How did the Underground manage during the years of the Blitz: what damage was done, how people sheltered from air raids and what uses were found for all those abandoned stations.
Thursday November 13th
Sand Mines in Godstone: a caver's perspective.
Peter Burgess - Wealden Cave and Mine Society..
Thursday January 8th 2026
Postponed
Thursday February 12th 2026
Farthing Downs
Tom Oliver: Conservation Officer, 'The Commons', City of London Corporation
Thursday March 12th 2026
Upstairs, Downstairs
Judith Hill
Thursday April 9th 2026
The Cranston Library, Reigate (1701) and its Bletchingley connections.
Dr Hilary Ely
Thursday May 14th 2026
Netherne - Farmland to hospital to conservation village
Liz Bonsall, Chaldon History Group
Thursday June 11th 2026
Bletchingley in old photographs
Roger Packham
(The Bourne Society)
Thursday July 9th 2026
RAF Kenley
Linda Duffield Legacy Officer of the former Revival Project to preserve the WWii structures that remain on Kenley Common.
Thursday September 10th 2026
The War Memoirs of Tom Mitchell
Various speakers
Sun October 11th 2026
12 Noon: AGM
Subscriptions are Due!
Venue to be announced
2025/2026 Season:
We are very pleased to present a complete programme for the forthcoming season - details below.
This season we will of course be covering topics specific to Blechingley's history, including old photos of the village, and also the War Memoirs of Tom Mitchell, who lived in the village for many years and was in Germany after D-Day and at the end of the war. There are many other subjects covered including Farthing Downs, The Cranstone Library in Reigate and RAF Kenley.
Meetings are held in Blechingley Village Hall, behind Lawrences the antiques dealer, in the High Street (postcode RH1 4PA) on the second Thursday of the month at 8pm unless otherwise noted. Free Car Parking available on site.
You may attend any meeting as a guest for £3, but why not consider joining the society for just £10 per season
Previous seasons
Here is a link to the titles of previous talks going back to 2010. The 'Audio' Column indicates that a recording is available. Copies of the Parish Magazine articles for many talks are also available. – please use the Contact Us page to request copies of either.
2024 - 2025
Thursday December 11th 6 - 8 pm
Historical Society Christmas Party at a local house, open to members.
Carriages at 8!
Next Meeting:
Thursday January 8th 2025 at 8pm: - Cancelled because of adverse weather, see below
Our next meeting has been cancelled. Because of predicted heavy rain and storms, we have decided to cancel the meeting this Thursday. Roger Packham will now present his talk to us on "Images of Blechingley: A Photographic Record" in June. Apologies for any inconvenience and we hope to see you at our 12th February meeting which will be all about Farthing Downs.
Guests are welcome at £3 each.
Programme 2025 - 2026
All Meetings are at 8pm unless otherwise noted. More details will follow soon.
October 2025
Annual General Meeting and visit to Court Lodge Farm
September 2025
Lost Railways of Surrey - Bill O'Brien
August 2025
No Meeting
July 2025
Godstone in Picture Postcards - Roger Packham
June 2025
Poverty and Unrest in Surrey - Dr Judith Hill
May 2025
Blechingley in the Second World War - Daphne Constable
April 2025
Planting Ideas - Sources for the History of Gardening - Julian Pooley (Surrey History Centre)
March 2025
The Romans in Blechingley - Peter Connelly (East Surrey Museum)
February 2025
New Stories and Pictures from Blechingley and the Grange - Dave McCleave
January 2024
My Family and Local Houses - Dame Sarah Goad
December 2024
Christmas Party
November 2023
The Underground at War - Chris Green
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