www.Churchley.org.uk

Talks and Lectures

Richard is experienced in talking to a variety of audiences, tailoring the content to suit! He offers talks on local history and other subjects, some with slides or live music and poetry, as appropriate:

  1. Folklore and folk-songs of the west midlands
  2. Songs of the people and their historical connections
  3. Merrie England's folklore calendar: through the year in custom and song
  4. Songs the Victorians sang
  5. Rural industries before the railways (E. Worcs. and W. Warks.)
  6. Old occupations
  7. Local farm-houses and their histories (Alcester and Feckenham area)
  8. Worcestershire carriers before the Railway Age
  9. Old pubs and lost hostelries – their history, strange names and stories
  10. Boundaries, borders and landmarks
  11. Market towns: their history, function and importance
  12. Humble homes: vernacular architecture in different regions of the UK
  13. Family history: dos and don'ts
  14. Snippets from Worcestershire newspapers before 1850
  15. Murder and manslaughter: strange deaths in Worcs/Warks history
  16. Surnames: their history and meanings
  17. Local place-names in Worcestershire and Warwickshire
  18. Local law and order and popular protest before 1850: manor courts, parish governance, riots and strikes
  19. From Edburga to Elvis: obscure saints and their churches
  20. Wayside wonders and country curiosities
  21. Plague, pestilence and pox: deadly diseases in days gone by
  22. Off to the workhouse: the poor are always with us
  23. The Land of the Long White Cloud: personal impressions of New Zealand
  24. Wildlife in our gardens
  25. The English countryside in poetry and song
  26. Christmas songs through the ages: from Boar's Head to Bing Crosby
  27. Singing round the globe: songs from foreign climes
  28. Every common's gone and traps are set to kill: Enclosure in the English Midlands
  29. Hodge: the humble farm labourer of times past
  30. Worcestershire cricket heroes past and present
  31. Needlemaking in Worcestershire and Warwickshire 1640-1940
  32. A Century of Popular Songs: 1860s to 1960s
  33. Astwood Bank: A History in 100 Pictures
  34. Songs to make you smile
  35. Drought, Disaster and Destruction - extreme weather events in England's past
  36. Songs of the Music Hall

Long established in the entertainment business as a singer and musician, Richard aims to be entertaining as well as historically accurate.

To book contact Richard.