News
Note - the dates in the headings refer to the dates the news items were posted, NOT the date the event will take place.
13th October - 2023/2024 Programme Begins
The new season of monthly meetings begins on Tuesday 17th October 2023 at 8:00pm in the Reading Room, Great Gransden with a brief AGM. This will be followed by Part 2 of "Into the Wide Blue Yonder" presented by John Davison, talking about his lifelong interest in aviation.
13th October - New Acquisition - History of Great Gransden
The Society has acquired a copy of the original publication in book form of the History of Great Gransden by the Rev. A J Edmunds. This was kindly donated to the Society by Michael Stribling of Duxford in exchange for a donatipn to charity.
16th October - 2022/2023 Programme Begins
The new season of monthly meetings begins on Tuesday 18th October at 8:00pm in the Reading Room, Great Gransden with a brief AGM followed by old films of The Gransdens presented by Val Davison. See the 2022/2023 Programme page for further details of upcoming meetings.
7th April - IMPORTANT: April Meeting Day and Date Change
PLEASE NOTE - the date of the April meeting has been changed to avoid conflict with the Easter holiday. It will now take place on MONDAY 25th APRIL at 8:00pm in the Reading Room. As a tribute to the late Chris Clark, who ran the Crown and Cushion for many years, Val Davison will be joined by Mr Don Airey to talk about the history of live music at the pub. No doubt Don will have many anecdotes about the famous musicians who have performed there over the years.
28th February - The March Meeting
2022 is the 50th anniversary of the Society's existence and the March meeting, held at 8:00pm onTuesday 15th March 2022 at the Reading Room, Great Gransden, reflected this fact. Val Davison presentied an illustrated history of the Society, showing many examples of the activities the Society has been involved with over the last 50 years.
10th January - History Book Now Sold Out
Please note that our book 'History of Great Gransden', a republished version of the Rev. A J Edmonds book first published over 100 years ago, is now sold out. A reprint is being considered and any news on this front will be published here as soon as a decision has been made.
7th January - January Meeting Cancelled
Unfortunately we have had to cancel the January meeting because of the ongoing Covid-19 Omicron situation. Jon Severn's talk on his interest in Classic Cars will be presented next month if the situation allows it.
15th December - December Meeting Cancelled
After due consideration we have decided to cancel the December meeting owing to the worsening Covid-19 Omicron situation. The subject - the history of live music at the Crown and Cushion - will now be presented at a meeting in the Spring of next year.
19th November - December Meeting
This will take place at 8:00pm on Tuesday 21st December 2021 at the Reading Room, Great Gransden. The meeting will be in memory of Chris Clark, who for many years was the landlord of the Crown and Cushion pub in Great Gransden. It will look back at the long history of live music (in all its forms) at the Crown and Cushion, which Chris always enthusiastically supported.
12th November - November Meeting
This will take place at 8:00pm on Tuesday 16th November 2021 at the Reading Room, Great Gransden. We are pleased to welcome our Mayor Dr Nik Johnson to tell us about his life and his interest and participation in politics.
10th October 2021 - Society Active Again
We are pleased to announce that the Gransdens Society will be restarting its monthly meetings (following the Covid related shutdown) at the Reading Room, Great Gransden at 8:00pm on the third Tuesday of every month starting on Tuesday October 19th 2021. Details of this and further upcoming meetings can be found on the 2021/2022 Programme page.
17th March 2020 - Meetings Cancelled
Please note that the monthly meetings of the Society have now been cancelleduntil further notice in the light of the current Coronavirus crisis. The speakers for those meetings will be rescheduled to a later date if possible. Further details will be published here when known.
15th February 2020 - February Meeting
This month's meeting on Tuesday 18th February will be about the archeological finds along the route of the new A14 road. The archaeologists found a huge number of artefacts and our speaker this month will be bringing just a few of the interesting ones with him. If you want to know what these are then please come to the meeting at the Reading Room, Fox Street, Great Gransden at 8:00pm on the 18th and find out. All are welcome.
28th October 2019 - 2019/2010 Programme Published
The Society's programme for the 2019/2020 monthly meetings is now available. There are a couple of items still to be confirmed and these will be added as soon as firm details become available. See the 2019/2020 Programme page for more information.
28th October 2019 - Visit from RCAF Officers
Major J-R Letourneau of 405 Squadron and Colonel Brendan Cook, who commands a group of squadrons which includes 405, made a brief visit to Great Gransden church on Tuesday 22nd October. This wasn't a formal visit, but they presented a memento to the local Pathfinder Scout group. The visit was hosted by John and Val Davison.
28th October 2019 - Gransden Society AGM
The AGM was held at the beginning of the October meeting on 15th October. The main points from this were that Chris Duffett and Catherine Sykes-White stood down from the Committee and the rest of the current Committee were reelected; Trevor Bounford stood down as Chairman and Martin Davies was elected as the new Chairman; and the Society's finances are in good shape and despite making a small loss last year the annual subscription and visitors fee remain unchanged at £12.50 and £3.00 respectively.
19th June 2019 - Visit to Hill Farm, Little Gransden
Despite the appalling weather last night the final meeting for this year's Programme went ahead regardless. A brave group of members and visitors went to Hill Farm in Little Gransden, who gave us an excellent insight into the latest farming methods in use there and also into the countryside stewardship actions they've taken to help improve the environment. Weatherproof transport had been laid on for us - a large trailer with a sturdy covering to keep out the rain - and this was safely towed around the farm's fields by a powerful tractor so we could see first hand how all this had been put into practice. Everyone found it a fascinating experience and we thank the members of Hill Farm staff who made it all possible.
3rd June 2019 - June Meeting
The final meeting in this year's programme will be at 7:30pm on Tuesday 18th June at Hill Farm in Little Gransden. Note the earlier than usual start time and that the venue is NOT the Reading Room. Hill Farm is situated on the left as you head out of Little Gransden towards Longstowe. Turn into the drive and proceed up the hill to the house. Parking will be in the meadow adjacent to Hill Farm yard and will be signposted. The visit will include a walk around the farm and we'll hear about conservation agriculture, countryside stewardship, zero tillage farming and other interesting details about modern day farming.
15th May 2019 - 405 Squadron Memorial Window 30th Anniversary
It's 30 years ago this month since the 405 Squadron Memorial window in Great Gransden church was installed and dedicated and the Gransdens Society decided this shouldn't pass without acknowledgement. To this end the village will be marking the occasion with a service in Great Gransden church on Sunday 19th May at 9:30am. It will follow the format of the service held 30 years ago and hopefully will be attended by representatives from 405 Squadron, the British Legion, local Cubs and Brownies, and possibly the local Air Training Corps squadron. There will be a small display of relevant photos from the Doreen Blott Memorial Archive put together by Val Davison. Everyone is welcome to attend to make this a celebration as much as it was 30 years ago. More details on the 405 Squadron page.
11th January 2019 - 2018/2019 Programme Updated
The programme for this year has now been updated, with dates for Paula Stainton's follow on talk about the Pink Floyd Exhibition and John and Val Davison's presentation on our much delayed World War 1 project now fixed.
17th March 2019 - Canadians Visit The Gransdens
Jean-René and Diane Léturneau
John and Val Davison hosted a visit to the Gransdens by Jean-René Létourneau (known as JR) and his wife Diane on Saturday 16th March. JR has served three tours of duty as a Navigator with RCAF 405 Squadron in Canada and now has an assignment with the Allied Maritime Command in the UK. They visited Great Gransden church to view the 405 Squadron memorial window; the 405 Squadron Memorial at the windmill; and then viewed some of the original WW2 buildings still standing on the airfield. They were then taken on a short tour of Great and Little Gransden en-route to the Gliding Club, where they were introduced to Chris Sullivan, the author of the "Trials and Tribulation" book which traces the history of Gransden Lodge airfield and 405 Squadron's association with it.
11th November 2018 - New Programme Published
The Society's Programme for meetings during the rest of 2018 and the first half of 2019 has now been published. Details of couple of the meetings still have to be confirmed and these will be added when known.
11th November - 2018 Gransden Show
The Society had a stand again at this year's Show. We displayed items from our archive about The Gransdens involvement in World War 1 and also mounted a separate display about Gransden Windmill. Thank you to all those members who helped to make it happen.
19th September 2018 - New 405 Squadron Photos
We recently received a donation of three framed photographs of 405 Squadron that we haven't seen before. They originally belonged to Gerry Wolfe, who served with 405 Squadron as ground crew in the war. Gerry's daughter, Debbie Gabriel, and husband Brian visited the Gransdens from Canada recently and very kindly donated the three photos to the Gransdens Society for safekeeping. John and Val Davison met up with them and showed them the Memorial Window in the church and then visited the Memorial stone by the windmill. This was followed by a visit to the airfield to see where Debbie's father served. Our thanks go to Debbie and Brian for their wonderful addition to our 405 Squadron archive. The three photos are now displayed on the 405 Squadron page of this website.
30th June 2018 - Generous Donation Received
The Gransdens Society recently received a generous donation of £400 from Don and Doris Airey, so a BIG THANK YOU goes to them from all of us in the Society. This donation was made from the money raised by Don and Doris's 25th Anniversary Blues and Soul event, which took place in Great Gransden on Saturday 16th June. Since its inception 25 years ago this wonderful live music event has now raised over £250,000 for the benefit of many different local charities and organisations such as ours. What a magnificent achievement! Well done Don and Doris and the army of helpers that make it happen.
22nd April 2018 - Windmill Update
The next part of the Windmill Project will involve the construction and fitting of new sails. Partial funding for this has already been obtained, but more money needs to be raised to ensure it can be completed. A local contractor has been identified and agreed and he is currently awaiting delivery of the sail plans in order to estimate how much they will cost to build. More details will be published here as they become available.
10th October 2017 - 2017/2018 Programme
The programme for the coming year has now been published.
4th October 2017 - 2017/2018 Programme
This has now been finalised and will be published on this website in the near future.
4th October 2017 - Windmill Progress
Windmill on 4th October 2017. Current phase of work now complete.
The windmill is now looking pretty good after the current phase of restoration finished recently. The next phase will involve restoring the sails, but to do this around £40,000 needs to be raised, as all of the funds obtained so far have been used up on the work just completed. Grants may be available to help, but this won't cover the complete cost of the work. Therefore additional fundraising efforts will be needed to cover any shortfall. For further details contact Martin Davies.
4th October 2017 - Gransden Show
Gransdens Society stand at the 2017 Gransden Show
Gransdens Society were present at Gransden Show on Saturday 30th September. We had a smaller stand than at previous shows as it was easier to cope with. The subject of our exhibition was Gransden Windmill and the work that's been done recently on its restoration. Martin Davies supplied a large number of photographs showing the work in progress, and also brought a number of items of interest from the mill itself. He was also on hand to answer visitors' queries about the mill and the items in the exhibition. The stand was run mainly by Val Davison and Sandra Vinnell, who were there for the whole day. Other members of the committee and Society members also assisted during the day.
4th October 2017 - 2017/2018 Programme
This has now been finalised and will be published on this website in the near future.
11th July 2017 - Society Programme
Please note that the the Society's programme for 2016/2017 is now complete and there will be no more monthly meetings until October, when the programme for 2017/2018 will commence. However, the Society have booked a stand for the 2017 Gransden Show, which takes place on Saturday 30th September on the show field in Caxton Road, Great Gransden. Please come along to our stand and you'll be made very welcome. For more details of Gransden Show please visit their website at gransdenshow.org.uk.
11th July 2017 - Windmill Progress
As you can see from the attached photo, the external work on the main body of the windmill is now almost complete. It's been given a coating of weatherproofing preservative and the scaffolding has now been removed. The sails are a major external feature still awaiting restoration, but more funds need to be raised before this can be started. No doubt efforts will be made in the near future to start raising those funds. For further details on the current status of the windmill project contact Martin Davies.
Windmill on 1st July 2017. External work almost complete.
5th June 2017 - Windmill External Fitments
The new access steps at the rear of the windmill have now been fitted. Also, the new tailstock used for manually turning the windmill into the wind is now in place. This was hand carved from a single piece of timber.
Windmill on 31st May 2017. New access steps and tailstock in place.
6th May 2017 - Windmill Weatherboarding
The weatherboarding on the windmill is now finished, with the final area around the wind shaft on the front of the structure recently put in place. Work on weatherproofing the weatherboards has also begun, as can be seen at the top front of the structure in the photo.
Windmill on 26th April 2017. New weatherboarding now complete.
9th April 2017 - Windmill Roof Work
Windmill on 7th April 2017. New roof covering virtually complete.
17th March 2017 - Windmill Roof Work
Work on the roof of the windmill has been progressing slowly.The photo taken on the 17th March shows the roof weatherboarding about 75% completed. The photo on 7th April shows that the roof is virtually complete and the windmill has regained it's familiar shape once more.
Windmill on 17th March 2017. New roof covering work in progress
13th March 2017 - Windmill Progress
Work on the windmill is progressing, with much of the new weatherboarding now in place. The photo abovet, taken on 8th March, also shows the new specially shaped roof timbers that were recently added (and more to follow), which have started to give the windmill its traditional recognisable outline once more. The recently reinstalled windshaft is also clearly visible at the front near the top.
Windmill in early March 2017. Windshaft and new roof timbers are now in place.
29th January 2017 - Windmill Restoration
Work on the restoration of the windmill is continuing. New weatherboarding has been installed on the front of the mill and work has begun on doing the same on the left hand side wall. See photo showing the progress to date.
Windmill in January 2017. New weatherboarding being added.
5th January 2017 - Change to Programme
Please note the following changes to the upcoming program: Martin Davies will now be doing a talk at the meeting on 21st February entitled "Wild Canadian Rockies", and Julie Bounford's talk about Heffer's Bookshop has been moved to the may meeting on 16th May.
2nd December 2016 - December Meeting
December's meeting will take the form of an informal Christmas social gathering at 8:00pm on Tuesday 20th December. Note - venue is the Crown and Cushion pub in Great Gransden, NOT the Reading Room. Refreshment nibbles will be provided, but members will need to buy their own drinks. A lighthearted quiz will be organised for entertainment.
2nd December 2016 - Windmill
Restoration of the Windmill has been progressing recently, with some major structural timbers being replaced prior to the replacement of the outer weatherboarding. Thanks to a kind donation of £4,000 the millstones have now been restored to working order. Martin Davies has full details if anyone wants to know more.
The windmill with completed scaffolding
13th November 2016 - November Meeting
The November meeting will take place on Tuesday 15th November at 8:00pm in the Reading Room, Great Gransden. The presentation will be by Andy Lake, a young radio presenter from Great Gransden. He can currently be heard Monday to Friday each week on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, but has also worked for BBC Norfolk, BBC Northamptonshire and LBC. He's also a writer and actor. His talk will be about his experiences in showbusiness and his journey from student to broadcaster.
18th October 2016 - 2016/17 Programme
The 2016/2017 Programme has now been published. More information about each meeting is available on the printed programme sheet available from the Secretary, Val Davison
2nd August 2016 - Gransden Show
Unfortunately the Gransdens Society will not be having a stand at this year's Gransden Show. We hope to be able to return next year for the 2017 Show.
15th July 2016 - Time Travellers
Time Travellers 2016 performances are taking place at various locations in the Gransdens this weekend. The Gransdens Society were involved in the research for the stories and have also mounted small displays of archive items in the churches at Little Gransden and Great Gransden.
19th June 2016 - 405 Squadron
The Gransdens Society hosted a visit by 405 Squadron on Thursday 16th June. See the new 405 Squadron page for details and photos.
16th June 2016 - Windmill Progress
Work on the windmill is progressing. The roof of the mill has been taken off to allow the structure beneath to be inspected. It will also allow access to the millstones, which will be lifted out by crane in the near future. These will then go away to be inspected and restored.
Windmill with roof timbers removed
11th May 2016 - Windmill Progress
Scaffolding has now been erected around the windmill in preparation for the next stage of the restoration work.
Windmill with scaffolding partially erected in preparation for further restoration work
16th May 2016 - 405 Squadron Visit
A number of currently serving members of 405 Squadron are planning to visit the UK from Canada for the Pathfinder March in June. As usual they'd like to visit The Gransdens in remembrance of the squadron's wartime connections with the villages, and are hoping to be here on Thursday 16th June. The Gransdens Society has arranged a service at Great Gransden Church for them at 2:00pm on that day. All are welcome to attend the service and meet the squadron members. Please be aware that the visit is subject to cancellation at short notice if operational requirements require them to be elsewhere. Updates will be posted here to keep everyone informed.
12th October 2015 - Windmill Restoration Grant
We recently received the news that partial funding for the repair and restoration of Gransden windmill has been obtained. this will enable the first three phases of the work can now be undertaken. See the new Windmill Project page for further details.
The Windmill in October 2015 minus its sails
Windmill with its new leg braces added as part of the Phase 1 repair work
8th October 2015
The Society's Programme for 2015/2016 has now been published. The first meeting of the new programme will be on Tuesday 20th October 2015 at The Reading Room. Great Gransden. This will include a short AGM followed by Val Davison continuing her informal exploration into some of the amazingly creative people who now live, or have lived, in The Gransdens over the years.
23rd September 2015 - Gransden Show
The Gransdens Society will have a stand again at this year's Show, which takes place on Saturday 26th September. The theme of our display will be "The Creative Gransdens", which will highlight some of the creative people who live, or have lived, in The Gransdens. These include artists, writers, poets and musicians and our display will tell you something about them and show examples of their work. There will also be Gransdens Society merchandise on sale, so if you're attending the Show please come and visit us on our stand.
8th July 2015 - Society Programme
The scheduled programme for 2014/15 has now concluded. The Secretary is currently putting together the 2015/16 programme, and this will be published in September at around the time of Gransden Show on 26th September. The Gransdens Society will have a stand at the Show again, so please come along and visit us there. For details of the Show please click here.
22nd May 2015 - June Meeting
The June meeting will be at 8:00pm on Tuesday 16th June. Please note - it will not be held at the Reading Room in Great Gransden. Instead we'll be meeting up at Eltisley Business Park to view a collection of vehicles and memorabilia. Please gather at Eltisley Business Park on the B1040 at 8:00pm.
22nd April 2015 - May Meeting
The May meeting of the Society will be held on Tuesday 19th May at the Reading Room, Great Gransden. Unfortunately Martin Davies's planned talk on Lines In Nature has had to be postponed until next year's programme, but the Society's Chairman, Trevor Bounford, will be filling this slot instead. He will be giving us an illustrated talk about his life as a graphic designer, illustrator, and author.
22nd April 2015 - April Meeting
The April meeting of the Society was held on Tuesday 21st April at the Reading Room, Great Gransden. The subject was Vivian Shaw, who was headmaster at Barnabas Oley school in Great Gransden for 20 years. The presentation was delivered by his daughter Elizabeth and son Chris, who gave us a fascinating insight into the life and work of their father.
9th March 2015 - March Meeting
The March meeting of the Society will be held on Tuesday 17th March at the Reading Room, Great Gransden. Catherine White will be telling us about the Enclosures Act and its impact on rural life.
17th February 2015 - February Meeting
The February meeting was a presentation by Dr. Charles Turner on the life and work of Anne Dutton, a remarkable lady who was the wife of the Baptist minister in Great Gransden in the 18th Century. Following the tragic death of her husband she became widely influential through her evangelical writings.
12th January 2015 - January Meeting
The January meeting will be held on Tuesday 20th January at the Reading Room, Great Gransden. The speaker will be John Bygraves, who will be telling us about his experiences as a pilot, many of them while flying from Little Gransden airfield.
10th December 2014 - Christmas Social Event
The December meeting will be held on Tuesday 16th December at 8:00pm at the Crown and Cushion pub in Great Gransden. This will be a social evening, with a light hearted quiz and time for chatting with friends. Light refreshments provided, but you'll have to buy your own drinks.
11th October 2014 - 2014/2015 Programme
A provisonal programme for Society meetings in 2014/2015 is now available.
24th September 2014 - Gransden Show
The Society will again have a marquee at the 2014 Gransden Show. This takes place on Saturday 27th September on the show field in Caxton Road, Great Gransden. Some of our project work will be on display and a selection of our publications will be on sale, including our new Gransdens 2015 calendar. The Show is a great day out for all the family so why not come and see us there. For more details of the Show go to www.gransdenshow.org.uk.
12th September 2014 - 20th Century History Project
The Society's 20th Century History Of The Gransdens project has now begun, following an informal discussion meeting for interested parties. See the Current Projects page for further details.
8th July 2014 - Time Travellers 2014
Don't forget the Time Travellers 2014 performances will take place this weekend, on Friday 11th, Saturday 12th, and Sunday 13th July. Friday's seated performance is at 7:30pm at Little Gransden Village Hall. Saturday's and Sunday's promenade performances are at 2:00pm and 5:30pm on both days, starting at the Reading Room, Great Gransden. The Gransdens Society are mounting a free exhibition of items relevant to the stories being performed. This will take place in the Reading Room on Saturday and Sunday, from 1:30pm to 6:00pm each day, so come early for the performance and see the exhibition first.
For more information see the What's On section of the Revellers website at www.roundaboutrevellers.com. Tickets may be booked there too.
2nd July 2014 - Alan Marr
A funeral service for Alan Marr will be held at St. Bartholomew's Church, Great Gransden, at 11:00am on Wednesday, 9th July. Family flowers only, please. All donations will be equally divided between Papworth Hospital Charity and Cancer Research UK.
24th June 2014 - More Sad News
We are very sad to have lost another long standing member of The Gransdens Society. Alan Marr, a member since the early days of the Society, passed away last weekend. He spent many years working on the committee and served as Chairman for a number of years. We will post more details here when they are known.
20th June 2014 - Eric Blott
A Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Eric Blott will be held at 11:45am on Thursday 26th June at St. Bartholomew's Church, Great Gransden. There will be a reception at the Reading Room, Great Gransden afterwards.
13th June 2014 - Sad News
It is with the greatest regret that we announce the news of the passing of Eric Blott, who died on the evening of Wednesday 11th June following a heart attack. We extend our deepest sympathy to his family. Eric was a long time member and enthusiastic supporter of the Gransdens Society and served as its chairman and vice-chairman for many years. His friendship, guidance and wisdom will be sorely missed by all who knew him. A memorial service will be held in the near future and further details will be posted here when known.
10th June 2014 - June Meeting
The June meeting will be on Tuesday, 17th June at 8:00pm in the Reading Room, Great Gransden. Well known wildlife artist Bruce Pearson will be telling us about recent project entitled Troubled Waters - Trailing the Albatross, An Artist's Journey. Bruce's previous presentations to the Society have always been fascinating, and this one promises to be the same and shouldn't be missed.
17th May 2014 - May Meeting
The Society's May meeting will take place on Tuesday 20th May at 8:00pm in the Reading Room, Great Gransden. Liz Davies, the curator of St. Neots Museum, will be presenting a talk about the museum and the work she does there. As usual. all are welcome to attend.
17th May 2014 - Change to the June Meeting
Unfortunately, the June meeting focussing on the windmill has had to be postponed. Instead we're very fortunate to have wildlife artist Bruce Pearson coming along to talk to us about one of his latest projects. This is entitled Troubled Waters - Trailing the Albatross, An Artist's Journey, which promises to be a fascinating presentation. Do come along to hear it.
16th April 2014 - April Meeting Report
The Society meeting on 15th April was an update on the World War 1 Centenary Project, presented by Val and John Davison. They described how the project began and the steps they've taken in tracking down information about the men of The Gransdens who served in World War 1, both those who gave their lives and those who returned. The challenge they face now is to present the mass of information uncovered about the men and the war in which they fought in a relatively easy to read manner. This will take the form of a book, organised as a timeline of major events, showing how the war progressed and how Gransdens men related to it. A copy will be placed in the Doreen Blott Memorial Archive for anyone to study.
9th April 2014 - JIGSAW Affiliation
The Society is now affiliated to JIGSAW, a joint venture by Oxford Archaeology East and Cambridgeshire County Council, set up to encourage community archaeology projects. As an affiliated group we are able to call on the support of Community Archaeologists, to access training courses, and to borrow specialised equipment, to enable us to conduct our own archaeological projects. For more details go to the JIGSAW website at www.jigsawcambs.org.
8th April 2014 - April Meeting
The Society's April meeting will take place on Tuesday 15th April at 8:00pm in the Reading Room, Great Gransden. Val and John Davison will present details of the World War 1 Centenary Project they've been working on and the progress achieved so far.
1st March 2014 - March Meeting
The March meeting of the the Society will be on Tuesday 18th March at 8:00pm in the Reading Room, Great Gransden. The speaker will be Peter Friend, who will talk about the Ice Age and its effect on the landscape of The Gransdens.
8th February 2014 - February Meeting
The February meeting will take place on Tuesday 18th February at 8:00pm in the Reading Room, Great Gransden. Martin Davies and Trevor Bounford will be talking to us about "Maps and Boundaries of the Gransdens".
16th January 2014 - January Meeting
Peter Johnson will be the speaker at January's meeting on Tuesday 21st January at 8:00pm in the Reading Room, Great Gransden. His talk, entitled "Heart In Art", will describe his life involved in the art world.
November 5th 2013 - Archive Material
Val and John Davison have now visited St Neots Museum to obtain material relating to the Lunniss family of Great Gransden. The Museum have been given a box of documents, photos and other material which belonged to this family and kindly agreed to let us scan it for the Doreen Blott Memorial Archive. The documents include a comprehensive family history which covers twelve generations of the family, written by Sidney Robert Lunniss B.E.M.
October 31st 2013 - WW1 Centenary Project
Three more people have joined the Society's team working on the WW1 Centenary Project. These are Steve Fuller and his wife Liz, and Catherine White. They will work with Val and John Davison in researching the men of the Gransdens who served in WW1. Steve Fuller is also the speaker at the Society's monthly meeting on November 19th.
October 9th 2013 - Gransden Show
The Society had a large stand at this year's Show using the village marquee. This enabled us to mount several large displays, which included some of the material from our World War 1 Centenary Project; many photos, diagrams and information about Gransden Windmill; and old photographs showing groups of people from the village (including school class photos). Visitors were asked to name the faces in the photos, as some of them were unknown.
Thanks to Trevor Bounford, our chairman, the display included a custom designed map of the WW1 memorial sites in France where the men of Gransden who fell in the war are commemorated, and a superb full size cut-out model of a WW1 soldier, we named "Tommy".
Our stand at the 2013 Gransden Show
Sandra Vinnell and Val Davison with "Tommy", our WW1 soldier
October 9th 2013 - Programme Update
The 2013/14 Programme has been updated to reflect the availability of speakers. Some dates for specific topics have changed, so please look at the 2013/14 Programme page for details.
September 5th 2013 - 2013/14 Programme
Details of the Society's Programme for 2013/14 are now available. See the 2013/14 Programme page for further details. The first item is an extra event rather than a meeting, when the Society will have a stand at the 2013 Gransden Show. This will include a display of material from the Gransdens' WW1 Centenary Project amongst other exhibits.
July 13th 2013 - Project Support Donation
Thanks to the generosity of Don and Doris Airey the Society has just received a donation of £250 from their Blues and Soul charity fund. This is to support our recently launched World War 1 Centenary project. See the Current Projects page for further information about this project.
June 17th 2013 - Barnabas Oley School
The joint history project with Barnabas Oley School recently came to fruition. See Current Projects page for details.
April 26th 2013 - Land Yachting in the 1950's
One of the fascinating items in the film shown at the April meeting was about the land yachting activities that took place on Gransden Lodge airfield in the 1950's. This has now been extracted from the DVD and may be viewed on this website. See the viewing box to the right of this text.
April 18th 2013 - New Project Starting
As you are all aware, next year is the centenary of the start of WW1. St Neots Museum is encouraging all the local villages to gather together information about the involvement of local people in that conflict. The Gransdens Society will be participating in this and is starting a new project to put together this information. For more details see the Current Projects page.
April 18th 2013 - May Meeting
The May meeting will take place on Tuesday May 21st at 8:00pm in the Reading Room, Great Gransden. The subject is the Eltisley, and members of the Eltisley History Society will be on hand to give us "A Brief History of Eltisley".
April 18th 2013 - April Meeting Report
The April meeting held on Tuesday 18th April was very successful, with almost 40 people attending. The original 16mm films shot by Mr Collings (of Collings Brothers) in the 1950's and 60's have been preserved for posterity by transferring them to DVD. This work was done by the East Anglia Film Archive, and we were able to show the DVD at this meeting. Being DVD based meant we were able to easily pause the film when something worth discussing appeared on the screen. As expected, the film generated a lot of discussion, covering such topics as the Great Gransden alms houses (which were still standing when the film was shot); land yachting on Gransden Lodge airfield (before the runways were ripped up); identification of the people in the shots; the fashions of the time; the colourful flower gardens that many of the local houses had; and Gransden Show in the 1950's. Overall, it provided a fascinating glimpse into life in the Gransdens over 50 years ago.
March 22nd 2013 - April Meeting
This will be held on Tuesday April 16th at 8:00pm at the Reading Room, Great Gransden. The focus will be on the Gransdens in the 1950's, illustrated by film shot during that decade. It should spark some lively discussion about life in the villages 60 years ago.
March 21st 2013 - March Meeting Report
The March meeting of the Gransdens Society held on Tuesday 19th March at the Reading Room was attended by almost 70 people, both members and visitors. The subject was The Gransdens Windmill.
Millwrights and Mill experts Dave Pearce and Simon Hudson were joined by Martin Davies to tell us of the fascinating details of the history and the workings of the mill that have been unearthed during the production of reports on the present state of the Windmill. A dendrochronologist has taken cores from a variety of places in the wooden structure to try and tie down just how old the mill is. His studies showed that there are timbers still in place that date back to the 17th century.
We were joined at the meeting by Trevor Webb, a descendant of the family who were the last millers in the village in the early 20th century.
Poster advertising the Windmill Meeting
February 21st 2013 - March Meeting
The March meeting will be on Tuesday March 19th at 8:00pm at the Reading Room, Great Gransden. The topic is the Great Gransden Windmill, and presenters will include Dave Pearce and Simon Hudson (millwrights and mill experts) and Martin Davies. This will be an open public meeting with free entry - everyone is welcome.
January 21st 2013 - February Meeting
The February meeting will take place at the Reading Room, Great Gransden on Tuesday February 19th at 8:00pm. This will be a presentation by Sarah and Steve Pleasance, describing the renovation of their home at Tailors Cottage in Crow Tree Street, Great Gransden.
January 1st 2013 - January Meeting
The January meeting will be at the Reading Room, Great Gransden on Tuesday January 15th at 8:00pm. Mick Ward will be telling us stories about his experiences in London as a volunteer Gamesmaker at the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.
December 13th 2012 - December Social Meeting
The December meeting will be held at the Crown and Cushion, Great Gransden on Tuesday December 18th at 8:00pm. This will be a social meeting with a light hearted quiz.
October 17th 2012 - November Meeting
The November meeting will be on Tuesday November 20th, when Ray Miller of Little Gransden will be telling us about Albone Bicycles of Biggleswade. He will also bring several Albone bikes with him to display to us.
October 17th 2012 - AGM News
The Society's AGM was held on Tuesday October 16th. Noteworthy changes made included the membership fee and committee members. The 2012-13 annual membership fee has been increased to £7.50 to help cover increased expenses, the main one being for general and public liability insurance at an annual cost of over £200, which we haven't needed to pay in the past. Membership is still very good value, as it includes admission to all meetings and refreshments at those meetings. Membership fees for 2012-13 are now due, so please pay them to the Treasurer. This is now Sandra Vinnell - see below.
Changes to the committee are as follows. Martin Davies has retired as Chairman, but remains on the committee. He is replaced by Trevor Bounford as Chairman. Dan Cuming has retired as Treasurer, but remains on the committee. Sandra Vinnell is our new Treasurer. Ann Daniels has now retired as a committee member. Other committee members are as last year. See the Contact Us page for the full list of committee members.
October 8th 2012 - Visit to the "Son Of Sid" Brewery
A small group of Society members attended the Beer Festival at The Chequers pub in Little Gransden on October 6th. The visit was hosted by landlord Bobby Mitchell, who entertained us by explaining how he brews his own beers for the pub in the microbrewery he's installed there. While doing this we were able to sample some of the beers on offer. Bobby also provided us with delicious pork rolls and potato wedges to help soak up the alcohol. Our thanks go to Bobby for making the visit a very enjoyable one.
October 8th 2012 - The Society at Gransden Show
The Gransdens Society was present again this year at Gransden Show on September 29th. We had a stand in which we put on an exhibition of items from the Doreen Blott Memorial Archive and a display of material about the windmill. We also had our History of Great Gransden and Postcards books and other items on sale. We had a steady flow of visitors to the stand throughout the day and we made some useful new contacts, making the exercise a worthwhile one.
Gransdens Society stand at the 2012 Gransden Show
September 21st 2012 - Gransden Show
The Gransdens Society will once again have a stand at Gransden Show on Saturday September 29th. If you're attending the Show please drop by to say hello and take a look at the items we'll have on display.
September 21st 2012 - Upcoming Programme Events
There will be a Gransdens Society visit to the "Son of Sid" microbrewery at The Chequers, Little Gransden on Saturday October 6th at 2:00pm. This is part of The Chequers' Beer Festival, and there will be a Hog Roast and Cottenham Brass Band will be providing musical entertainment. Numbers are restricted, so book your place now with Val Davison if you want to go.
On Tuesday November 20th at 8:00pm Ray Miller will be talking to us about Dan Albone, a cyclist, inventor and manufacturer from Biggleswade. Several Albone cycles will be on display at this meeting.
Mick Ward of Great Gransden was a volunteer "Gamesmaker" at the recent Olympic and Paralympic games. On Tuesday January 15th at 8:00pm he will be telling us about his experiences at those events.
On Tuesday March 19th at 8:00pm the meeting will be about The Gransdens Windmill. We are hoping to have several millwrights with us, plus a descendant of the last miller who operated the windmill.
August 6th 2012 - New Programme
The new Gransdens Society programme for 2012/2013 begins on Tuesday October 16th at 8:00pm in The Reading Room. There will be a short Annual General Meeting followed by a presentation from Fran Clemmow about her recently published book 'Days of Sorrow, Times of Joy'.
August 6th 2012 - Time Travellers Event
Many thanks to all who helped to make The Time Travellers weekend so successful. The Revellers and The Gransdens Society worked together on the weekend to make both the performance events and the exhibition the successes they were. Hopefully attendees went away knowing more about the history of the Gransdens than they did before.
July 2nd 2012 - Upcoming Special Event
The Roundabout Revellers and The Gransdens Society invite you to become Time Travellers to mark the 2012 Jubilee Year. Promenade performances of The Gransdens Time Travellers will take place on July 14th and 15th starting at Little Gransden Village Hall at 2:00pm and 5:30pm each day. Various short plays will be performed at different locations in the villages, finishing up at Barnabas Oley school. There's an audience limit of 60 people per performance, so get your tickets early! Tickets available from Great Gransden Village Store, Adults £6, Concessions £3.
Make sure you wear suitable walking shoes and bring a brolly in case of rain. If it's really wet performances will take place in Little Gransden Village Hall instead.
A seated indoor performance will take place at Little Gransden Village Hall on Friday July 13th at 7:30pm, for those unable to attend a promenade performance.
Make sure you also visit Great Gransden Reading Room on July 14th and 15th, where The Gransdens Society are mounting a free exhibition of items from the village archive and other sources. The exhibition is open from 1:00pm to 8:30pm each day. Refreshments will be available here, and Gransdens Society publications will also be on sale.
Apr 17th 2012 - Additional Activity
The Society and the Crown and Cushion are jointly promoting a visit to Potton Brewery, to take place on the evening of Monday 14th May. The brewery is one of the beer suppliers to the Crown and Cushion, and this visit will provide an opportunity to see and hear about the process of brewing and preparing beer, and to freely sample some of the products! Transport, on a shared cost basis, is being arranged between Great Gransden and Potton, Contact Ian Selkirk at the Crown and Cushion (01767-677214) for details.
Apr 17th 2012 - Son Of Sid Brewery Visit
Later in the Summer there will be a visit to the Son Of Sid Brewery run by Bobby Mitchell at The Chequers pub in Little Gransden. Details to be announced later.
Apr 17th 2012 - Hope Farm Visit
Our meeting on Tuesday 15th May is a walk with the RSPB at Grange Farm (a.k.a. Hope Farm), Knapwell, just north of Cambourne. The walk will start at 6:15pm. It's a follow-up to the talk that the RSPB's Farm Manager, Ian Dillon, gave us at the January meeting.
Directions: take the Caxton Road out of Great Gransden, then north up the A1198 to Caxton Gibbet, turn east along the A428 and exit at the next junction (the Cambourne turning). Take the second left off the roundabout along the old A428 road, then take a left turn towards Knapwell village. Watch for the turn to Grange Farm on the left just past the Knapwell village sign. We'll meet up in the farm car park before setting off on the walk. Although the walk is a gentle one suitable footware is advised.
Further details available from Martin Davies (01767-677548) or Val davison (01767-677640).
Mar 16th 2012 - Farriery: A Living Craft
The March meeting of The Gransdens Society will take place on Tuesday March 20th in the Reading Room, Great Gransden. The speaker is Peter Day, who will be talking about his life as a farrier.
Mar 16th 2012 - Hawker Hurricane Visit
Please note that the date of the visit to the Hawker Hurricane Restoration Project at Fuller's Hill airfield, Little Gransden has been rearranged to Tuesday June 19th 2012.
Feb 28th 2012 - Society Website Launched
As you can see, The Gransdens Society now has its own website. Its purpose is to publicise and support the activities of the Society and to provide an additional means of communicating with members and others who might be interested.
If there is anything you would like to see included on the website, or better still, if you have any relevant material that could be included please contact Val or John Davison with details.