King John’s Farm, Chorleywood, where Willian Penn was married in 1672. 
Part of the wonderful timbers of Croxley Great Barn, dating from 1397. 
Woodoaks Farm – the Black Barn, before it became the heart of the work now being done there. 
Zerny Engineering works, Rickmansworth Church Street 
Hawkford Hall, Mill End – built about 1760, later to be a women’s refuge, then Social Services offices.
We’re now into winter! Our December Bring and Tell meeting was, as always, a fine chance for our own members to tell us about things that matter to them – and to us.
Our next meeting, after Christmas ….
… will be on Thursday 8 Jan at St Mary’s church centre, 8pm.
Simon Morgan will reveal 2000 years of traffic signs.
He was commissioned by the Department for Transport to rewrite their official History of British Road Signs. Whilst this has not yet been published, Simon will draw upon his research and go back even further in time to the Roman period and the signage provided then. He will fast-forward in time to the stage coach era, turnpike roads, and the rise in popularity of first cycling and then motor vehicles, and their respective signing needs. He’ll cover how our present system was developed, following its incremental improvements throughout the 20th century.
We meet at 8pm on the second Thursday of the month from September to June inclusive, in St Mary’s Church Centre in Rickmansworth Church Street. Meetings are open to all: the fee to visitors is £3, payable at the door, with no need to book.
How to drive to us:
Parking is in the church car park, just off Bury Lane, a side road from Church Street. If you’re coming into Church Street from Batchworth roundabout (as from Northwood or Uxbridge), it’s past the church and Feathers pub and next left into Bury Lane – if from High Street, it’s on the right before the Feathers. Then, next left again – take care turning in, as it’s narrow and cars do come out. Park as you like in the public spaces (which is most of them), and walk past the wall at the other end from where you’ve just driven in, along the path, then left as you get to the entrance to the church yard – the church centre is right ahead of you. A word of warning, though – from October to March especially, it’s a bit dark despite the recently renewed lights.
What else is on this website?
- Our Blog – rekindled, revived and with a new page here!
- Details of the Society’s talks and other activities, publications and other topics ‘of interest’, including how to ask our members to give talks and how to join us. Membership gives you not only access to our meetings, but also our thrice-yearly Journal the Rickmansworth Historical Review – come and get involved!
The history of Rickmansworth, with those of the villages and settlements of Three Rivers, is being written onto the website of the Three Rivers Museum. It’s on-going, and they’ll welcome people who would like to contribute research, writing, memories and images to the developing story of “what it was like to live and work round here.”
Our own story
The Rickmansworth Historical Society was founded in 1954 on the initiative of Godfrey Cornwall, its first Chairman.
Our interests embrace the history of the “old parish area” of Rickmansworth which includes Chorleywood, West Hyde, Mill End, Croxley Green, Loudwater, Batchworth and Eastbury as well as the town of Rickmansworth.
We publish the Rickmansworth Historical Review three times a year, and welcome articles on topics of both local and wider interest.
Our meetings
Join us: MEMBERSHIP
If you’re interested in local history, come and join in! Apply for membership by contacting the Membership Secretary through the Contact Us tab.
The annual subscription is £10 for individual membership, £15 for family membership and corporate membership, and payment is due on 1st September. Your membership entitles you not only to attend all the talks, and any other events we put on: you also receive the Society’s journal Rickmansworth Historical Review, which we publish three times a year.
Our activities are governed by our Constitution, recently updated and to be found here.
Join us: Our Committee
Our committee is strong, but we have vacancies, and exciting opportunities, giving you the chance to meet a range of very interesting people and to make a real contribution to local history in our area.
We canvas hard at meetings for fellow-members to step forward – but don’t wait to be asked, please take this as an invitation to get involved in your local Historical Society!
Don’t all rush at once…. but do ‘Contact us’ to let the Chairman know of your interest.
Our latest Blog Posts
Rickmansworth Historical Society 