximum please. If previous years are a guide there will be a high demand for tickets.
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Don’t forget, a £10 annual subscription entitles you to free entry to most events. If you are not a member, just set up a standing order for £10 to CAF Bank, sort code 40-52-40, account number 00027120, account name Eastwell History Group. Then just contact John Wood - john@lordgranbyrail.org.uk or 07970 987810 to confirm you have set things up – thank you.
Aspects of Eastwell
This is an illustrated 92-page history of the village from Roman times up to 2000. If you would like a copy price £9, contact john@lordgranbyrail.org.uk or call 07970 987810. It will be available for purchase at the Open Day alongside the original book for those who do not currently have one.