The strange history of chimneys and chimney sweeps. Admission to non-FONA members £4.00 including refreshments. Places may be booked at the Archives with payment by non-members on the day.

The event will examine how historic documents are marked to reveal their authorship and identity. Tickets will be £10 (+ a £1.67 booking fee) and will shortly be available online thorough Eventbrite.

Following the AGM, Richard Gaunt who is standing down as Chair, will tell us about the first seven yeras of FONA whic he has chaired throughout.

A history of Bradshaw and his famous timetables, including a mystery tour! Admission to non-FONA members £4.00 including refreshments. Places may be booked at the Archives with payment by non-members on the day.

Meet at 11a.m. There will be a small charge of £4 for the event. Please have correct money if possible.

Catharine's talk will look at the huge losses sustained in this terrible epidemic exactly one hundred years ago. Admission to non-FONA members £4.00 including refreshments. Places may be booked at the Archives with payment by non-members on the day.

Brian will give us a nostalgic look at famous old shops of the city - some long gone and some still familiar with us today. Admission to non-FONA members £4.00 including refreshments. Places may be booked at the Archives with payment by non-members on the day.

An in depth look at three spectacular incidents from the mid to late 19th century that took place on the Midland Railway, and how the use of various sources such as national and provincial newspapers, assize records, census and parish records, railway staff ledgers, military records, maps, and on line records can all be used […]

A look at harnessing the power of storytelling to bring history to life, using contemporary accounts to ‘voice’ the past; and some of the pitfalls of turning fact into fiction.  Please email chair@fona.org.uk for a link to this talk.

Margaret’s talk will take an unusual angle on World WarTwo experiences as it focuses on Conscientious Objectors, examining the climate of the times in the 1930s, the complex reasons behind the Objectors’ decisions, and what they did during the War. It will also reflect, briefly, on what they later thought of those wartime experiences. Before […]