Having published The North Marston Story and created The Heritage Centre, the History Club’s priorities are now exhibitions and talks to make full use of our facilities. These are held at the Wesley Centre and look at a range of popular themes, many using actor/presenters in period costume. For more information, visit our Forthcoming Events page.
We continue to produce a range of publications and audio-visual material about the history of North Marston and other associated themes, including our latest project MARKS OF FAITH; you can download our full list by clicking here.
If you’d like to order any of the publications on our list, please use the “Contact” form by clicking on “Contact research and Payments” in the top tool bar over this page. Our bank details for credit transfer payments are below the Contact Form on the same page.
Wellington HE740. In January 1945 a Wellington bomber crashed in the village killing all six crew. The History Club has commissioned a Memorial Plaque in the church and has produced a booklet about the crash. To download a copy, click here.. For a more full account go to our publications list and read about our book Six Young Lives and the accompanying DVD. To read the article “Some Corner of an English Field” concerning these events from a New Zealand family perspective click here.
To hear a contemporary account listen to Cliff Cheshire here. . To see a web page about the plaque and the service held at its unveiling, click here. To read the transcript of an interview given by Club Secretary, Sue Chaplin, to the International Bomber Command Centre in 2017 concerning the HE740 crash click here.
To see a film about wartime activities in Bucks, including the important role played by Westcott OTU (where HE740 was based) click here.
Heritage Trail. With funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Club created a Heritage Trail around the village. In March 2020 the parish council awarded the History Club a grant to extend the Heritage Trail. The revised Heritage Trail Map Book is available from The Shop in North Marston, The Pilgrim pub or direct from the History Club. In addition, the Club also offers guided Heritage Walks following part or all of the trail, and including refreshments at the Heritage Centre for larger groups. For further details, use our contact form. In February 2023 the Club launched its “Landmark Plaque” scheme to identify the properties specifically mentioned in the Map Book, subject to Householder consent. You can see one of these plaques by clicking here.
To see how we commemorated the centenary of the end of the Great War click here.
Calendar. Every year we publish a calendar featuring images unique to the village and its history. Our 2024 calendar is called “Transports of Delight” and features a series of village pictures depicting various forms of transport used by village residents over the years. Our calendars can be bought from The Shop at £8.00 or the History Club for £8.00 (plus P&P) using the contact form from this website. To see the cover of the 2024 calendar click here.
Posters. We are proud of the posters promoting our talks and events. Mostly these are now designed by our chairman, John Spargo, but we were fortunate for some of them to have benefitted from the skills of a young, local graphic designer, Hannah Mills. Hannah created the strong, visual promotional material that we used extensively in a range of media. It is certain that they will have drawn the attention and interest of a large number of people, in North Marston and beyond. Below is a small selection of Hannah’s posters.
