AVON LOCAL HISTORY & ARCHAEOLOGY
LOCAL HISTORY DAY
9.30 – 4.30 SATURDAY 27 APRIL 2019
THORNBURY LEISURE CENTRE
GETTING ABOUT
How people moved both themselves and their goods has left many traces, and has shaped where and how we live and the environments we live in. The Roman military occupation brought paved roads, not only the fosseway. They were not much improved on until the turnpikes of the 18th century, by which time canals had arrived, followed by railways, and later by motorways. Meanwhile huge quantities of goods were shifted by ship, and Bristol became an international port, with consequences for local traffic. Coal gave rise to mineral tramways, including the tramway linking south Gloucestershire’s coalfield with the Avon. Some railways were very local and specialised, eg at Clifton, and some unorthodox. In the 19th century when the population grew, the victorians had to work out how to cope with congestion, and reshaped our cities.
ALHA has accepted proposals from speakers to represent different modes of transport and different parts of our area. They include -
- Bev Knott on Roman roads, military and non-military, in Avon, especially north Somerset
- Dr Jonathan Harlow on traffic through the port of Bristol in the later 17th century and its consequences
- David Hardwick on the dramway
- Professor Peter Malpass on getting around in victorian Bristol and the knock-on effects of the solutions
- Maggie Shapland on the Clifton Rocks railway
This will be the first ALHA Local History Day held at the Thornbury Leisure Centre. Talks and displays will be in the Severnside suite; tea and coffee morning and lunchtime is included in the charge. You can bring your own lunch or make your own arrangements; there is a small café in the leisure centre itself, and several cafes in Thornbury; snacks and light lunches can be booked if there is demand and ALHA can order a week or so before the event. There is ample free parking on site; and a lift from the ground floor to the Severnside suite.
Doors open from 9.15. We welcome displays and sales stalls – with two free tickets per booked exhibitor.
You can see further details and download a booking form by clicking here. If you prefer to book online and pay by card, please go to Eventbrite.