Events

An illustrated talk by a senior member of the volunteer staff, about the most important motor museum in the country, just on our doorstep.

They will talk about the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust, why it was formed and its history including the opening (eventually) of the British Motor Museum. They will also talk about the people behind the cars and their stories, generations of the same family in many cases.

The British Motor Museum Story follows the journey from factory audit to a national portfolio museum for the nation; the humble beginnings at Syon Park and Studley to the international facility at Gaydon. We focus on the key cars in the British motor industry, past, present and future – how this is becoming a place for all and not just classic car enthusiasts.

The Gunpowder Plot is always associated with Guy Fawkes, but what is not always appreciated is the prominent part played by Midlands Catholic families, in the planning for, and aftermath of, 5th November 1605. This talk will seek to address this. 

Mairi Macdonald was formerly Head of Local Collections at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Stratford-upon-Avon. She took an MA in Medieval History at the University of St Andrews, followed by a postgraduate diploma in Archive Administration at University College London. In addition to teaching classes on local history sources and paleography, Mairi lectures extensively on local and social history topics. She has contributed to Shakespeare Quarterly, the new Dictionary of National Biographyand the new Oxford Companion to Shakespeare. Her edition of The Register of the Guild of the Holy Cross, Stratfordwas published in 2007 by the Dugdale Society. Mairi is a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and General Editor of the British Records Association series; Archives and the User.

We live only a stone’s throw from the Fosse way, one of the major transport highways of Roman Britain and nearby is Chesterton, rich in the evidence of occupation by the Romans. Here in Lighthorne there have been many finds of Roman artefacts, especially at Hill Farm. This illustrated talk investigates the Roman presence in Warwickshire.

Dr Paul Grigsby is a Warwick Classics Network Research Fellow in Outreach and Impact in the Department of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Warwick. He has a BA in Classical and Archaeological Studies from the University of Kent, Canterbury and an MA by Research and PhD from the University of Warwick.