Talks, Presentations, Walks, Visits and Other Events for 2026
All talks take place in Church House on Bathwell Lane unless otherwise stated, starting at 7.30pm and last for approximately an hour. We ask for a suggested donation of £2 per member & £5 per non-member. Guided tours are free but donations are always welcome!
2026
August: Summer opening of museum, every Sunday up to and including Sunday 30th August, 2.30-4 pm.
Monday 21st September: Gloving in Milborne Port. Lesley Wray will present an illustrated talk about the gloving industry that used to flourish in the village. Lesley will be accompanied by Liz Lammas, who will be happy to talk about her memories; she is a member of the Southcombe family who used to run one of the glove factories. Come and discover how the village looked when the industry occupied the area now covered in houses, how the gloves were made and what effect the stages necessary to tan the leather had on the environment. Lesley’s new booklet on the gloving industry in the village will be on sale for £5.
Monday 19th October: Stories and anecdotes from the Church School records, with Roger Cowley and Nicki Edwards, with contributions from Mary Clothier.
Sunday 8th November: Open afternoon at the Chapel Museum with James Plummer and WW2 artefacts and memorabilia.
No talk in December.
2027 – bookings so far!
Monday 18th January: Tom Cousens and Marine Archeology on the South-west coast. (tbc)
Monday 15th February: In this informal talk, Juliet Braidwood will demonstrate how women of two different ranks might have dressed in the 1530, discussing the different layers of dress, their use, and their context. (Juliet is the wife of Alastair Braidwood who entertained us last February with his songs about rural life and knitting.
Monday 15th March: Barry Brock – Seymours Lemonade of Sherborne.
Monday 19th April: David Fox – William Barnes: Dorset’s most remarkable man.
Monday 10th May: Margaret Phillips – the Organ Museum, Chapel Lane.
Monday 21st June: ‘A year in the life of an archaeologist – it’s more than just digging holes’, with Nancy Grace from Dorset Council.
Monday 19th July:
Monday 16th August: Tony Beadles – The History of Compton Pauncefoot and St Mary’s Church, on location at Compton Pauncefoot.
Monday 20th September: Lesley Wray – the Milborne Port Home Guard.
Monday 18th October: Film Night – Showing a collection of film footage of Milborne Port people and events.
Monday 15th November: James Plummer – the American GIs in Milborne Port.
No talk in December.
Chapel Museum
Every Summer we open the Museum every Sunday afternoon 2.30 pm-4.00 pm from the end of May to the end of August. However, if you would like to arrange a private visit at any other time, please contact Lesley Wray: lesmik71@gmail.com.
Can you help? Do you have a few hours to spare one Sunday afternoon (2.30-4.00 pm) next Summer? The museum will be open to the public with a member of the Committee on duty but it would great to have another history-minded person to keep us company. If you are willing, please let us know by contacting Lesley Wray: lesmik71@gmail.com.
If you have a specific interest you would like us to investigate we would love to hear from you so please do get in touch with us at mphhgroup@gmail.com
Please join our Facebook group so that we can keep you updated regarding all of our activities.