LymSoc Social Programme for Autumn 2024 – Summer 2025 Welcome to our “Save the Dates Notice” for our full programme of exciting and varied social events for our Social Programme for the year from Autumn 2024 – Summer 2025. Following last years’ very successful programme of events, which were so well supported by the members, we will be continuing to hold our talks in the Gates Hall, which offers so much more space than the smaller halls, so please do make a note of these dates in your diary and please support these events, as so many of you did last year. Following this we have the usual interesting mix of events from a Private View of the blockbuster Lymington Afloat exhibition, which opened at St Barbe Museum earlier this month.  Join us for an Exclusive Private View of this amazing Exhibition on Friday the 18th of October. Details below. Tickets Here Following this we have a programme of talks and parties, including the usual Christmas Drinks Party and the Summer Garden Party.  We very much hope that you will find time to come to some or all of these meetings and events. Kind regards   Don   Don Mackenzie Chair – The Lymington Society donald@donald-mackenzie.co.uk 07860 106120

Friday 18th of October – 2024 6.30 pm for 7.00 pm  Private View – “Lymington Afloat” St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery  Refreshments served from 6.30 pm – £6.00 to include refreshments.  (£7.00 for Guests) on the door on TicketTailor Click Here for Tickets

St Barbe Museum is holding an amazing Festival and Exhibition this Autumn called Lymington Afloat, celebrating the maritime history of Lymington with a dynamic exhibition and festival, showcasing the river’s vital local role. From cutting-edge marine design and a thriving boat building industry to the histories of trade and salt production, this exhibition will change perceptions about the river.   The exhibition will highlight the importance of the river to Lymington life and tell tales of people and marine related businesses who have spread its remarkable reputation over the centuries. Focusing on geology, archaeology, natural history, local and social history, boat design and building, marine innovation and sustainability, the exhibition will show objects on loan from the National Maritime Museum, displayed alongside beautiful local artworks and objects from the Museum’s own social history collection.

Friday 22nd of November – 2024 – Illustrated Talk – 6.30 pm for 7.00 pm.  Alan Matlock – “Building Spitfires without a Factory” The Gates Hall – The Lymington Centre Refreshments served from 6.30 pm – Cost £6.00 (£7.00 Guests) to include refreshments. Tickets on the door or on TicketTailor. Click Here for Tickets

Alan Matlock’s talk will tell the story of the Supermarine Aviation Co. based in Woolston, Southampton, where the Mk1 Spitfires were produced, and how the vast majority of Spitfires that fought in the Battle of Britain were made there. This stirring story of the inspirational, iconic Spitfire: its creation, development and defiant on-going production – even when the Supermarine factories were destroyed by bombing in September 1940 – tells how ‘winning the war’ needed everyone, not just ‘The Few’, to be ‘doing their bit’, as manufacturing was moved to dozens of small workshops, sheds, and garages across Southampton and beyond – even in Lymington – and how the IOW was involved too.

Thursday 19th December – 2024  Lymington Society Christmas Drinks Party 6.00 PM – St Thomas Church Hall Tickets £10.00 (Guests £11.00) online only at TicketTailor Click Here for Christmas Party Tickets

After last year’s very successful party, this year we are going again to the Church Hall of St Thomas Church for our annual Christmas Drinks Party. Please come along and kick off your Christmas in great style at the Lymington Society Christmas Party, viewed by many as the most exciting Christmas Party in Lymington. Always a popular event, the Christmas Party is your chance to meet other members and to chat to LymSoc Committee members and local Councillors about the ongoing local matters of concern. As usual the catering will be provided by outstanding local caterer Di Morley who produces the most delicious canapes. Make a date to join us for this popular event in the LymSoc calendar.

Friday 7th February 2025. Illustrated Talk – 6.30 pm for 7.00 pm Nick Saunders – “A Major Armed Confrontation with Smugglers at Naish.”The Gates Hall – The Lymington Centre Refreshments served from 6.30 pm – Cost £6.00 to include refreshments. (£7.00 for Guests) Tickets on the door or on TicketTailor Click Here for Tickets

Respected local historian Nick Saunders will be telling us all about a major armed clash involving smugglers, that took place at Naish in 1825 and the resulting ramifications for those involved that resulted. In the 1800s, smuggling was rife along the coastline and the uninhabited coasts of Dorset of Hampshire, often encouraged by the local gentry. On the 3rd of July 1825, a detachment of Royal Navy personnel based at Hurst Castle confronted an armed gang of 60 smugglers. Nick will describe the background to this major incident, how he came to discover detail of the clash and the results of the major legal trials of those who took part.

New Forest Smugglers

Friday the 14th of March – 2025 – 6.30 pm for 7.00 pm Lymington Society Annual General Meeting. The Gates Hall – The Lymington Centre. Followed by an Illustrated Talk by Professor Tony King “Iron Age and Roman Times in Lymington and the New Forest”

Members are invited to attend the AGM of the Society where the Chair will present a Report on the activities of the last year since the previous AGM. Following this, members will be invited to vote on the appointment of the officers of the society and to vote for the members of the Executive Committee.   There will then be the usual chance for members to ask questions and have their input into the future priorities for the next year’s activities.

Following the AGM – An Illustrated Talk by Professor Tony King “Iron Age and Roman Times in Lymington and the New Forest”

Professor Tony King is a distinguished lecturer in archaeology at the University of Winchester and a specialist in Roman archaeology. He has excavated widely in Britain and abroad, at sites that include Hayling Island, Meonstoke Roman Villa, Pompeii, Leptis Magna, and at Volubilis. His talk will highlight new discoveries in the southern New Forest of Iron Age and Roman sites and remains. The New Forest History and Archaeology Group has been active in recent years on sites such as the Roman settlement and possible villa at Brockenhurst, and in surveying and recording hillforts such as Ampress, Buckland Rings and Exbury. Professor King will put his discoveries into their historical context and illustrate his talk with photos of sites and artefacts.

Wednesday 23rd of  April 2025 – 6.30 pm for 7.00 pm Illustrated Talk by Alan Brooke The Story of Gill Electronic Research The Amazing Story Of A Major, Cutting-Edge, High Technology Company, based here In Lymington. Refreshments served from 6.30 pm – Cost £6.00 to include refreshments. (£7.00 for Guests). Tickets on the door or on TicketTailor Click here for tickets

Gill Electronic Research and Development  was formed by Michael and Lesley Gill in 1985 originally in a converted stable block at their home in Milford-on-Sea, later moving to Solent House, in Cannon Street,  Prior to launching Gill Electronic Research, Mike Gill was Technical Director at Brooks and Gatehouse, a Lymington company which had been responsible for many developments in leisure marine navigation equipment, where Mike lead redevelopment of the aged product range. Design award winning additional products included “Sonic Speed” which measured boat speed with no moving parts. Gill Instruments Ltd. was founded in 1988 with the launch of an ultrasonic anemometer, an innovative and ground-breaking wind-speed measuring device with no moving parts but using ultrasound to calculate wind speed and direction. This novel technology has revolutionised wind measurement. From this early beginning, Gill Instruments has developed to become the premier weather measurement company globally, with products setting the gold standard worldwide. A string of other innovative products has followed including an award-winning gas meter using no moving parts which was developed for a competition run by British Gas in 1987 leading to manufacture of a million units in the mid 1990’s. The Gill group now consist of 4 companies employing over 150 people and at the cutting edge of technology in weather measurement, Formula One, military applications, sensors, engine management systems and more. Group CEO Alan Brookes will give a fascinating insight of how this company based in Lymington has grown to be such a force in many major areas of high technology.

Friday the 23rd May 2025 6.00 – 8.00 PM. The Lymington Society Summer Garden Party. High Trees, Fairfield Close, Lymington.  Tickets are £10.00 for Members and £11.00 for Guests Tickets will only available on Ticket Tailor  Click here for Tickets

Garden of High Trees, Fairfield Close, Lymington.

By kind permission of LymSoc member Jonathan Hutchinson, the Summer Garden Party will be held in the wonderful gardens of High Trees, Fairfield Close, Lymington. SO41 3NP. Please join us for a delightful summer’s garden party with Pimms, Prosecco and fantastic canapes in this beautiful garden, just a short walk from the High Street.