Welcome to MyThornbury's local history section. There's plenty to explore:
Thornbury & District Museum
The museum was started in 1986 to house a collection of artefacts bequeathed to The Thornbury Society, and rapidly expanded. It is an independent museum and financed by grants and donations.
Come and visit our exhibition rooms, chat to our volunteers, visit our shop, enjoy your local museum. Click here to visit the Museum's website.
Thornbury Local History and Archaeology Society
Thornbury's local history society meets monthly - details on the right, and have produced a series of articles based on these talks. Visit the Society's page for more information and to read the articles (articles are also listed below).
Local history groups
Lots of local history groups, covering a variety of subject areas.
Resources
Our local history resources page has links to many useful websites.
Family history
Genealogy groups and resources for family history hunters.
Local history books
Old maps
Explore MyThornbury's collection of old maps of Thornbury and the surrounding area. Includes a map browser that lets you switch between different age maps.
Old photos
We've teamed up with Francis Frith to offer reprints of old Thornbury and district photos.
We'd also like to recommend the fascinating Images of Thornbury site, with its large collection of old photos and now-and-then comparisons.
The Cotswold Way (Mar 2013)
The Work of Francis Simpson (Jan 2013)
Mysteries of the Charfield Rail Crash (Oct 2012)
Thornbury Workhouse (Sept 2012)
Electrical Appliances of a Bygone Era (Oct 2010)
Bristol in the Civil War (Sep 2010)
The Berkeleys and Berkeley Castle (Apr 2010)
Clifton Suspension Bridge (Mar 2010)
The Purton Hulks (Feb 2010)
Thornbury High Street (Dec 2009)
Arnos Vale Cemetery (Nov 2009)
Basket Weaving (Oct 2009)
The Luftwaffe's Attacks (Sep 2009)
Redcliff Street, Bristol (Apr 2009)
Gloucestershire ballads (Mar 2009)
Farm buildings (Feb 2009)
Bristol Castle (Jan 2009)
Walls & boundaries (Dec 2008)
Dark Satanic Mills (Nov 2008)
Clarkson and the Slave Trade (Oct 2008)
What to wear at work (Sep 2008)
Thornbury Pubs (Mar 2008)
Rethinking Militancy (Feb 2008)
Down the Garden Path (Jan 2008)
The Slave Trade (Dec 2007)
Crinoline and Corsets (Nov 2007)
Love Thy Neighbour (Oct 2007)
Digging up the Glass Works (Mar 2007)
Death and disease on the SS Great Britain (Jan 2007)
How the forest was won (Oct 2006)
Clifton Rocks Railway
Gloucester and Sharpness Canal
In sickness and in health
Mr Lister - a gentleman employer
More
We meet at 7:30pm on the fourth Wednesday of each month at Alveston Methodist Church. There are no meetings during June, July and August. Annual subscription is £12, and visitors are welcome to attend - there is a charge of £2.
www.alveston.org/alveston/local_h...
David Goldring, organiser of the Marlwood series of the Tournaments, has embarked upon a project in two, independent parts: to write-up the events of 13 productive years of Chess activity in Marlwood School, and also to produce a separate account of the Marlwood Chess Tournament that began in October 1983, and which then transferred to Millfield School in 1997. The logical, and easy thing to do is to add a third part to the project if the detail is forthcoming, by way of a record at least, but preferably something better, with photos, of the happenings of the Tournament at Millfield.
When complete, the project will be available in e-form, and available to all, as a record of the facts. Already, the text is well-illustrated with photographs. Click below for more... (n.b. pdf is 6Mb and may take a while to download)
Email:
The group has been created to conserve, monitor, maintain, promote and protect Thornbury's Medieval Fishponds. The aim is to preserve the site so that it continues to support a wide range of flora and fauna, and to ensure that the archaeological aspects of the site are protected. For more information, please contact Dave Rowley:
Email:
Lots of links to historical resources for family history research.
The museum was started in 1986 to house a collection of artefacts bequeathed to The Thornbury Society, and rapidly expanded. It is managed by the Thornbury & District Heritage Trust, a registered charity as well as a Trust company, and is supported by South Gloucestershire Council and Thornbury Town Council. It is an independent museum and financed by grants and donations.
Come to visit our exhibition rooms, chat to our volunteers, visit our shop, enjoy your local museum.
The museum is next to the Armstrong Hall, and opening times are Tuesday to Friday 1-4pm, and Saturday 10-4pm. We have a small shop with books, leaflets, pamphlets, postcards, all of local interest.
Postal address: Thornbury Museum, c/o The Town Hall, 35 High Street, Thornbury, BS35 2AR
Tel: 01454 857774
www.thornburymuseum.org.uk
Email:
Archaeology and local history. See the events calendar for details of meetings. All meetings (AGM excepted) are at St Mary's Church Hall beginning at 7.30pm. All visitors are welcome. There is a small charge of £2.50. For more information, please click below.
This site has an excellent database of monumental inscriptions from Thornbury Cemetery and St Mary's Church, complete with photographs, and has recently added the monumental inscriptions from the United Reformed Church as well as details of births, marriages and burials from the URC registers up to about 1900.
There's a searchable database of Thornbury Trade directories, with 24 directories included, covering the period 1790 to 1939. There are also various Voter Lists, Coroners Lists, Street Directories and a gallery of old Thornbury adverts from local businesses.
There are in-depth histories of the houses in many of the older streets of Thornbury and of the families who lived in them with an extensive collection of photographs.
Berkeley Castle
Tuesday 7th May - Friday 31st May, Daily 12 - 5pm
The University of Bristol Archaeology Deparment will return to Dr Jenner's Garden in May as part of the Berkeley Excavations for 2013.
Visitors to Dr Jenner's House & Garden during the month of May will get the chance to see a live archaeological dig unfold on the site. Who knows what treasures will be found!
www.jennermuseum.com
Email:
Alveston Methodist Church
Filton ~ A Mile of History with Jane Tozer
JUNE/JULY
Visits will be arranged
Edward Jenner Museum
Monday 27th May - Friday 31st May 12 - 5pm
As the Archaeological Dig draws to a close Dr Jenner's House will be providing a daily tour of the dig in Jenner's Garden, included with admission. There will also be half term craft and colouring activities and Free Friday on Friday 31st May. Something for everyone!
www.jennermuseum.com
Email:
Edward Jenner Museum
12-4pm
New for 2013, admission to Dr Jenner's House & Garden is FREE for individuals and families on the last Friday of every month. This new incentive will run from March until October.
Edward Jenner Museum
12-4pm
Back by popular demand, Yvonne Cox of Avon and South Gloucestershire Hedgehog Rescue will be on site with some rescued hedgehogs for visitors to meet. Yvonne will also provide information about how to help hedgehogs and answer any hedgehog questions. There will also be hedgehog themed trails in the house and grounds.
All this included in admission!
The entrance to the Hatch is off Kington Lane not far from the junction with Castle Street. If you come from the Thornbury direction, the entrance is on the right hand side immediately after the first building in Kington Lane (Thornbury Cottage). The Post Code is BS35 1NA, the grid reference is ST 63460 90363. There will be some parking on site.
As the pond is likely to contain a small amount of standing water (an inch or 2 at most .... I hope!) and some muddy ground surrounding it, I would recommend the wearing of wellies. The pond is around 4 feet in depth and has almost vertical sides, so we may need to climb down a ladder to get to the floor.
Please bring your own drinks and lunch, but there will be a kettle available if you wish to make hot drinks. We will have access to Toilets and a room for our lunch break.
It would be very useful if you could let me know if you can join the survey, by email below. Also if you know of anyone else who might be interested in joining the team,... Read more >>
Email:
The Chantry, Thornbury
All welcome to an informal group to share and investigate geology, local and far afield. Meeting every 3rd Thursday of the month. For more information click below or tel 416882.
Email:
Members of the public are warmly invited to attend the fourth annual Service of Remembrance at the South West Woodland War Memorial.
The service is to remember the men and women from the South West who have lost their lives in the service of their country since the turn of the Millennium.
This unique woodland War Memorial, which was inaugurated in 2010, is made up of three mountain ash trees, surrounded by a square of oaks with an outer circle of hawthorns.
As time passes the oaks will grow to form a leafy canopy over two seats, carved from petrified wood, that sit in the very centre of the Memorial.
Beside the trees an engraved stone carries the words: ‘In honour of those who have given their lives in the service of their country’ and ‘At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them’.
Military Chaplain, Padre Chris Withers from 1 Rifles will hold a service in the chapel before the congregation processes to the War Memorial itself,... Read more >>
Edward Jenner Museum
12-4pm
New for 2013, admission to Dr Jenner's House & Garden is FREE for individuals and families on the last Friday of every month. This new incentive will run from March until October.
The Chantry, Thornbury
All welcome to an informal group to share and investigate geology, local and far afield. Meeting every 3rd Thursday of the month. For more information click below or tel 416882.
Email:
Edward Jenner Museum
12-4pm
New for 2013, admission to Dr Jenner's House & Garden is FREE for individuals and families on the last Friday of every month. This new incentive will run from March until October.
The Chantry, Thornbury
All welcome to an informal group to share and investigate geology, local and far afield. Meeting every 3rd Thursday of the month. For more information click below or tel 416882.
Email:
