Michael Shippobottom will give a talk the subject of James Lomax Simpson, Architect.  This will briefly cover his background in Bolton and particularly his father’s friendship with W H Lever the first Lord Leverhulme, as well as his father’s architectural practice.  It will then outline Lomax Simpson’s career: early work with his father in Bolton; work for E P Jones in Ellesmere Port; W H Lever in Wirral and Bolton then work after joining Lever Bros and later work for Unilever.  This in connection with the article Michael wrote for the 115 Transactions.

Author and journalist Brian Groom, who has previously spoken to the society about his bestselling ‘Northerners: A History’ and ‘Made in Manchester’, will talk about his forthcoming book ‘These Isles’, due out on 26 February 2026. He will tell the story from the first human footsteps to the present day, charting the kaleidoscope of overlapping and conflicting identities, including references to Lancashire and Cheshire.

Stephen Duxbury is to give a talk around the subject of Dickens in the North which aims to publicise the significant influence from the North and Northern personalities had on Dickens life and work.

Rochdale's Baum Rabbit was one of Britain's most famous supernatural Victorian and Edwardian spirits. It appeared not only in local writing and the classics of Lancashire dialect, but in national reference guides and the pages of Punch. But how on earth did the town settle on an innocent-sounding bunny as its token of fear? As late as the interwar period Rochdale kids were threatened with 'The Baum rabbit will get you'! In this talk we look at the evidence for the Baum Rabbit and the wider British tradition of killer bunnies. The Baum rabbit might seem impossibly bizarre to us today, but it had many cute floppy-eared cousins who terrorised communities up and down the land.  

Simon Young is a British historian based in Italy. In 2022 he published The Boggart: Folklore, History, Place-names and Dialect with the University of Exeter Press."

Following on from our study in 2025 of Hoghton Tower, two Zoom talks and the successful visit, it has been decided that we make a full day event. There is so much to see at Hoghton Tower and the half day visit wasn't enough! Once we get nearer, we will post details and we are hoping to arrange transport from Manchester Victoria for anyone who hasn't got their own transport.

Hoghton Tower has lovely tea rooms so we will be able to pre-order food.

Join Testament as he pieces together the life of Robert Rose the self-titled “Bard of Colour”, a black poet living in Manchester 200 years ago. Rose was part of the Sun Inn Group of poets alongside Samuel Bamford, John Critchely Prince and Isabella Banks. Testament is currently writing a play about Robert Rose. Testament is a rapper, poet, playwright and world record holding beatboxer. Testament  was writer in residence at The Royal Exchange Theatre in 2019 and is currently host of BBC Radio 4’s The Adverb.”

The Together Trust, Together Trust Centre, Schools Hill, Cheadle, Cheshire, SK8 1JE

The Together Trust is a Charity based in Cheadle which delivers care, support and education services across the North-West. Services include caring homes and education for young people with disabilities and complex needs along with a fostering service and therapy services for families. Community services are also run for adults with disabilities or complex health needs.

The Charity has evolved multiple times from small beginnings in January 1870 on Quay Street, Manchester when a homeless shelter was first opened for 12 boys over the age of 10. The Charity's name too has evolved through the years notably including 'Manchester and Salford Boys and Girls Refuges and Homes' and 'the Boys and Girls Welfare Society'.  The services offered for children grew quickly from 1870 and within the Charity's first 50 years they ran numerous homes across a wide age range, emigration services to Canada, campaigning work to improve the lives of children, employment and training opportunities, convalescent homes, summer camps, a 24-hour shelter, a remand home and a home for children with disabilities. From 1920 most services were re-located from Manchester and Salford to Cheadle. Children's homes continued to be run from the Cheadle site before moving to smaller family homes in the community, following which specialist education services were provided on site, evolving to include post 16 education and adult day services in the local area. As Records and Archives Officer for the Trust I hope to provide an overview of the Trust's 155 year history and use the records from the early half of the Charity's history to explore some of the services offered and the young people who used them.