DIARY DATES

We now have a mix of in person and Zoom meetings. Zoom meetings avoid travelling in the dark winter months and allow us to enjoy speakers who may not have been able to travel to in person meetings.  All members will be sent an email before the Zoom meeting with instructions on how to join. Zoom meetings start early and continue after the talk to allow members to discuss things of mutual interest.

 

Our in person  talks are usually held at the Diamond Centre, Details at the bottom of this page. After  the talk coffee/tea/biscuits are served.

 

Guests are welcome to join us for meetings, for a Zoom link please email putting

NIAS24 Talk Invite

into the subject line of an email to talk@norfolkia.org.uk.

Please note emails without correct subject line may be blocked and not reach us.

 

 

The Diamond Centre is a former school operated by Sprowston Council and houses a number of community uses.

The building has been modernised and adapted. It has modern facilities for meetings and full disabled adaptions.

It can be accessed from the outer ring road, from School Lane which is between the Wroxham Road roundabout and the Sprowston Road roundabout. You have to turn left into School lane so a loop round the Sprowston Road roundabout may be required to get onto the North carriageway.

There is a large free car park to the rear of the centre, off Neville Road.  School Lane and Neville Road are marked in Green on the map.  There is direct access from the car park into the building.

 

 

Thursday May 7th – meeting in the Jones Room at the Diamond Centre 7.30 p.m.

Steve Cash - 'History of the Cantley Sugar Beet Factory'.

Steve was involved with the firm for some 40 years, and has used both his own knowledge and a wealth of documentary evidence to describe the story of this important industry.

 

Saturday 16th May, 2pm

Provisional date for site visit to record the Berth Apton concrete works

details to follow

 

Saturday, 6th June 2026

EERIAC 2026 – Programme Elmswell, Suffolk

The Olympic Room, Blackbourne Community Centre, Blackbourne Road, Elmswell, Suffolk IP30 9UH

Talk1 Looking for the Zeppelin Hunters – A First World War Archaeological Exploration. Speaker: Peter McGee

Talk 2 The Most Secret Place on Earth – Elveden and the Birth of the Tank. Speaker: Roger Pugh

Afternoon visit The Great War Huts, Hawstead, IP29 5NW

Great War Huts is a unique heritage project dedicated to restoring and preserving original First World War prefabricated wooden buildings and artefacts.  Several original 1914-1918 structures have been dismantled, transported to the site and re-erected, and a further example is presently undergoing restoration.  Some have been brought from other parts of the country, others being found within a few miles of the site.  All are different, and show differing forms of construction.  A replica trench system has been formed, and has been used in several film and tv re-creations of the war.

 

Thursday 2nd July

Social at The Wheel of Fortune PH, Alpington.

Meeting from about 5.30pm to about 9pm, a chance to meet and talk with other members. Last year over 30 members and guests attended. This would be an ideal meeting for potential members to meet and get to know others. Turn up any  time, but early to be sure of fish and chips.

A traditional village pub that welcomes us for a get together. A fish and chip van calls for those wishing to eat. A good choice of beers and other drinks.   See map below for location.

 

August visit being arranged

 

Thursday 3rd September meeting in the Jones Room at the Diamond Centre 7.30 p.m

A meeting looking at research for projects  - subject to confirmation

 

4th - 9th September 2026

AIA Annual Conference East Anglia

The Association is pleased to announce that full details are now available for  Annual Conference in Norwich

Conference follows its traditional format starting on Saturday with a day of talks on the Industrial Heritage of the area followed by the presentation of this year’s awards the Rolt Lecture. On Sunday afternoon, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday morning

we have a series of tours and evening talks

Saturday and evening talks include Drainage and Corn mills, Herrings, Maltings and Electricity supply, East Anglian Railways and a new addition: Film night!

The Rolt Lecture focuses on the the Heritage of Gas supply.

Visits this year include Agricultural Machinery manufacture, Sewage Pumping, (Historical!) Nuclear Bombs, a gasworks and mills of many shapes and sizes.

Full details and booking can be found at:

https://industrial-archaeology.org/Conference

 

Thursday 1st October

The Bullards and Anchor Brewery – John G. Bullard

John Bullard will be giving us a talk from a family as well as an industrial history perspective on this iconic brewery at the heart of Norwich. He has promised us something special.

 

 

 

Sprowston Diamond Centre, School Lane, Norwich, NR7 8TR

 

 

Map for summer social at the Wheel of Fortune, Alpington.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Past meetings are listed elsewhere on this site.

As always the Chairman welcomes suggestions of speakers. If you know anyone or have heard a good relevant talk please let him know.

If you can give a talk of interest to our members please get in touch with our chairman. He would particularly like to hear of members who can make a presentation to the Society, be it for a full evening (an hour to a maximum of hour and a half) or just 10 minutes on a members night.

Reasonable expenses and agreed fees are paid  to speakers (or nominated good cause). (Download notes for Speakers Here)

Note we are now also looking for speakers willing to give a presentation via Zoom

You can contact us using the details on the Contacts page.