Past Events

Members’ Evening

Our third Members’ Evening, once again held at St Paul’s Church, included contributions from members of the Special Interest Groups on Hampton Court Station and the demographic changes in Molesey following the coming of the Railway, plus displays of historical maps and other material. Finished off with mulled wine and fruit cake as usual.

Talk by Carole Cuneo and Peter Collins of the Cuneo Society on the life and work of the well-known Molesey artist Terence Cuneo

Anyone who thought that Terence Cuneo just painted trains and cars was very pleasantly surprised to discover an artist with complete mastery over an extremely wide range of subjects, particularly ceremonial events such as the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. This talk by Cuneo’s daughter, Carole, and Peter Collins of the Cuneo Society covered every aspect of the artist’s life and work, and by the end one longed to own a Cuneo original or to have attended one of his famous New Year parties.

The Cuneos have left their mark on Molesey. Terence had his cars serviced at the Walton Road Garage – Lewis Balkwill still owns Cuneo’s old Bristol – and Carole once owned the model railway shop in Molesey.

‘The First Line for Leisure’ – What the Railway did for Molesey

The coming of the Railway in 1849 was one of the pivotal events in the recent history of Molesey. It was built as the country’s first line for leisure - to give Londoners access to Hampton Court Palace, the River Thames and Hurst Park - but turned a sleepy rustic area into a commuter community.
Well over 120 members and guests came to the Molesey Youth Centre to hear members of 3 of the Society’s Special Interest Groups – Waterways, Transport, People & Buildings – tell the story of the construction of the railway, the development of leisure and sporting activities, and the effect on the social landscape. In addition, these carefully researched presentations were supported by a whole variety of maps and photographs.

Summer Stroll

About 75 people strolled (not all at the same time) beside the Mole and the Ember on a lovely summer evening visiting points of historical interest, including the sites of the Upper Molesey and Ember Mills. Tony Osborne provided an annotated map of the route, which included a visit to the garden of the Old Manor House in Bell Road. After the walk came the illustrated talk, by Tony Osborne, expanding on the history of this surprisingly open and almost rural area of Molesey.

Talk on the ‘Knights of Christ’ by Chris Gidlow.

Our third visit to the Clore Centre at Hampton Court Palace, and a most interesting illustrated talk by Tower of London expert Chris Gidlow entitled ‘Knights of Christ’. The talk covered the antics of the Knights Templar and Knights Hospitaller from the 11th Century onwards, and described the founding of these orders, their involvement in the Crusades, and their time as residents of Hampton Court.

AGM followed by a talk by Brian Smith on ‘Molesey Mills’.

The Society’s second AGM, held at St. Lawrence Junior School, attracted just over 100 members. The formal business of the meeting was completed without incident and then Brian Smith gave an illustrated and entertaining talk entitled ‘Molesey Mills: a story of conflict, scandal, gunpowder, explosions, theft and grave robbing’

House History.

Jill Hyams from the Surrey History Centre gave a well-illustrated and enjoyable talk about the sources available at the Surrey History Centre to assist those interested in researching the history of their house. Jill highlighted various techniques which she had used in researching the history of her own house.

February 6^th 2009

The Floods Part 2.

By public demand, a re-run of the highly popular meeting held last September to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the 1968 Floods. Another excellent evening and, thanks to the all-ticket format, no problems in accommodating all those attending.

January 20^th 2009

Members’ Evening.

Our second Members’ Evening, once again held at St Paul’s Church, included contributions from all the Special Interest Groups (Waterways, Transport, Sport, People & Buildings) plus displays of historical maps and other themed material. All rounded off with mulled wine and fruit cake.

November 18^th 2008

Talk by Nicholas Reed on ‘Alfred Sisley on the Thames and the Welsh Coast’.

Another packed house, this time at the Molesey Youth Centre, and a top-class illustrated talk by Nicholas Reed, the well-known art historian, about Sisley’s paintings of the Thames at Molesey in 1874 and his later works of the Welsh Coast in 1897. Slides of Sisley’s paintings were projected alongside recent photographs of the same locations in both Molesey and South Wales.

September 19^th 2008

40th Anniversary of 1968 Floods.

Members and visitors packed Mole Hall for an audio-visual evening commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the 1968 Floods. The programme included BBC newsreels, amateur film footage, eye-witness accounts from some of those living in Molesey at the time, and a host of photographs.  

June 18^th 2008

Thames Riverbank Walk, followed by a talk by Tony Osborne at Molesey Boat Club.

A leisurely stroll on a fine evening along the riverbank from Hampton Court Station to Molesey Boat Club was followed by a dip into Tony Osborne’s history box with revelations about the Thames Canal Scheme of 1805 and the proposed Molesey Boulevard of 1918, both of which were abandoned following objections from local residents. Plus ça change!

Another good turn out for our second visit to the Clore Centre at Hampton Court Palace. With the aid of wonderful photographs Dennis Ashbourne described the drama of the fire which gutted the State Apartments of William and Mary. He then took us on the painstaking journey from the damp and smouldering remains to the complete restoration of the South Wing which was re-opened in 1992.

AGM, followed by a talk on ‘The Thames and Riverside Houses from Hampton Court to Hampton’ by John Sheaf.

The Society’s first AGM, held at St. Lawrence Junior School, attracted a good crowd and the formal business of the meeting was completed without incident. John Sheaf then gave an illustrated and well researched talk on the history of The Thames and its environment from Platt’s Eyot to Hampton Court, a distance of only one and a half miles, but packed with historical interest.