Book early to avoid disappointment
Ealing's rich and diverse past will be revisited when Ealing Council's popular Local History Talks return in Spring 2006.
Following the success of the inaugural talks earlier this year, the council's Library and Information Service will host a new series, titled 'Retrospect', in January and February 2006.
The series will be launched on Monday 9 January by Robert Gurd who will deliver the Ealing Civic Society Janet Millar Memorial Lecture.
Cllr Jasbir Anand, cabinet member for leisure, sport and culture, said: "I am delighted that we are hosting a second series of talks after the first was so well received. The Library Service has once again secured highly-respected speakers who will explore the rich tapestry of Ealing's past. This series is just one of a number of exciting and informative events that our libraries will host in 2006."
The talks will be held on Monday evenings between 9 January and 27 February (except 6 February) in Ealing's Central Library. Doors open at 6.45pm for a 7pm start.
Tickets are £5 (£4 for concessions: over 60s, under 16s, Leisure Pass holders and full time students) and can be booked in advance at the Enquiries Desk in Central Library or by ringing 020 8825 5600.
A special 10% discount offer applies if people buy tickets for three or more talks in January � March 2006, 20% discount if they buy tickets for all 10 talks in these months (this includes the �Books on Broadway' talks running in February and March 2006). Refreshments of wine, soft drinks and �nibbles' are included in the ticket price.
Date, time and summaries of the talks are as follows:
9 January
�Evolution of Twentieth Century Buildings in Ealing' by Robert Gurd, chairman of the Ealing Civic Society.
This is the Ealing Civic Society Janet Millar Memorial Lecture. Robert Gurd will talk about how key 20th century buildings in Ealing have fared over the years. Some have survived virtually unchanged, some have been altered beyond recognition and others have an uncertain fate. The presentation will consider some examples from across the borough, from iconic structures such as the Hoover Building to lesser-known but important examples that have won Civic Society awards in recent years.
16 January
�Studios and Cinemas: the Ealing Heritage' by Paul Fitzmaurice, committee member of the Ealing Civic Society, Walpole Residents Association and Ealing Green Conservation Panel and noted expert on Ealing's 20 th century history.
If Ealing is famous for anything it is Ealing Studios. Paul Fitzmaurice's talk will explore the rich history of the country's oldest surviving studios as well as other little known film studios in the borough. In the 1930s the borough could boast of 25 cinemas � what happened to them? The second part of the talk will consist of a whirlwind tour of each of these cinemas.
23 January
�Ealing and the General Strike of 1926' by Dr Jonathan Oates, author and Ealing Council's Local History Archivist.
Eighty years ago this year, the General Strike occurred; the largest outbreak of industrial action which has ever occurred in England . This talk looks at how it affected Ealing; how people coped with the transport difficulties, the actions of strikers and of those who volunteered to maintain public services. Although mainly peaceful, there were a few incidences of violence.
30 January
��Meri Zindagi': South Asian Lives in Ealing and Hounslow' by Hema Raull, Community Outreach Officer at Gunnersbury Park Museum .
�Meri Zindagi' (the phrase means �My Life') is a talk based on the findings of Hema Raull's project at Gunnersbury Park Museum, gathering the experiences and histories of members of the South Asian community in the area. By telling the lives of various people living in Ealing, the talk will show what South Asians encountered when they first immigrated to the UK , and how they integrated and built a vibrant and dynamic community in west London .
13 February
�At the track: racing at Greenford and Northolt in the inter-war years' by Frances Hounsell, local historian and author.
It may be a surprise to many that our borough was once host to various forms of professional horse-racing. Frances Hounsell's talk will reveal how the racecourse at Northolt and the trotting track at Greenford developed, some of the sporting activities and events that took place and what finally happened to these two sites.
20 February
�The Local History collections at Gunnersbury Park Museum ' by Vanda Foster, author and Deputy Curator of Gunnersbury Park Museum .
In 1925 the Rothschild family sold their beloved Gunnersbury Park to the boroughs of Ealing and Acton. Brentford and Chiswick soon took joint ownership and in 1929 the Large Mansion in the park was opened as a museum of local history. It now stores around 50,000 objects, including items from every part of the borough of Ealing. This virtual tour of the collections includes the Ealing Broadway hansom cab, the Acton quilt and pedlar doll, items from Hanwell Asylum, Perivale's hoovers, archaeology from Northolt Manor and many other Ealing treasures.
27 February
��Otto and the Margarine Factory': Danish entrepreneurs in late Victorian Southall' by Dr Peter Hounsell, local historian and author.
One of Southall's largest industries in the Victorian era was the Otto Monsted margarine factory, opening in 1895. Peter Hounsell's talk will reveal how this Danish entrepreneur contributed to the beginnings of globalisation that changed the face of our high streets forever.
January 12, 2006
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