Bourne Society Forum Meetings
Unless otherwise notified, indoor forum meetings take place in the Main Hall at de Stafford School, Burntwood Lane, with refreshments available from 7.00 pm for a 7.30 start.
The Society’s Annual General Meeting will be on Wednesday, 4 March 2026, and will include the forum talk for that month. Please note that this meeting will take place at Arcadia (formerly The Arc), Caterham on the Hill.
Always check this page for up-to-date information and last minute changes.
Indoor Meetings
CANCELLED!: Wednesday, 7 January 2026: Mountwood House in Sanderstead. Phil Swallow will tell the interesting story of the house and its owners, some of whom had international connections.
Due to the current weather conditions and the dangerous nature of the side roads and pavements it has been decided to cancel this meeting
Wednesday, 4 February 2026: 125 Years of Queen’s Park, Caterham. The chair of the Friends of Queen’s Park, Rachel Starling, will tell the story of the park from 1900 to the present day.
Wednesday, 4 March 2026: Conserving the History of the Barracks with Plaques and Road Names. A visual tour with Dick Moran, chief executive officer of the Caterham Barracks Community Trust until 2024 and now lead for the trust on sustainability.
Wednesday, 1 April 2026: Underground Tunnels and Holes in the Godstone Area. Peter Burgess from the Wealden Cave and Mine Society is an active caver and mine explorer and an expert on the underground tunnels in the Bourne Society area. His talk will focus on the events leading up to the Godstone collapse of February 2025.
Wednesday, 6 May 2026: The ‘ice cream’ Pacittis. The story of an Italian family in Croydon, as told by Richard Pacitti who has lived in Croydon all his life. His great grandfather came to Croydon at the end of the 19th century and started one of the first ice cream businesses in the area.
Outdoor Meetings
Wednesday, 3 June 2026: An afternoon visit to Godstone Caves with Peter Burgess of the Wealden Cave and Mine Society. Booking is required with lizbonsall@aol.com. Please note that full mobility is needed as there will be a short section on hands and knees. It is not always possible to stand fully upright.
Wednesday, 1 July 2026: tba
Wednesday, 5 August 2026: An afternoon stroll around the conservation area of Caterham Village with Dick Moran.
Landscape History Walks
Detailed information about timings, distances, meeting points and levels of difficulty will be given in Local History Records, volume 118, spring 2026.
Thursday, 12 March 2026: Oxshott Heath and Esher Common walk.
Friday, 8 May 2026: Outwood Common Walk
Pub & Brewery History Group
Thursday, 9 April 2026: The Pear Tree, Brighton Road, Purley.
Saturday, 2 May 2026: The Feathers, Merstham.
Tuesday, 2 June 2026: The William Garland, Croydon Road, Caterham Valley.
Please see Local History Records, volume 118, spring 2026, for details of how to join the meetings.
Sanderstead Local History Group
Meetings of the Sanderstead group take place in All Saints’ Church Hall on the last Wednesday in the month, doors open at 1.45 pm, meeting at 2.00 pm. For further details please go to the group’s website where there is a contact page for enquiries.
Wednesday, 28 January 2026: Selsdon History in Postcard Images. An illustrated talk by Roger Packham.
Wednesday, 25 February 2026: Stories behind the graves at All Saints’, Sanderstead. A talk by Phil Swallow.
Wednesday, 29 April 2026: A Hat for a Clue, The First Murder on the Railway. A talk by Norma Shepherd.
Wednesday, 27 May 2026: Saving Tollsworth Manor, by Gordon Gillett.
Wednesday, 24 June 2026: From Parish to Union. A window into poor relief in 19th-century Croydon. A talk by Lizzie Mould.
Bourne Society Coach day tours
For details see ‘Coach Day Tours’ in the side menu.
Chaldon History Group
Saturday, 24 January 2026: A drop-in session between 2 pm and 4 pm to pore over old maps of Chaldon and to browse house sales particulars from the past. Organised by Liz Bonsall and Madeline Hutchins.
Saturday, 7 March 2026: Fryern and the Golf Course lands. A talk by Liz Bonsall with stories of Fryern, Chaldon Mead, St Lawrence’s Hospital Burial Ground and the Golf Course.
Sunday, 10 May 2026: Chaldon Spring Footpath Walks. 2.45 pm start. These are free group walks with a leader. Just turn up at one of the starting points to join one of the seven walks. Families and dogs are very welcome, and there is free tea and cakes in the Village Hall afterwards.
Wednesday, 1 July 2026: 2.30-4.30 pm: A visit to Chaldon Church and Chaldon Court. Book with lizbonsall@aol.com.
Chaldon Church, with its 12th-century mural, is open every day for visitors, usually between 10am and 4pm (3pm in winter). Church Teas are available on Sundays in British summertime, 3.00 to 4.30 pm in the Hazell Room at the Church.
For more on the Chaldon group please follow this link.