The Heritage Centre is pleased to support the Redesdale Society which was founded n 1970.
Information
The aims of the Redesdale Society are to foster interest in the Redesdale area, and to collect, record and preserve information relating to Redesdale, past and present, for the benefit of future generations. We hope that members derive maximum enjoyment from our talks and events.
All meetings are held on the second Friday of the month at 7.30pm at Otterburn Memorial Hall, unless otherwise notified by the Secretary.
Please note that the AGM (February 2025) starts at the earlier time of 7.00 pm and will be followed by our Members’ Night at 7.30 pm.
Membership Subscription – £15.00 for 2024-25. This can be paid in cash, or by cheque made payable to the Redesdale Society. Subscriptions will be collected by the Treasurer of the Society at our March meeting.
Raffle - £1.00 per ticket. A raffle is held at each meeting to help defray the costs for speakers and venue.
Visitors are always welcome to attend meetings and have refreshments afterwards. There is a small charge of £3.00 for each visitor.
Programme of Events
Friday, 8 MARCH 2024
Members’ Night
Bob will present an interesting update on the recent Redesdale Archaeology Group (RAG) digs; Alan will display some interesting finds, including a quiz on some of the more puzzling ones. Chris will talk about the environmental activities of The Friends of Corsenside.
Bob Jackson, Alan Gray and Chris Woodcock
Friday, 12 APRIL 2024
‘The Great Tapestry of Scotland’
Over 1,000 stitchers worked more than 50,000 hours with enough yarn to scale Ben Nevis 74 times, and created this amazing piece, telling the story of Scotland from pre-history to the present day.
Susie Finlayson
Friday, 10 MAY 2024
‘Felton’s gems: the history of Acton House & Acton Hall’
Charting the history of two grand houses in the tiny settlement of Acton, north of Felton, and its fascinating and sometimes scandalous owners and tenants, including a Newcastle MP, one of the first female amateur radio operators, and a branch of the notorious Lisle family.
Eleanor George
Friday, 14 JUNE 2024: The Tony Pender Memorial Talk
‘Alistair Anderson - my life in music’
A fascinating, personal perspective on the past, present and future of music-making in Northumberland and the musicians and characters Alistair has met. This will also include Alistair’s tribute to our late Chair, Tony Pender.
Alistair Anderson
JULY & AUGUST 2024: No Talks
Friday, 13 SEPTEMBER 2024
‘Monkey business at a Medieval Abbey’
A talk on Barry’s days as an archaeologist excavating medieval abbeys and what life must have been like for the monks that lived and worked there.
Barry Mead
Friday, 11 OCTOBER 2024
‘Belief in the North-East’
Paul will explore what archaeology tells us about belief systems from prehistory to the present, discussing sites in Redesdale, Cumbria and elsewhere.
Professor Paul Frodsham
Friday, 1 NOVEMBER 2024
‘The history of Ordnance Survey.’
How were the maps we take for granted created in the pre-digital age? The fascinating history of ordnance survey from its origins up to the present day.
Bill Bland
Friday, 29 NOVEMBER 2024
‘Wildlife and whaling in the Arctic’
Bill will take us to the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, once home of a whaling industry, to see its wildlife, now threatened because of global warming.
Bill Burlton
(followed by our pre-Christmas get-together with nibbles and mulled wine).
JANUARY 2025: No Talk
Friday, 14 FEBRUARY 2025
AGM, followed by MEMBERS’ NIGHT
Details of this will be announced at the November meeting.
Meet the Team
PATRON
Rupert, Lord Redesdale
HONORARY PRESIDENT
Dr Ian Roberts
CHAIR
Dr Jonathan West
SECRETARY
Dr Máire West
TREASURER
Ms Sue Underwood
COMMITTEE
Dr David Baines
Mrs Ann Bolam
Mrs Anne Pender
Mr Chris Richardson
Mrs Jean Turnbull