West Middlesex Family History Society

Black and white photograph showing an older man with a pipe, hat, short sleeves shirt and protective trousers working in a forge with a fire to his left. From Reading Museum's Collection.

This 1955 photo shows blacksmith George Tibbetts in his Merchant's Place forge, off Friar Street, Reading

His family were smiths for generations, and the workshop itself dated back to the late 1500s. His son Tony was preparing to continue the family tradition

📸 Reading Museum, Chronicle Collection

I sympathise - Welsh borders , Davis/Davies and Jones! And as for tracking Hyland in 19th century Liverpool- let’s not go there.

a man with a beard is wearing a pirate hat and says " and let 's go find the treasure " ALT: a man with a beard is wearing a pirate hat and says " and let 's go find the treasure "

I know I say this all the time but please support #LocalArchives and #NationalArchives - they often come off worst in the battle for public money. And they are vast #treasureshouses of knowledge.

My friend
the climatologist
tells me
what worries him
is the climate.

My friend
the epidemiologist
tells me
what worries them
are infections.

My friend
the historian
tells me
what worries her
are the people
who aren’t worried.

Console yourself with the thought that your transcription was done by a human interacting with human documents and not an AI bot that didn’t care. You have still done a great thing.👏

Some fantastic photos of Pevensey #Roman fort (especially the harbour gate arch) in this thread by @forestcollectiv.bsky.social for #Romanfortthursday 🤩👇👇

The pier also forms the backdrop to part of the #ArnoldBennett novel The Card. I love finding literary locations on walks - even minor ones. I drive friends mad by diving off down alleys in search of “that bench where So-and-So sat in ….”

We get so dependent on these things! I refuse to to have a computer controlled house. I still have books, dvds and cds and my #familyhistory to keep me out of mischief!

a stuffed penguin is sitting on a wooden chair in a room . ALT: a stuffed penguin is sitting on a wooden chair in a room .

Do you think your family history is worth paying for? Quite shocked to hear of someone who said it should all be free and then added they didn’t care about it anyway. I could say the same about computer games or exotic holidays ! Maybe they’ll learn one day

black and white photo of the interior of a shop with goods behind the counter and a shopkeeper serving a woman, Reading Museum Collection

black and white photo of women crowded around a table in the clothes section of a department store. Reading Museum Collection

black and white photo from a high perspective showing crowds of people inside a department store with a sign saying 'clearance bargains here'. Reading Museum Collection

Take a peek inside these local Reading shops through the decades:
🖼️ Hawkes Ironmongers, High Street, 1945
🖼️ Heelas (now John Lewis), Broad street, Jan sales, 1956
🖼️ Reading department store, Jan sales, 1963

The final store isn't identified in our records - so if you recognise it, let us know!

The community cast of the Stinking Fish of Southampton. A small group of people smiling wearing Regency era clothing.

#ICYMI: The Austen 250 programme during 2024-25 was a huge undertaking in Southampton, including our 'Placing Jane' conference.

Find out more about its impact, here: www.balh.org.uk/news-austen-...

#WeAreLocalHistory #LocalHistoryForAll

Metal detectorists find 2,000-year-old treasure in field The find - the first of its kind in west Wales - is incredibly rare and has been described as one of 'historical significance'

Huge news for Ceredigion & west Wales.

Imperial #Roman lead mines on Cardigan Bay were under the control of Domitian by AD 87 as confirmed by the discovery of these lead pigs

Only the 5th & 6th ingots ever found in Wales 😮

www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-n...

The title is “Shopping Is Never Done: High Streets down the decades”. The venue is Duke Street Church, Richmond, Surrey and the date is 11 April. Full details are on the Ticketsource website.

Green Market, Halifax, Nova Scotia posted in 1911 to Andover, Massachusetts
Having a fine time.
Lots going on here.
Start for the country tomorrow. Had fine trip.
#PostedInThePast

Watercolour painting of a Roman mosaic featuring an arch flanked by two square panels containing red tipped four petal flowers

Part of a lost masterpiece for #MosaicMonday

Fragment of #Roman floor depicting an arch found in #Canterbury Kent in 1758 during the construction of a cellar next to the King's Head inn

Recorded in a watercolour held by the @antiquaries.bsky.social

The fate of the mosaic is sadly unknown 🙁

No excuses. You have about 3 weeks to buy your #HistoryLoving #shopaholic mum a superb gift for #MothersDay. A ticket for #WestLondonLocalHistoryConference. 11 April #DukeStreetChurch Richmond. £15 so you can still afford the card, flowers and champagne!

The Romanesque 'Norman Tower', Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, was constructed during the tenure of Abbot Anselm (1121-48) and is now the detached bell tower of St Edmundsbury Cathedral (LH side of photo) #suffolk #architecture #history #heritage #norman #romanesque #bells #tower #photography #medieval

Announcing ‘A Mainline Station Heritage Artefacts Collection’ I have been thinking *a lot* about heritage artefacts at mainline railway stations over the last few years. They are so important in telling the story of the railway station at which they are locat…

REALLY like this - fantastic idea!

Hope it takes off, & encouraging all to submit their ideas for heritage artefacts found at mainline rail stations.

Help record the less considered, but still important, items: more in the blog from Daniel Wright -

thebeautyoftransport.com/2025/12/03/a...

#FindsFriday with this glorious hoard of staters at the Reading Museum, a mixture of Gallo-Belgic & Atrebatic coins,
as well as this gorgeous torc

catch our episode on the Hillforts of Hampshire / Wiltshire and just that whole area in general >>>
www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-I1...

The interior stairwell at Clickimin Iron Age Broch on the outskirts of Lerwick in Shetland. 📸 My own. #StairwellSaturday #Prehistory #Archaeology #Shetland

Come on all you crime buffs. Start booking!

How does genetic genealogy solve crimes + how is it used in crime fiction?

Join @nathandylangoodwin.bsky.social for an online talk exploring investigative genetic genealogy and how it shapes the Venator Cold Case series.

📅 23 Feb 2026 | 19:30–20:30 | Online
Book portal.sog.org.uk/Event/view/1...

#RomanSiteSaturday A traveller entering Vindolanda Roman fort on Hadrian's Wall along the main street, lined with workshops, cafes & accommodation.

What an experience that must have been...

🎥 My own, last year 🌞

Schließung des Instituts für Archäologie an der HU-Berlin Die Archäologie gehört seit fast 200 Jahren zur wissenschaftlichen Tradition der Humboldt-Universität. Ihre Schließung bedeutet den Abbruch einer gewachsenen Forschungstradition und eine dauerhafte Sc...

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more.

Please sign and share this petition to help saving Archaeology at the Humboldt University in Berlin.

YouTube video by WikiTree WikiTree One Place Studies Project Research Party (5 Feb 2026)

The WikiTree #OnePlaceStudies Project Research Party on Feb 5th was recorded and you can watch it on YouTube! Topics:
✦ What is a #OnePlaceStudy
✦ What makes a great OPS
✦ Why sign up with the OPS project and what Wikitree provides
✦ Participants’ ideas about OPS research
✦ Q & A

#OnePlaceWednesday

In the doghouse for forgetting #ValentinesDay? You can still redeem yourself with your #historylover by booking tickets for “Shopping Is Never Done: High Streets down the decades” , the 2026 #WestLondonLocalHistoryConference 11 April in Richmond. Tickets available from ticketsource.co.uk

And they're in!

Well - 1 of the final 2, at least. Hit a snag with the frame on the other, hopefully resolved today.

If you're passing through #Petersfield station in #Hampshire, have a look out for more about local railway staff in the past - in the 'up' waiting room (London-bound).

#Railway200

a painting of a city with the word nsx on the bottom right corner ALT: a painting of a city with the word nsx on the bottom right corner

Do you wonder how we will do #familyhistory in the future?
Join #WestMiddlesexFHS on Thurs 19 Feb to hear #NickBarratt on The Future of Family History in the Digital Age.
Meeting is at #StJohnsCentre Isleworth and on Zoom. Doors open at 7.30 pm (UK time). Full details www.west-middlesex-fhs.org.uk

Tapestry, Brussels, mid 16th century, Woven in wool and silk on woollen warps. Has the arms and motto of a member of the Genoese Grimaldi family,

On display at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge .

#textiletuesday #tapestry