TALKS
Our popular WHS Talks are held at the Balsam Centre, Balsam Park BA9 9HB (accessed from Memorial Hall Car Park), usually on the last Wednesday evening of the month.
Doors open 6.30pm with the talk starting at 7pm. Our 9 talks throughout the year range widely, covering local and national topics such as the Roman Villa at the Newt, life of a local vet in 20th century, restoration of Earl of Shaftesbury’s house, the Nuremburg Trials.
A brief round-up of previous talks are available if you click the “Previous Talks” button further down this page.
The programme is being constantly developed so do revisit this site, check out our Instagram or Facebook and look out for our eye-catching posters in various locations around the town advising forthcoming subjects.
Entry Charges (per person):
Members and under 18s: free
Non-members: £10.00
From time to time Special Talks are being booked. The venue for these is the Memorial Hall. Last year we heard from John Blashford-Snell, and enjoyed a live performance of Flamenco dancing. Charges for these talks differ from the standard Talks charge. Keep an eye on this site for details.
Special Talks (per person):
Members: free (donation welcomed)
Non-members: See listing for prices
Ric Weeks: The Newt – The Roman Villa
25 October 2023 @ 19:00 - 21:00
On the footings of a pre 5th century building, the reconstruction of a Roman villa has provided fascinating insight into many aspects of the Roman world in Britain. The concept was inspired by the discovery of ruins of a Roman-British villa that once stood on the estate; a careful excavation determined the structure dates back to 351 AD. What followed was a seven-year project led by a team of archaeologists, architects, engineers and craftsmen to carefully recreate Villa Ventorum, which now stands adjacent to the ancient ruins. Ric Weeks, the on-site archaeologist and exhibition manager shared the continuing journey with us and suggested the best way to fully appreciate the work undertaken and the information uncovered would be to visit the site of this remarkable project.