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Dorset History Centre

Open Day at Herrison Hospital, Dorchester

Posted on 10th April 2019

On Sunday, 7 April 2019 the doors of Herrison Hall were thrown open to anyone with an interest in the old Herrison Hospital in Dorchester and before the exhibition was officially opened every space in the car park was taken as people seemed to be heading for the hall from all directions We had to park some distance away and as we walked we met up with a man who was excitedly returning as he told us he had started work in the kitchen, many years ago, on leaving school Many came with items... more

The Greenwood Tree – preview of the November 2015 edition

Posted on 28th October 2015

The November 2015 issue of The Greenwood Tree will be appearing soon, and we have another larger-than-usual edition this time – 36 pages of articles, regular features and news Following the very successful Rid(e)out symposium held at the Family History Centre in Sherborne in August, we have two articles by speakers on that occasion Roger Guttridge, the local journalist, author and former editor of The Greenwood Tree, has updated his research into Roger Ridout, a local smuggler in the 18th... more

The Greenwood Tree May 2014

Posted on 26th April 2014

Bob Barber gives a preview of the next edition of the Greenwood Tree We start the May edition of The Greenwood Tree in seasonal mode with an account by Maureen Bowler of the social history of the celebrations of May Day This brings back grim memories for me of having to learn country dances at school, but the folk customs surrounding May Day spread much wider Bob Evered has unearthed a very nice etching of St George’s church Dunster by Elizabeth Piper, an etcher and painter... more

The Greenwood Tree February 2014

Posted on 25th January 2014

Bob Barber, Editor of the SDFHS Journal, The Greenwood Tree, gives a preview of the February 2014 issue Another year rolls by and we start the year with a small facelift for The Greenwood Tree, including a slight colour change and some new layouts for the yellow pages and inside covers We begin a new series of articles in the February 2014 edition Colin Dean, former editor and a regular contributor, will highlight some of the rare, sometimes unique, material held in the SDFHS Research Centre... more

An evening with Sir Tony Robinson

Posted on 8th November 2013

Barry Brock describes a recent event in Dorchester A trip to the Dorset History Centre on 30 October provided the chance to meet Sir Tony Robinson, ‘actor, TV presenter, historian and Ancestrycouk spokesperson’ This was a ‘meet the customer’ event, organised by Ancestry in conjunction with the Dorset History Centre - a ballot for tickets had been four times over subscribed It may be difficult to think of Tony Robinson as a knight of the realm, especially as the obvious name linked... more

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