History Group

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The History Group always welcomes all u3a members and especially new ones, we have plenty of room. Indoor meetings take place at Central Methodist Church on Baker Street. Time 2pm – 4pm, always on the third Wednesday of the month.

Our visit in April was to Pleasley Pit. Although it has been a visitor attraction open for years our coach full of members was the first they had ever had. It proved to be a learning experience for the volunteers and especially the kitchen staff although the food they served was good. I think we all enjoyed the guided tour and learned a lot about the different jobs coal miners did. In a way it was a shame we were unable to walk around the country park, but we did see images of the wildlife to be seen on the site. The weather played its part as the rain kept off until we were getting back on the coach. Thank you very much for those members who took photographs.

The next meeting is on the 15th May when we have David Amos coming to show us images and give details of ‘A Brief History of Annesley’. David worked at Annesley Colliery, lived in the village and has been researching Annesley for years so I think we are in for a good afternoon.

At that meeting on 15th May Kathy and Sue will be taking names and money for the visit to Wellow on 19th June. Coach leaving Ogle Street at 11am; leaving Wellow at 3.30pm, the cost is £10.

Maureen Newton

National Trust

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Unusually the group had two visits in April firstly to;  

Kedleston Hall

 We set off for Kedleston Hall on Monday 15th April on a morning which saw some rain and a cold wind blowing. Fortunately, the rainfall reduced to showers over the day although the cold wind never really abated.  The short journey into Derbyshire saw us arrive a Kedleston for 10.30 am.

Coffee or tea was the order of the day for most members on arrival followed by a slow and comprehensive tour of the impressive Hall. The large rooms beautifully decorated ranged from dining rooms, libraries, bedrooms through to kitchens.

A look round the gardens followed for many and a visit to the various shops on the estate. The usual waterside walks were very much curtailed on this visit by the wet ground and cold wind.

A 4.00 pm departure saw us arrive back in Hucknall shortly after 5.00pm.

Snowshill

The second visit in April saw over 70 members visiting the beautiful setting of Snowshill in the Cotswolds. Here the house is much smaller than the usual NT property but was full of over twenty two thousand objects collected by the owner, Charles Wade, around a hundred years ago. A truly fascinating collection. Charles Wade also extended his property out into his lovely gardens with many buildings adorned by beautiful models often hand built by Wade himself. A truly unique collection which included a Cornish fishing village. Using the knowledge from the very keen volunteers on site we learned so much about the venue and its contents.

Some members also found their way into the nearby church and picturesque village of Snowshill.

After last minute refreshments we gathered for the journey back up to Hucknall after a really pleasant day in generally nice weather.

May’s visit sees the group venture towards the east coast of Lincolnshire to visit the Gunby Estate.

An Evening with Johnny Victory

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On Friday, 12th April, members enjoyed a lively evening with the singer and entertainer Johnny Victory.

In his first session Johnny went through his repertoire of songs from the 40’s and early 50’s. The audience responded by dancing or singing along with the chorus lines from many of the songs which were obviously well known to most of us.

After the BYO buffet break, he moved into the 60’s and also taught a few dance steps along the way. He was lively and energetic ensuring that a good time was had by all.

Several of the audience dressed for the occasion sporting some interesting outfits.

Social Subcommittee

Science Group

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On Friday 19th April members of the science group together with a few colleagues from National Trust and History made an all day visit to Oxford.

Oxford is an interesting city with impressive buildings, the Oxford Colleges and several museums.

The main aim was to make group visits to the Natural History and Pitt Rivers museums which were pre booked for the afternoon.

On arrival outside the Ashmolean Museum, following a photo opportunity the group dispersed to explore. Many found their way to the History of Science Museum, the Ashmolean, and the Radcliffe Camera, the Open Bus Tour, cafes and a Wetherspoons named The Four Candles.

It is an eye-catching building next door but one to Oxford University’s history faculty. It was originally the city’s High School for Boys, which opened in 1881. The comic actor Ronnie Barker was a former pupil and later one of the Two Ronnies. Probably their best-known sketch was ‘Four Candles’. Barker walks into a hardware store and asks for and gets ‘four candles’. However, he really wanted fork handles – ‘andles for forks’. Thanks to everyone for navigating the city and meeting up on time for the booked visit.