The Cleveland and Teesside Local History Society operates an active and varied programme.
We provide regular talks and day-schools on a wide variety of topics and covering every period of history, from Anglo Saxon and Roman times to Victorian and Twentieth Century developments.
Details of our current programme of talks are provided below.
Winter 2026/27 Programme
Saturday 19th September 2026, 10.30am
Venue: Stockton Library Jim Cooke Suite
NOTORIOUS! The Life of W.W.C. Seymour
p.a. morbid
Seymour arrived in Middlesbrough in 1861, selling sarsaparilla in the market whilst living in Durham. He was soon in trouble with the law after threatening another “chemist”, and wrote 5 pamphlets between 1864-79 all about Middlesbrough politicans/worthies. He was a funny man; bitter but also popular with the working man. He also had another life in Warwick before coming north, which was also very interesting. Fortunately his Middlesbrough pamphlets have survived. Join us for a fascinating tour of his life.
Teesside Pioneers Battalion
Gary Guess
The 12th (Service) Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment (The Green Howards), was a First World War Pals battalion raised in Middlesbrough on December 21, 1914. They served as vital engineering and labor troops on the Western Front. Gary Guess tells their story.
Saturday 17th October 2026, 10.30am
Venue: Online (Zoom)
From Boro to Burma: Harry Walker 1918-59
Katherine Venables
Kate Venables’ father, Harry Walker, was a young doctor serving in a mobile surgical unit close to the front line during the Burma campaign. His letters, later published in Kate’s book, offer a powerful and moving insight into the realities of wartime service. In this talk, Kate shares her father’s experiences and the story behind publishing his letters.
Saturday 7th November 2026
Elgee Memorial Lectures
Venue: Preston Park Museum, Eaglescliffe
10am-4pm; £10
“The River”
Join us for a fascinating day of talks from expert speakers who will uncover the history of our region relating to the River Tees.
Full list of speakers to come.
Saturday 16th January 2027, 10.30am
Venue: Online (Zoom)
Local Hero of Telemark
Dr. Bruce A. Tocher
Operation Freshman: South Bank’s Forgotten Hero of Telemark
Before the famous 1943 raid on Norway’s Vemork heavy water plant, the Allies launched Operation Freshman – their first glider-borne raid of WWII. On 19 November 1942, Royal Engineers set out from Scotland to destroy the facility, but poor weather and navigation problems ended the mission in tragedy, with 41 men losing their lives.
This talk tells the remarkable story of Operation Freshman and the role of Lance Sergeant Frederick Healey, South Bank’s own forgotten Hero of Telemark.
Saturday 20th February 2027, 10.30am
Venue: Stockton Library Jim Cooke Suite
The Railway to Samphire Batts and its Electrifying decline
Richard Barber
A look at the second railway to be built from Shildon to Stockton. This time the line would take the more direct route to the River Tees. Twice defeated in Parliament, but successful on its third attempt, the railway opened to traffic in 1833, but now named after the man who had become King. The railway would expand quickly across Co Durham, before having to be rescued by Ward Jackson of Hartlepool. In the early years of the 20th century the line would reach its peak with high volumes of coal traffic and it being the subject of a railway experiment. However, the sudden loss of customers for coal from the SW Durham coalfield due to conflict led to the long decline of the railway. Closure came to parts of the line from 1963.
Landscapes of Supply: The Teesside Granges of Durham Cathedral Priory in Context
Martin Roberts
The history of Durham Cathedral Priory is usually encapsulated in its building dates….founded, completed, extended, altered, etc. It is a history of capital building projects. But the long term sustainability of the institution over almost a thousand years depended entirely on its ability to maintain its buildings, estates, personnel, etc on a day-to-day basis. That needed a revenue income, and for that the cathedral priory relied heavily upon its urban and rural estates.
This talk will focus on the Priory’s rural estates, its monastic granges, and in particular the buildings of its three Teesside granges at Belasis, Bewley and Billingham, setting them in the context of the other granges spread throughout the Durham Palatinate.
Saturday 20th March 2027, 10.30am
Venue: Online (Zoom)
Feeding the Hall – 200 Years of Preston Park Gardens
Martin Peagam
The story of the Walled Garden and the Winter Garden at Preston Park Museum. Martin Peagam discovers the background to the gardens, their purpose, and those who created them. Along the way he considers how much the gardens both reflect the changing needs of Preston Hall and also developments in the world beyond the gardens, and explains how the gardens were saved from dereliction by some visionaries, the local council, and many volunteers. Martin also considers the evidence for whether George Stephenson invented something used in the Walled Garden, the link with his favourite biscuit, and a potential murder mystery involving a gardener.
Saturday 17th April 2027, 10.30am
Venue: Middlesbrough College
AGM, followed by:
TBC
Jane Grenville
A focus on East Cleveland, from the author of the updated Pevsner guide to Yorkshire and the North Riding.
Heritage – The Challenges of Preservation vs Development
Martin Peagam
With a focus on the redevelopment of ‘Old Middlesbrough’.
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