We host five Heritage Winter Talks each year. These are free to the public and are hugely popular. Each talk focuses on an aspect of local heritage or history.
7pm Doors open / 7.30pm Talks start / 9pm Finish
Free Admission: no pre-booking required
Further Information: Tim Howson, Principal Conservation and Heritage Officer
Venues: Vary according to talk – see below
4th November 2025: Sue Spiers
Talk: 'Old St. Barnabas’ Church, Mayland - a four-year excavation by Burnham u3a Archaeological Group'
Venue: Friends Meeting House, Butt Lane, Maldon, CM9 5HD
This talk will take the audience on a journey back in time, unravelling the history of a parish church demolished in 1878, recently revealed in brick and earlier stone walls, and a wealth of lovely finds including many beautiful medieval floor tiles.
2nd December 2025: Tim Howson
Talk: Historic houses in Bradwell-on-Sea
Venue: Bradwell-on-Sea Village Hall, South Street, Bradwell on Sea CM0 7QJ
From medieval timber-framed farmhouses to picturesque Georgian cottages, the sleepy village of Bradwell-on-Sea boasts a rich heritage of domestic buildings. This talk will explore and celebrate some of the parish’s hidden architectural treasures, while highlighting the potential for future research.
13th January 2026: Johanna Dale
Talk: Bradwell and the Blackwater Estuary in the Early Middle Ages
Venue: Bradwell-on-Sea Village Hall, South Street, Bradwell on Sea CM0 7QJ
This talk will consider the remarkable early-medieval history of Bradwell with an emphasis on its coastal setting. Johanna is a medieval historian and local resident who edited the book St Peter-on-the-Wall: Landscape and heritage on the Essex coast, which was published in 2023.
6th February 2026: Stephen Nunn
Talk: Dr SALTER (1841-1932) of TOLLESHUNT D’ARCY – A Larger than Life Character
Venue: Tolleshunt D’Arcy Village Hall
Dr John Henry Salter was a truly remarkable man – one of England’s last eccentrics. He lived nearly all his life in the village of Tolleshunt D’Arcy and achieved so much. He left his mark in very many sectors and his successes can be measured by some quite staggering, almost unbelievable statistics. Listen to Stephen tell his story.
3rd March 2026: Maria Medlycott
Talk: Recent Archaeological Discoveries in Essex
Venue: Friends Meeting House, Butt Lane, Maldon, CM9 5HD
Maria will present the results of the more interesting recent archaeological sites in Essex, and will discuss how these fit into our wider understanding of the archaeological evidence for the county. The sites help answer the question of how to fit 197 dead Saxons into one small hut, and the surprise discovery of an Essex Roman villa by a man in Cheshire.