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The Events Sub-Committee has put together the following programme for 2008. We aim to cover a wide range of interests, including both current and historic topics. If you have any comments on the programme or suggestions for future events please contact John How.

Our regular monthly meetings will be held on Wednesday evenings at Clapham Manor Primary School, Belmont Road, SW4. The hall is open from 7.30 pm when coffee and tea are available. The talk begins at 8 pm and meetings usually finish by 9.30 pm. Please try to arrive before 8 pm, as latecomers are disturbing to both speaker and audience. Meetings are open to non-members and are free of charge. Please bring your friends!

Wednesday 16 January
Up the Junction Proposals are afoot to make significant changes to the area around Clapham Junction. Although this is on the periphery of our parish, a lot of members use the shops and the station and will be interested in the proposals.
  We are holding a joint meeting with the Battersea Society to hear about these and to have the opportunity to air our views. Speakers will include David Lewis and Harvey Heath from the Battersea Society and we hope also to have a Wandsworth Councillor.

Wednesday 13 February
Historic Clapham. Clapham resident, historian and archaeologist, Michael Green will talk about his new book, due to be published this month. Historic Clapham covers the early history of Clapham from prehistoric times to the 18th century. It includes histories of the village, the manor, the church and the building in 1660 of the first great mansion, Clapham Place, where Samuel Pepys spent the last years of his life. Michael has spent ten years on the study of this period of Clapham's history which has never before been fully researched.

Wednesday 19 March
Eric Smith Memorial Lecture. This year's lecture in memory of local historian, Eric Smith, will be given by Nicola Moorby, Curator at Tate Britain. Her subject will be the artist JMW Turner and his links with South London. Turner is remembered as the great painter of colour and light in landscape and he loved to depict the changing conditions along the River Thames, particularly from Chelsea and Battersea where he lived at the end of his life. One of his early oil paintings shows Clapham Common, whilst at least one of his patrons lived in Clapham.

Wednesday 23 April
Southbank Centre. Ian Blackburn, Project Director of the Southbank Centre, will talk about the recent refurbishment of the Grade 1-listed Royal Festival Hall, which restored the original features whilst upgrading amenities and acoustics to 21st century standards. He will also focus on the continuing programme for improving the 21-acre Southbank Centre site.

Wednesday 21 May
Future Clapham. In view of the importance of this major new development we have changed the subject of our May meeting, which will now be a presentation of the final plans for the new Leisure Centre in Clapham Manor Street and the Library and Health Centre on the site of Mary Seacole House in Clapham High Street. We understand that this is the proposed date for the planning application to be submitted to Lambeth Council. The presentation will be made by Martin Wood, Project Director of the developers, Cathedral Group, Mike Lawless of the architects for the leisure centre, LA Architects, and Christopher Egret of Studio Egret West, architects for the Library.
We hope that officers from Lambeth Council will also attend.

Wednesday 18 June
Trees on the Common. Recent events have shown the value set on trees, particularly those on the Common. An illustrated talk on this subject will also include issues surrounding urban wildlife and biodiversity.

Wednesday 2 July
Summer Party. At 21 Clapham Common West Side, by kind permission of Annabel and Stephen Allott.

There are no meetings in July and August, but they are replaced by the following walks.

Wednesday 16 July
Historic Clapham. A repeat of our popular walk round the centre of historic Clapham, including The Polygon, Old Town, Rectory Grove, St Paul's Church, Trinity Hospice and Holy Trinity Church. Led by David Perkin. Meet at 6.30 pm outside Clapham Library, Clapham Common North Side.

Wednesday 20 August
Changing Clapham. A new walk visiting sites of the current major leisure and housing developments. Led by Peter Jefferson Smith. Time and meeting place as shown above.

Wednesday 17 September
Underground London. A talk on the numerous tunnels and underground workings, including the deep shelters under Clapham.

Wednesday 22 October
Annual General Meeting. After the business meeting the Guest Speaker will be Kate Hoey, Member of Parliament for Vauxhall.

Wednesday 19 November
Hatfield's, a leading antique furniture restoration company, and now part of the Mallett group, recently moved to an historic building in Clapham. This evening we shall hear about the history and work of the company, as well as the history of Scholars House, 49 Clapham High Street, and their recent refurbishment of the building.

There is no meeting in December

The programme for 2009 will be published in December.

If you require any further details about any event please contact John How on 020 8673 3945
or Alyson Wilson on 020 7622 6360 (email: alysonwilson.sw4@virgin.net)