Programme of Events | Cleveland & Teesside Local History Society

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 2025/26 Programme

Saturday 14 March 2026 at 10.30am

Venue: Online (Zoom)

A Place In the Country:- The Castle as Holiday Home
Erik Matthews

The standard view of the Medieval Castle is one of a military fortress built to oppress the local population and to defend the interests of its lord. In the Yorkshire context additionally to defend against Scots raids. The reality as recent studies have shown is far more nuanced and far more interesting. With the real military value of castles far more circumscribed they may be seen as symbols of the status, lifestyle and values of their owners. A particular form is those castles built by lords whose principal estates are far away but who wish to take advantage of the hunting and adventure opportunities of the wild and remote. I will discuss two specific examples of this on the edge of the North York Moors, Whorlton which belonged successively to the Meynells and then the Baron’s Darcy of Knaith and Sigston whose origins are all the more mysterious.

To attend, please sign up at this link

Saturday 25 April 2026 at 10.15am

Venue: The Dorman Museum, Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough

Annual General Meeting, followed by

Jet Mining on the North York Moors
Chris Twigg

Chris Twigg is an archeaologist and caver, who was for several years the “Our Industrial Heartland” Officer for Redcar and Cleveland Council. He has explored previously unknown crosspassage jet mine networks deep underground.

Revising Pevsner: The Cleveland Experience
Professor Jane Grenville

In 2023, Jane Grenville’s revised edition of Niklaus Pevsner’s Yorkshire The North Riding was published. It was the result of six years of study, which involved bringing in experts on various aspects of architectural history, finding and making contact with local people and of course, a good many field visits.