ABOUT US
Formed in 1982, the Gotherington & Area Local History Society has promoted interest in local history by arranging speakers at monthly meetings, maintaining a lending library of books and pamphlets of local interest, sponsoring classes, and researching and publishing articles and booklets on local history.
Meetings are from September to May on the fourth Tuesday of the month (except December) at 7.30pm, Gotherington Village Hall, GL52 9ER. Membership fees are £15 per year. Non-members are welcome for a visitor’s fee of £3. If you would like to become a member please contact Ken, treasurer@galhs.org.uk
All meetings are followed by coffee, biscuits and the opportunity to browse through the Society’s wealth of local history books.
Chairman: David Aldred chairperson@galhs.org.uk
Acting Secretary: Ken Ascroft secretary@galhs.org.uk
Assistant Secretary: Caroline Ryman secretary@galhs.org.uk
Treasurer: Ken Ascroft treasurer@galhs.org.uk
Committee members:
Jill Collins
Julie Ryan
Philip Watson
FOLLOW US!
The Gotherington History Facebook page highlights our meetings and events. You can also follow us on X @GotheringtonLHS
LATEST NEWS
New Programme for the 2026/27 Season
JUST MONTHLY COFFEE MORNING Saturday 5th September 2026, Gotherington Village Hall
Traditionally, we provide cakes from different periods of history. What about Savoy Cake (19th cen.), Victoria Sandwich (19th cen.), Lemon Cake (19th cen.), Rich Seed Cake (18th cen.), Beetroot Pancakes (18th cen.), Gingerbread (17th cen.), Spice Cake (17th cen.), Shropshire Cake (17th cen.), Marzipan Bacon (17th cen.) …..? (But maybe give King Alfred’s offering a miss!)
Please contact the secretary if you can offer any other recipes or would like information about those mentioned on the list above.
Upcoming Presentations
Tuesday 22nd September 2026 – Secret Cheltenham presented by David Elder
The ‘A-side’ of Cheltenham’s history as a fashionable Regency spa and subsequent reinvention as a town of colleges, churches and festivals is well documented, but what about its ‘flip-side’? Much of the town’s fascinating history has either been overlooked or lies hidden below the surface. Well-known local author David Elder delves into Cheltenham’s lost, forgotten and hidden histories, unearthing fascinating facts and recounting some remarkable stories. Learn, for example, about some of Cheltenham’s minor celebrities and local characters – from the man who sold his wife for little more than 18 pence to the concert pianist who claimed to be the reincarnation of Franz Liszt, while not forgetting the person who led to the ‘discovery’ of Jeeves not long before perishing at the Battle of the Somme. Secret Cheltenham reveals the lesser-known aspects of this remarkable town.
Past Presentations
2025/26 ARCHIVE OF PRESENTATIONS
PAST EVENTS AND OUTINGS ORGANISED BY THE L.H.S.
USEFUL LINKS
Gloucestershire Local History Association
The Friends of Gloucestershire Archives
Gloucestershire Family History Society
ANCESTRY
The L.H.S. has a village family tree on Ancestry called ‘Gotherington Connections‘. Find the ‘home person,’ Tom Long, who was born at Gotherington in 1883 and who died there in 1959. He will lead you to over 3,000 profiles of people who once lived at either Gotherington, Woolstone, or Oxenton. The profiles on the tree predominantly incorporate research undertaken by Hilda Bishop in the 1970s and 80s. Access to Ancestry is available through Glos. Archives and at county libraries.
PUBLICATIONS
There are several local publications which focus on the history of our area. Local publications can be viewed by visiting online Courtyard Books
You can also browse in person a range of local books at The Cleeve Bookshop
RESEARCH IN PROGRESS (offers of photographs, newspaper cuttings, or memories gratefully received): –
Workhouses of north Gloucestershire by Jacquie Waine. Email: jmmwaine@gmail.com
Memories of village cricket by Rob Sharp. Email: rob_sharp100@hotmail.com
Why not undertake an investigation of your own?
Currently, members of the Society are researching the history of water in the area. There are always many different aspects of local history which could be researched, for example:
– the history of your house (we have notes on all the houses in Gotherington)
– a particular club/society eg. the Tritons?
– Gotherington Cross Garage?
– Longfurlong Mobile Home Park?
If you would like the Society to send research information to you then a donation to Gotherington LHS would be appreciated. Please contact the treasurer for details.
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