Berkshire Family History Society

When: Tuesday 4 August 2026, 10:45 - 13:15 Where: Kendrick Conservation Area Lost Turkish baths, schools, Albion Terrace and the original University campus In this walk around the Kendrick Conservation Area, developed by Terry Dixon and Richard Bennett (Chair of Reading Civic Society), you will be taken back over 150 years to when the area looked very different. Highlights include an enormous long lost swimming baths complex, only one pub, Kendrick Court, two secondary schools, Albion Terrace, the original University of Reading campus, Kendrick and Redlands Roads, impressive listed buildings, majestic trees, historic plaques & much more! The meeting place will be notified a few days before the visit. Please arrive 10 mins early for signing in and safety briefing etc. Numbers are limited, so pre-booking is required. Bookings close three days beforehand.  Image (above and right): Andrew Smith, Albion Terrace, London Road, Reading, CC BY-SA 2.0 – web To book, scroll down....

When: Saturday 4 July 2026, 11:00 - 13:00 Where: Webinar Discover how the provision for education for our English ancestors was transformed between 1860 and the start of the First World War. After 1870, schools run by local elected boards (Board Schools) supplemented those founded by religious bodies; in turn, in 1902 schools became council schools administered by local education authorities (LEAs). Throughout the period, teacher training was improved, the school syllabus developed and pupil numbers increased. Finally, in the 1890s, compulsory free schooling was provided for most children. Tutor, Joan Dils, will lead you through the changes, the records produced and how to contextualise and interpret them.  Pre-booking is required so that the meeting link can be emailed to you.  To enjoy this workshop you will need a computer device which has speakers and a microphone. Ideally, also a web-cam. You also need to be able to access your emails from it. First-time users of Zoom will be ...