| Status: | Active, open to new members |
| Coordinator: | |
| When: | On Tuesday afternoons Second Tuesday of the month |
History & Science report
History & Science Group visit to the Houses of Parliament
On Friday the 17th July we enjoyed a memorable and informative visit to the Houses of Parliament, one of Britain’s most historic buildings and important buildings. Our afternoon began at Parliament Square, meeting by the Churchill Statue before entering through Cromwell Green for security and meeting our guide in Westminster Hall.
Places We Visited:
Westminster Hall
The tour began in Westminster Hall, the oldest surviving part of the Parliamentary estate. Built in the late 11th century during the reign of William II, one of the few structures to survive the devastating fire of 1834. Over its 900-year history, it has hosted coronation banquets, royal trials, and addresses by world leaders.
St Stephen’s Chapel
Once the heart of political and religious life for seven centuries. Although it was largely destroyed in 1834, its legacy remains: the House of Commons first met here the 16th century.
The House of Commons
Our guide explained how the Commons evolved from meetings held in monastic buildings to its current chamber. The modern chamber is a post-war reconstruction, reopened in 1950 after being destroyed during the Blitz. We saw where MPs debate legislation, question ministers, and hold Prime Minister’s Questions, the most watched parliamentary session of the week.
The House of Lords
We then visited the richly decorated House of Lords, designed in the Gothic Revival Style by Sir Charles Barry and A.W.N. Pugin. The Lords chamber is known for its ornate red benches and ceremonial role in the State Opening of Parliament.
Our Group gained a deeper appreciation of how the Palace or Westminster evolved from a medieval royal residence into the modern home of British democracy.
It was a day that combined history, architecture, and civic understanding – a highlight of our u3a calendar.
Geoff Pugh
There will not be a meeting in August, the next will be on Tuesday the 8th September where we shall be visiting the Essex Fire Museum at Grays, Essex which is being organised by Peter Holmes.
Co-ordinators: Peter Holmes, Dennis Eraut & Geoff Pugh
Sixteen of us took part in the ‘Maldon Ale Trail’ led by our local historian Stephen Nunn.
On our relatively short journey down to the Hythe and back, we identified 24 pubs that have served successive generations of locals from the 16th century to the present day – 600 years or so of serving ale in Maldon. That ale has been produced by various brewers over the years, including some based in the town. There have been brewers here from as early as 1446- some familiar names like Petchie in 1569 and some ‘foreigners’ such as a group of Dutchmen in the 1550’s. Others were based in the pubs – John Wells at the White Hart, Fullbridge (1605); Francis Syritt at the Queens Head (1820’s) and, of course Gray’s (1865 – 1852) at the Carpenters.
On Friday 17th July we will have a guided tour of the Houses of Parliament at 3.40p.m. We are limited to a group size of 25. There are still fives places available if anyone would like to join us. Contact Geoff Pugh on 07579 028328 or geoffreypugh@btinternet.com.
Co-ordinators: Dennis Eraut, Peter Holmes & Geoff Pugh
The History and Science group holds monthly meetings with talks on history, science, technology, engineering and medical subjects with external visits from time to time to places of interest. In the WMCC we aim to cover a variety of topics with talks given by one of our members or an external speaker.
This group has three coordinators, P.Holmes, G.Pugh, D.Eraut, though we welcome help from any members.
Twenty-six members attended our first meeting of the year.
| 2026 Programme – History & Science Group | |||
| Date | Subject/Event | Speaker/Guide | Organiser |
| 13th January | Talk – ‘The Viking Great Army’ | Dennis | Dennis |
| 10th February | History of Beckingham Hall | David Newman | Peter |
| 10th March | Talk – ‘Pounds, Shillings & Poverty | David Williams | Geoff |
| 14th April | Visit – Kelvedon Hatch Secret Bunker | Peter | Peter |
| May T.B.C. | Visit Kentwell Hall, Long Melford | Dennis | Dennis |
| 9th June | Visit Maldon Ale Trail | Stephen Nunn | Geoff |
| July T.B.C. | Visit Houses of Parliament | John Whittingale? | Geoff |
| August | No Meeting | ||
| 8th September | Visit Essex Fire Museum | Peter | Peter |
| 13th October | Visit Museum of Chelmsford | Dennis | Dennis |
| 10th November | DVD Presentation ‘Oliver Cromwell’ | Simon Sharma | Dennis |
| 8th December | No Meeting | ||
Robotic Pothole prevention machine
