At our latest meeting, we were fortunate to hear from Caroline Shenton, the former Director of the Parliamentary Archives, who shared the gripping story of “The Day Parliament Burnt Down.” On the fateful evening of October 16, 1834, a catastrophic fire broke out at the Palace of Westminster, the iconic home of the British Parliament for nearly 800 years. The fire ravaged the building, which had witnessed pivotal moments in British history, including the trial of King Charles I in 1649, the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605, debates on the English Civil War, the rise of the British Empire, and the abolition of slavery. While the fire may be largely…

November 2024 meeting. Thirty five attended a talk on Agricultural Labourers in the 19th Century by Mike Muncaster from Kimbolton. In almost everyone’s family history there are agricultural labourers. In the 1851 census general labourers were the most numerous occupational group in England but their status and rates of pay were the lowest, with two similar groups, shepherds and horse-keepers, being paid slightly more. They worked 6 days/week, usually doing a 60 hour week and joining the army, where food, clothing and shelter were provided, was often a preferred way for young men to escape the land. Even in 1914, general agricultural wages were often only 50 to 75% of…

Last month on Wed 16th October Tim Henshaw gave a very interesting talk on the past, present and future of NIAB and its importance to agriculture in our country. Members brought in some plants to sell and we had our usual raffle. The Flower of the Month Competition results for October were: 1st – Jean Diver (Alstroemeria ‘Indian Summer’) 2nd – Cynthia Bidwell (Sedum Spectabile)   3rd – Adrian Dibb (Dahlia). Other flowers brought in were: Dahlias, Colchicum (autumn crocus), Hydrangea, Abelia, Ceratostigma and Cosmos ‘Cherry Chocolate’. On Wed 20th November at 7.30pm in the Main Hall of OCC, we have our next club evening. Hawk Honey will tell us about ‘The Forgotten Bees…’. We…

Are you new to Over? Have you discovered our fabulous community centre? Situated in The Doles, the centre has a range of facilities.  The large hall and smaller seminar room are both regularly hired out for conferences, parties, wakes, weddings, fundraisers, village group meetings and so on. The communal lounge is a great place to meet friends for a drink or just sit and read from the “bring and take” bookshelves.  Within the lounge there is a bar and the centre café (which serves excellent breakfasts, coffee and hot chocolate amongst other things…). Leading off the common area is a large, partially covered patio and the sports fields where football…

Over has been dazzled this week with beautiful displays of the Northern Lights. Those who were late to bed and found themselves staring up to the skies were rewarded with several long viewings of this previously rare sight. A more recent scientific discovery, Steve, was also visible across the UK this week. Steve (or in full: Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement) – is unpredictable and only lasts for a short time during an aurora display. Steve appears as a ribbon and scientists suggest Scientists suggests it comprises a fast-moving stream of extremely hot particles called a sub-auroral ion drift, or SAID. Now, a few facts (source: BBC News): The Northern…