Walks and Talks Available
Attend our Walks and Talks
If you are a member of the Romsey Local History Society (or an affiliated LTVAS history group) you are welcome to attend any of the guided walks, or regular lectures and talks which are organised as part of your membership.
Non-members are welcome to attend these events (donations of £2 per visit appreciated) subject to spaces/seats being available. See our programme for details of events (Around 25 to 30 per year).
Why not Hire one of our Guides or Speakers for your Group
The Society can offer other groups and societies a range of walks and talks covering numerous topics about the history of Romsey and its surrounding area. They are the result of many years of research into the town and how it has evolved.
The walks and talks available are listed below under the names of each speaker. By choosing different speakers you could have more than one walk or talk on different aspects of Romsey's local history, thus providing your own members with a variety of presentations throughout the year.
We ask for a donation and suggest £30 - £50 per group (depending on size) for a talk (plus travel), and £2 a head for a guided walk, but there are exceptions. For example we do not ask for donations for educational talks to school groups.
The illustrated talks use PowerPoint and we can bring our own computer and projector if necessary. We would however require you to provide access to a nearby power supply, a large screen (or an uncluttered wall suitable for projection) to enable the pictures to be shown effectively and a table or stand on which to place our equipment.
Although not listed here, Charles Burnett also gives very popular talks about Romsey over the past 150 years.
He has prepared a series of DVDs about old Romsey which can be loaned out. He can be contacted through our email address.
Other members of the Society may also be available to give walks and talks from time to time depending on the subject of their own research which may be of interest to a wider audience - contact us for details.
To arrange for one of our speakers to give a talk or lead a walk, go to our Contact us page or phone 01794 367701.
Phoebe Merrick
Phoebe Merrick was a founder member of LTVAS Group. She is an experienced speaker on local topics, both with and without illustrations. She also leads guided walks around the town. Below is a selection of her walks and talks. They can be adapted to suit the needs of particular audiences and other topics are available.
Romsey Remount Depot
and War Horse Memorial- Illustrated
A fascinating talk about the establishment of The Remount Depot that prepared horses for work at the front in World War I, and which recently was commemorated with the instalation of a full size sculpture at the Romsey Memorial Park.
Medieval Romsey Abbey - Illustrated
Romsey had an abbey of nuns in the middle ages. This talk looks at the history of the building and the institution.
Romsey and its Streams - Illustrated
Romsey is laced with many streams. This talk makes sense of a confusing pattern and shows how the waterways have influenced the life of the town.
Memorials and Corbels - Illustrated
Interesting details of memorials and other aspects of Romsey Abbey - using highlights from the 2015 photo-survey.
Mary Harris
Mary Harris joined LTVAS in 1975 and has
been an active member most of the time since. She has always been interested in local history and has been working on the history of Romsey and also of Timsbury and Michelmersh, where she lives.
Saxon Charters of the Lower Test Valley.
Romsey Local History Society has been undertaking a study of the lower Test valley and its Charters in Saxon times. This talk records how we went about this and what it revealed about the landscape and its use.
Wessex Saints in Europe.
This tells the story of St Boniface and other members of his family who travelled from Wessex in the 8th century AD to visit Rome, the Holy Land and settled in Germany to bring Christianity to the pagans and peoples on the edge of the Frankish Empire.
Life in a Medieval Village - The Farming Year.
This is based on studies of the Medieval documents - rentals, custumals, and court records held by Winchester Cathedral for the estate of Michelmersh.
Little Woodham 17th century reenactment Village.
The 'Living History' village at Little Woodham, Gosport, was created over 30 years ago. This talk records the development and activities of the village.