Welcome to the Odiham Society
The Society seeks to record, protect and enhance the heritage, character and environment of the Parish of Odiham and North Warnborough.
We publish two journals each year and run speaker evenings on local and interesting topics. At these events members meet and enjoy a glass of wine. Visits to places of interest and a Christmas evening complete a busy annual programme of events.
A number of exciting projects are always on the go and we welcome volunteers who wish to become involved in serving our members and the community.
September 3rd
Visit to Farnborough Abbey, burial place of Napoleon III, Emperor of France and nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte and of his wife Eugenie.
For details, please click here.
September 17th
10 am – 4.30 pm
Heritage Open Day Exhibition
The Royal Air Force Coronation Review of 1953
in the Society’s new Archive and Heritage Centre in the Parish Room, The Bury, Odiham.
For more information, please click here.
Autumn/Winter Speaker Programme at the Cross Barn
Doors open at 7.15pm for a welcome drink, talks start at 7.30. Visitors welcome (£5 per person)
Email reminders are sent to all members about a week before each evening.
Current Exhibition at the Society’s Heritage Centre in the Parish Room
in The Bury, Odiham
Toil and Reward
October 13th
Mary Bennett, Odiham Society Executive Archivist
Toil and Reward – the sometimes surprising origins of the older houses of North Warnborough, highlighting North Warnborough’s industrial history and its legacy: the houses which remain
This exhibition expands on the talk on October 13th.
What do you know about the house on the left?
Its name:The Cat or Burleigh? Its former owners: a tanner, a maltster.
Its uses? A beer-house with a smithy next to it (1874 to 1908), the home of a carrier from North Warnborough collecting and delivering goods; before that in the 17th and 18th centuries, a Cordwainer (shoemaker) – a Clothier (cloth-maker).
So many trades associated with just one house.
Would you like to know more about the history of your house,
or what was there before it?
Or about one in which you have always been interested?
All houses built prior to 1850 – and newer houses – have a tale to tell
“Toil and Reward” tells that tale from 2nd September till Christmas
2-4 pm each Monday* and 10-12 noon each Saturday*.
*Our opening times depend on volunteers, so if you wanted to plan a visit for a very particular day, you may like to check first with secretary@odiham-society.org.
November 10th
Dick Forsythe, Roger Jones and Tony Nicholson
Oman – Britain’s ‘Unknown War’: 1970-75 … and some Odiham links
Three Society members who served in the Sultan’s Armed Forces – shining a light on a conflict that has helped shape enduring links with Oman to the present day; and RAF Odiham’s unexpected contribution.
Random text
Toil and Reward – the sometimes surprising origins of the older houses of North Warnborough, highlighting North Warnborough’s industrial history and its legacy: the houses which remain
November 10th
Dick Forsythe, Roger Jones and Tony Nicholson
Oman – Britain’s ‘Unknown War’: 1970-75 … and some Odiham links
Three Society members who served in the Sultan’s Armed Forces – shining a light on a conflict that has helped shape enduring links with Oman to the present day; and RAF Odiham’s unexpected contribution.
September 8th
Ms Stacey Hedges
The Hampshire Cheese Company of Herriard
the award-winning makers of Tunworth and Winslade.
Autumn Events
Local Photos
Autumn Speaker Programme
at the Cross Barn
Doors open at 7.15pm for a welcome drink, talks start at 7.30. Visitors welcome (£5 per person)
Email reminders are sent to all members about a week before each evening.
Summer Events and visits
Volunteering Opportunities
NEW
HERITAGE EXHIBITION IN THE PARISH ROOM:
EDUCATION, EDUCATION, EDUCATION – INFANTS
This exhibition takes you back to infant education in past years in Odiham –
at Buryfields, at the London Road Boys’ School and even at a school in a private house on Dunleys Hill.
Normally open Monday afternoons and Saturday mornings – when the board is out we are open!
Whether you are inspired by the Coronation “Big Help Out”, are keen to become involved in a new activity, or are a devotee of our heritage, there are many different activities in which you could participate, spending as much or as little time as suits you.
A few key opportunities
Photographing buildings in the parish to update our records
Adding to our catalogue of old photos of the parish by scanning, naming and registering photos
Helping to complete the establishment of our Archive and Heritage Centre in Odiham
and more are detailed below – please keep scrolling down!
VISITS
Are arranged by the Society for our members. Pre-booking is essential and emails will be sent to our members* well in advance.
We are planning a visit to Hursley House in early July and to the Hospital of St Cross at the end of August.
Hursley House has an interesting history. Originally Merdon Park, Richard and Oliver Cromwell both lived there, then Hursley Park House was built in 1721.
In 1940, following heavy raids by the Luftwaffe on the Vickers Supermarine factory in Woolston, it was requisitioned by Lord Beaverbrook and Vickers Aviation moved its headquarters and design staff to Hursley Park and the house became the centre for the design and development of the Spitfire.
In 1958 the lease ended and IBM moved in and established their laboratories.
The visit will comprise a tour of the house (Georgian and re-modelled in Edwardian times), a tour of the IBM museum which covers the history of computing from 1880 to the present day and a talk by David Key, the IBM curator, and tea.
The Hospital of St Cross is said to be England’s oldest almshouse in continuous use, its magnificent Grade 1 listed buildings date from 12th Century. It is sited on the outskirts of Winchester with a short flat walk from the city centre along the water meadows, a beautiful garden and a highly recommended tea!
*to become a member, click here
Helping to prepare exhibitions from our Archive
We have committed to mount 3 exhibitions a year in our small Heritage Centre. Preparation includes sifting through the archive for relevant and interesting material; devising an interesting story line; paraphrasing source information and preparing information boards; scanning photos. Some work would be done with others in the Archive/Heritage Centre in the middle of Odiham, some can be done at home on your own PC. A knowledge of Word will be very useful. A knowledge of Powerpoint and possibly also drawing or graphics software would be handy but is not essential.
This might take 2 hours a week before an exhibition (3 per annum)
Photographing buildings in the parish to update our records
We have a large database of old photos of the parish, which has over 200 listed buildings in 3 Conservation Areas. We would like to record these and other buildings of interest at they stand today to add to our archive. Ability to save and rename your photos and enter them into the catalogue (held on Excel) would be an advantage. You would be free to take photos as you wanted, and work with the team in agreeing how they are added to the catalogue.
This would take as long as you like
Adding to our catalogue of old photos of the parish by scanning, naming and registering photos
We have over 2500 photos described in our catalogue, held on Excel. We have more photos as yet un-scanned and un-registered. You would work with a member of our team who will help to identify and date the photos, and then scan and register them at your convenience. You may also create watermarked copies of them with our easy-to-use software on our computer.
This would take as long as you like
Help to complete the establishment of our Archive and Heritage Centre in Odiham
We have recently moved into our new home and are still completing the organising and cataloguing of all our material (documents, photos, etc). if you like to put things in order, this would delight you. Use of Excel would be very helpful. We envisage that this could be a one-off activity which will carry on on an adhoc basis as we are regularly offered new material. There will also be the opportunity to use your knowledge of the catalogue to research answers to questions from members of the public, which often leads to further interest and understanding.
This would take as long as you like
Use your design and editing skills to help with publicity material and our Journal
We produce posters and material for our local parish magazine on a regular basis to advertise speaker evenings and events, and we also use facebook. You could exercise your design skills on our posters.
We produce a Journal twice a year (approx 40 pages) and there is an opportunity to help with editing it and ensuring we maintain – or improve – its high design quality.
The posters are an ad hoc activity and the Journal is fairly intensive for a few of weeks twice a year.
Publishing Expertise
The Society produces a range of publications from short books to leaflets which need updating and re-printing from time to time. Knowledge of preparation and print commissioning would be very helpful on an occasional basis as needed.
There are other ways in which you could help
- Putting posters up after laminating them while enjoying fresh air and walks round the parish.
- Observing and checking on the accuracy of our web site
- Creating an archive of heritage statements from Listed Building applications
- Looking at and commenting on planning applications, particularly those which affect the overall character of Odiham and North Warnborough or the specific character of Conservation Areas, as well as Listed Buildings.