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Not more than £50 within 10 miles of home General Interest History

Robert Mee

Location: West Hallam, Derbyshire

About the speaker...

Robert Mee has been giving local history presentations since 2005. Whilst his audiences are primarily local history groups, he has spoken at many other venues, including Rotary, Probus, W.I., U3A and charity events. Robert’s talks are predominantly about the area where he has lived, but recently he has started to branch out into the wider county. Whilst he does have an academic background, his talks are firmly targeted towards a non-academic audience. He is as comfortable with 200 people listening to him as he is with 10, and, wherever possible, he aims for his talks to be entertaining as well as informative

About his talks...

The presentations are all fully illustrated (Powerpoint or equivalent), and all equipment is brought by him (though if the venue is able to supply a screen/blank wall, it saves a lot of hassle!). The talks normally last from 50 to 75 minutes, but can be adjusted to suit your needs. Robert is often available for short-notice events, if, for example, a speaker cancels.

Fee:

Fees are £50, plus expenses if more than 40 miles from home in West Hallam, Derbyshire. He is prepared to travel anywhere, but normally speaks in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and north Leicestershire.

My Contact Details:

Phone:

0115 9327495

Email:

robertmmee@btinternet.com

1.Wheels of Industry – Langley Mill:

Reportedly the “most industrialised village” in the country – what didn’t Langley Mill produce?

2.Bradshaw’s, and an early Railway Tour:

A talk in two parts: firstly we look at the history of the first national rail timetable. Then the audience is taken on an armchair mystery tour, using the 1922 Bradshaw’s Guide – just how far could you get, and what history can you learn along the way?

3.Derbyshire’s Castles:

The county has a couple of famous castles, but there were many more besides that. A quick visit to them all, including a potted-history of castle-building.

4.Derbyshire Associations for the Prosecution of Felons, 1703-2014:

Virtually every parish had such an association at some time, but who were they, and what did they do? This talk is based on Robert’s M.A. dissertation, for which he achieved a distinction. If the talk is delivered in Derbyshire, Robert will try to include slides (possibly only newspaper advertisements) which cover the area where he is speaking.

5. Vic Hallam – One Man and his Company:

From the 1920s to the 1990s, this Langley Mill firm was the leading producer of pre-fabricated buildings (and much more) in the country.

6. Crime in Langley Mill 1891 – 1930:

This may sound like a very parochial talk (and the illustrations used are), but it not only covers the crimes committed, but also gives an interpretation of changes in the pattern of crime, which is just as applicable to any community in this period. This is not, mainly, a tale of headline-catching news, but rather one of the day-to-day concerns in a small industrial village.

7. A Potted History of Heanor:

The name says it all really. Heanor is in Derbyshire, just one mile from the Nottinghamshire border – a hill top town, renowned for coal mining and hosiery – but what else?

8. Heanor Grammar School:

The first maintained mixed secondary school in the Derbyshire. It had a relatively short life, having opened as the Heanor Technical School in 1893, and closing with its merger with the South East Derbyshire College in 1976. This is its history from beginning to end!

9. History along the Erewash Valley Trail:

The Erewash Valley Trail is a 30 mile cycle and foot path which opened in 2011. In this talk, Robert goes around the entire length of the path, and investigates what can be seen, and what is known, about the history within one mile of the route.

10. A History of Smalley:

From medieval times to today’s opencasting, there is a surprising amount to discover about this small Derbyshire village.

11. Mine’s a Pint (Public Houses in the Heanor Area):

A rapidly disappearing establishment, this talk looks at the pubs of the Heanor area in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

12. Morlestan – South East Derbyshire before the Norman Conquest:

A study of the administrative and landscape history of the early medieval period.