Leyland Historical Society

Mike Lucas - The founder, writer and actor of Mikron Theatre Company talks about the theatres history.

​58th Season

To start the new season on Monday 7th July I will be conducting a walk around the Leyland Cross Conservation Area. Meet up outside the Cross Chippy at 7.00 pm.

 The first meeting on the 1st September will feature Roy Smith, the historian of the Leyland Morris Dancers telling the story of Leyland’s May Festival and the part played by the Leyland Morris Dancers.

               

58th Season

Monday 7th July
Historical Walk - Meet at the Cross at 7 pm
Peter Houghton

​Monday 1st September
Leyland May Festival & Its Morris Dancers
Roy Smith

 Monday 6th October *
Hush, Hush - A Bletchley Story
Mikron Theatre

 Monday 3rd November
A Miners War
Quinn Hough

Monday 1st December
The A49 - Down That Road
Peter Houghton

 Monday 8th December (Online – details by email)
Railway History in Maps
Joe Brown

Monday 5th January 2026
Whats new in the Archaeological world?
Chris Wild

Monday 2nd February
Sid, Lord of the Dance
Sid Calderbank

Monday 2nd March
Richard Kuerden’s work as a Deputy Herald at the 1664 Heralds’ Visitation of Lancashire
Sir Thomas Woodcock 

Monday 30th March
Scotland beneath the surface
Bruce Keith 

 Monday 4th May** 
19th Annual Historical Society Trip to West Yorkshire

Monday 1st June
Gunpowder history and the slave trade
Nick Radburn​

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On 2nd March we will welcome our member Sir Thomas Woodcock to talk on his research into Richard Kuerden’s work as a Deputy Herald at the 1664 Heralds’ Visitation of Lancashire.

 Back by popular demand, on 30th March we shall see the return of Bruce Keith who this time will talk about Scotland beneath the surface, so it’s all things underground.  

The last talk of the year on 1st December will be given by myself on a road trip from Bamber Bridge to Ross on Wye along the A49, a 151-mile trunk road across England.

We will be visiting historical buildings along the way including the Feathers Hotel in Ludlow.

I recently chatted with Quinn Hough about the Historical Society, and he informed me that he could give the members a talk about his grandfather’s life during World War One.

When he told me his grandfather was one of the men responsible for the mining under the German lines during the war I was hooked and I’m sure so will the members on Monday 3rd November.

We will then retrace our steps by coach to spend the rest of the afternoon in and around Haworth, the former home of the Brontes, where food can be obtained from the various pubs and cafes

After an early evening meal we will head to our final attraction of the day where you can view the heights and sites before we head for home.   

This year on 6th October Mikron invites you to enter a world of secrets, songs and cyphers as we get to know the heroes of Hut 3.

In a non-descript mansion house, in a non-descript town, a group of extra-ordinary men and women worked to provide intelligence that would help to win the war. But shhhhhh, you’d better keep it under your hat, because as far as the rest of the world is concerned, Bletchley Park doesn’t exist

Peggy Valentine arrives at Bletchley in 1940, 18 years old, headstrong and gifted. Finding herself in a world of boffins, soldiers and debutantes, Peggy has to shoulder the burden of high-pressure war work whilst navigating a new world of feuds, friendships and growing up in a frame of absolute secrecy.  

But what of the world beyond Bletchley? As the war rages on in Europe, the stakes are raised for Peggy and her friends as they work to protect their loved ones fighting abroad.

An additional talk on Monday 8th December will be an online talk by Joe Brown on his railway history map books, including the latest volume on Liverpool & Manchester, which includes his hometown of Preston.

To finish the Season on Monday 1st June we will be having a talk given by Nick Radburn on the connection between the gunpowder history and the slave trade.

So, hope to see you all in the coming season and we will see what we can discover together and don’t forget to set up your standing order or direct payment for the 15th August, anything to save paying bank charges.

Peter Houghton, Chairman     

For our first talk of 2025 on Monday 5th January, we will again be entertained by Chris Wild giving us the yearly update of all things that have happened in the world of archaeology in the past year.
 

The 2nd February meeting will see the return of Sid Calderbank who this year is going to talk about his dance history.  

On 4th May there will be the 19th Annual Historical Society Trip which this season will be going to West Yorkshire. The plan is to coach over to Skipton to take a boat trip up the Springs Branch and have lunch.

We will then head over to Keighley by coach. A mystery attraction awaits before we then take a train up the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway all the way to Oxenhope.

Meetings 

Meetings held in the South Ribble Civic Centre, Shield Room, Banqueting Suite, West Paddock , Leyland PR25 1DH at 7.30 pm 

All meetings marked * are free to members though visitors have to pay £12.00 rather than usual visitors entrance fee of £5.00. Meetings marked as ** are outwith the membership fee.

The membership fee of £15.00 per year includes all 11 meetings at the Civic Centre and online.

To join the Society click on the Application Form and either send it by post or email to peter@leylandhistoricalsociety.co.uk