Camberley Centre
Camberley Adult Education Centre, France Hill Drive, Camberley, GU15 3QB
For map click here.Co-ordinator: Sue Turner
Email: camberley@wsfhs.orgFrom January 2026, all the meetings will be on the Third Saturday of the month.
The gate to the Centre and the door will open at 1.30pm and the meeting will start at 2.00pm.
The final meetings of 2025 (September to November) will be on the Third Wednesday of the month. Generally the doors will open at 7pm and the meeting will start at 7.30pm.
There are no meetings in July, August and December.
2025
| Date | Doors Open | Start Time | Title | Speaker | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed | 15 Oct | 7.00 pm | 7.30 pm | Gutta Percha in Glasgow | Alan Taylor |
| Wed | 19 Nov | 7.00 pm | 7.30 pm | Letters Home - Emigrant Letters | Judith Hill |
| Wed | 17 Dec | 7.00 pm | 7.30 pm | No Meeting | No Meeting |
2026
| Date | Doors Open | Start Time | Title | Speaker | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat | 17 Jan | 1.30 pm | 2.00 pm | Mixing DNA results with a paper trail - Demystifying DNA | Penny Walters |
| Sat | 21 Feb | 1.30 pm | 2.00 pm | Clandon Park – a heritage project like no other | Margaret Taylor |
| Sat | 21 Mar | 1.30 pm | 2.00 pm | Stranger Things (Co-incidences, strange happening and odd people in your tree) | Informal Meeting |
Forthcoming Meetings
October 15 2025
Alan Taylor - Gutta Percha in GlasgowThis talk is about the history of gutta percha manufacture and its impact on two families in Glasgow.
Alan is a retired civil servant and a keen family historian since his teens. He is a member of the Society, having been Editor of Root and Branch 1978-1985 and Chairman of the Society 1974-1987.
November 19
Judith Hill - Letters Home - Emigrant LettersRecently historians have been exploring the personal correspondence of emigrants who left Britain in the nineteenth century. These personal letters provide not only unique evidence of the hopes and fears of emigrants and their journey but are also an important avenue for exploring local culture. The letters she has used are the 144 published letters written between the years 1832 and 1837 by the Petworth emigrants (which include the Dorking emigrant letters). The letters were written by those who lived and worked in southern England at the beginning of the nineteenth century and had emigrated because of economic difficulties. Although there is a great body of scholarship about nineteenth century poverty the voices of the rural poor are seldom heard. These letters provide a valuable source especially as they contain testimonies from people who do not normally leave archival residue for posterity. These letters reflect on life in England from a different perspective. As they were no longer dependent on the parish for relief, the writers did not have to be so constrained.
December 17
No Meeting - No MeetingJanuary 17 2026
Penny Walters - Mixing DNA results with a paper trail - Demystifying DNAHave you done a test and you’re not sure what the results mean? What would the benefits of doing a DNA test be when you’ve already done a thorough paper trail? This presentation will walk you through the initial stages of understanding your DNA test results, and potential ethical dilemmas will be discussed.
Dr. Penny Walters has been a University lecturer for 30 years, teaching Masters’ Business studies at British Universities. She lectures internationally in-person including throughout the UK, Ireland, America, and Australia; writes articles; is sought after for a wide range of webinar topics; and is a regular consultant on a variety of television and radio programmes. Penny has authored the books: 'Ethical Dilemmas in Genealogy' (2019) and ‘The Psychology of Searching’ (2020).
February 21
Margaret Taylor - Clandon Park – a heritage project like no otherMargaret has been a volunteer for the National Trust at Clandon Park since 2013. When the fire broke out in April 2015 she was on duty in the house and has been involved in giving talks about the fire and aftermath ever since. They are now moving towards having final plans to share so she will give an overview highlighting why Clandon Park has always been special through to current ideas of how it will be seen when it reopens. Margaret and her husband Alan, who gave a talk in October 2025, have been members of the West Surrey FHS since 1976 and have served the Society in many different roles in the earlier years of their membership.
March 21
Informal Meeting - Stranger Things (Co-incidences, strange happening and odd people in your tree)This informal meeting will be led by Sue Turner who has some strange families, with odd co-incidences that could provide answers to her brick walls. Bring along your stranger things to share your discoveries or to ask how they could help.