04/09/2026
‼️ Please find below our NHANT 2026/27 Programme of Talks - October to February. N.B. All talks are at 7.30 pm at Christchurch, Hitchin, unless otherwise stated. It is not necessary to be a member of the NT to attend. Full details for each talk are given in advance in our poster which appears monthly on our page, commencing September 2026.
* October 7th 2026 - Christchurch
Animal Senses by Claire Robinson
Animals do not have a single fixed number of senses. While many of them share the basic five human senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch there are numerous species that have evolved specialised "extra" senses to survive. These special powers help them to find food, escape danger and navigate across their environments.
* November 4th 2026 - Zoom
Chenies Manor and the Russells by Alison Wall
Alison has been a regular guide at Chenies Manor for over ten years. She will talk about the first Earl of Bedford, John Russell, who married Ann Sapcote and went to live with her at Chenies Manor. After the reformation, Henry VIII gave John Russell several Abbeys. He gave Woburn Abbey, where they live today. Alison explains in the talk how the title went from Earl to Duke. She details the significant events for the family through the generations, to the present day.
* December 2nd 2026 - Christchurch
My Adventures in Helicopters by Duncan Bickley
During my life as a commercial helicopter pilot, I managed to fly in some interesting places, generally leading trips for my customers. This included flying over London, Paris, the French Alps, Mallorca and all around the coastline of the UK. There are also stories about some of the famous faces I flew with and of amusing events. I will explain how you physically fly a helicopter and give an insight into what a helicopter pilot has to deal with.
* January 6th 2027 - Zoom
Gardens and a Green - Historic Kew by Diane Burstein BBG
Kew is best known for The Royal Botanical Gardens which is now a World Heritage site but Kew has much more to offer. In this "virtual tour" of one of West London's most attractive corners we’ll learn of Kew Palace as a royal residence and discover the delights of Kew Green where those who served the palace made their homes. St Anne’s Church where royals worshipped and famous artists were buried, the pond where the horses stopped to drink when visiting monarchs moved from river to road, the spot where an author and illustrator fell to her death, the green where a King to be who never reached the throne played cricket, vistas that inspired a French artist. All this plus fantastic riverside views, "grace and favour" houses, royal scandals, notable botanists and a tea room serving historic "Maids of Honour" tarts.
* February 3rd 2027 - Zoom
The Search for the North West Passage by Brian Margetson
Let me tell you all about the North West Passage and the story of its exploration. The booming trade with the far-east spurred on by the Industrial Revolution had one major pitfall, to break out of the Atlantic Ocean and reach the far-east required a hazardous voyage around the Cape of Good Hope. Discover how a succession of brave explorers attempted to discover a shorter sea route around the top of North America. The final link of this “North West Passage” remained elusive. Hear how two competing expeditions, a state sponsored mission led by Sir John Franklin and a more modest affair led by John Rae – a privateer, attempted to discover this missing link. This absorbing talk will entertain by contrasting the two vastly different approaches and the two vastly different outcomes of these ventures. In typical Victorian fashion, the villain reaped fame and the hero infamy.
