For Programme Notes, click here.
Winter Programme
The Committee has organised a number of talks for the winter months catering for a wide range of interests.
These meetings will be held on a Friday evening in the Garden Room at St Matthews Church Hall, off Kettering Road Northampton (car park entrance in The Drive). Meetings commence at 7.30 pm and are free to NIAG members.
We welcome visitors to all our meetings; there is a charge of £3.00 per person per meeting.
Potential new members are always welcome at any of these meetings when you can join on the night.
Some meetings will also be available via Zoom™ and details of Zoom access and NIAG Zoom protocols will be made available prior to each meeting.
Winter Programme 2026/27
Bellfounding in Northampton
Tony Manktelow
A look at the process of bellfounding and the resident Northamptonshire foundries in operation over the years. We will also look at the work of itinerant bellfounders and their bells across Northamptonshire.
NIAG Annual General Meeting
this will be followed at approximately 7.45 pm by
Changes in Farming Practice in My Lifetime
Tim Allebones
Tim has spent his entire working life on a farm in Easton Maudit and looks at the changes in farming practice over his lifetime as a tenant farmer.
Coal Merchants and Coal Factors
John Arkell
A look at the sales and distribution end of the coal industry. John has extensively researched the roles of coal factors and coal merchants and presents a fascinating view of the development of these companies and their part in the supply of coal for industrial and domestic use.
Our annual presentation by members of NIAG is expected, as usual, to cover a diverse range of topics. Members wishing to make a contribution are invited to contact the
Secretary by email beforehand.
Helmdon and all Stations to Penzance or was that Bath?
Chris Bazeley
An interesting history of the rise and fall of railways in Helmdon, covering the stations on the Stratford-on-Avon and Midland Junction Railway and the newer Great Central Railway. Chris looks at the services and routes offered by these companies and the social impact of the railways and their respective stations on the village and surrounding area.
A History of Kettering Iron & Coal Company
Mick Dix
A history of the company and its operations. Founded in 1876. Centred around the Rockingham Road ironworks, the company mined local ironstone and produced pig iron. The furnaces ceased operation in 1959, and the remaining ironstone quarry railway closed in October 1962.
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