Camberley Centre
Camberley Adult Education Centre, France Hill Drive, Camberley, GU15 3QB
For map click here.Co-ordinator: Sue Turner
Email: camberley@wsfhs.orgFrom January to March, the meetings will be on the Third Saturday of the month.
The gate to the Centre and the door will open at 1.30pm and the meeting will start at 2.00pm.
From April to June and September to November, the meetings will be on the Third Wednesday of the month.
Generally the doors will open at 7pm and the meeting will start at 7.30pm.
There are no meetings in July, August and December.
2025
| Date | Doors Open | Start Time | Title | Speaker | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed | 17 Sep | 7.00 pm | 7.30 pm | Sidney Sime, Artist and Unwitting Historian | Stephen Cranstone |
| Wed | 15 Oct | 7.00 pm | 7.30 pm | Gutta Percha in Glasgow | Alan Taylor |
| Wed | 19 Nov | 7.00 pm | 7.30 pm | Letters Home - Emigrant Letters | Judith Hill |
Forthcoming Meetings
September 17 2025
Stephen Cranstone - Sidney Sime, Artist and Unwitting HistorianStephen's interest in family history began around the mid 1990s following the death of his mother. She left a few books dated to the 19th century and bearing inscriptions to people and events that had meant a lot to her. A hunch led to the reference section of Guildford library and Burkes Peerage. Therein he found a key to unlock some of the mystery, and he was hooked. Around 2007 he learned there was an art gallery at Worplesdon in Surrey, a well kept secret at the time. The gallery is dedicated to the life and work of artist Sidney Herbert Sime. Sidney had lived in the village from 1904 until his death in 1941. Born in 1865, from a poor background he studied art and earned some fame, chiefly for his work as an illustrator. A habitué of the local pub, in 1926, for the amusement of his fellow drinkers, Sidney drew caricatures of them. Some 30 of the caricatures survive. The caricatures reveal the character of the men that a photograph never could. Sidney’s art is a window into a world of just on one hundred years ago.
October 15
Alan Taylor - Gutta Percha in GlasgowThis talk is about the history of gutta percha manufacture and its impact on two families in Glasgow.
Alan is a retired civil servant and a keen family historian since his teens. He is a member of the Society, having been Editor of Root and Branch 1978-1985 and Chairman of the Society 1974-1987.
November 19
Judith Hill - Letters Home - Emigrant LettersRecently historians have been exploring the personal correspondence of emigrants who left Britain in the nineteenth century. These personal letters provide not only unique evidence of the hopes and fears of emigrants and their journey but are also an important avenue for exploring local culture. The letters I have used are the 144 published letters written between the years 1832 and 1837 by the Petworth emigrants (which include the Dorking emigrant letters). The letters were written by those who lived and worked in southern England at the beginning of the nineteenth century and had emigrated because of economic difficulties. Although there is a great body of scholarship about nineteenth century poverty the voices of the rural poor are seldom heard. These letters provide a valuable source especially as they contain testimonies from people who do not normally leave archival residue for posterity. These letters reflect on life in England from a different perspective. As they were no longer dependent on the parish for relief, the writers did not have to be so constrained.