BARROW Civic and Local History Society starts its autumn programme of talks at the end of the month.

All the meetings are held at the Trinity Church Centre in Abbey Road at 2pm and everyone with an interest in local history is very welcome to attend.

A charge of £2 for members and £2.50 for visitors includes refreshments.

The guest speakers on Friday, September 30 will be members of the Furness U3A Industrial History Group.

They carried out research, much from original source material, into the development of brick making in Furness from the 1840s to the present day.

Their talk called “From Clay to Shale” will provide a fascinating insight into this prominent local industry.

The guest speaker at the October meeting of the society will be Isabella Sneesby.

Her talk on Friday, October 28 is called “The Harringtons, Medieval Lords of Gleaston Castle”.

The castle was in the news in 2015 when high-tech aerial photography, together with more traditional archaeological techniques, gathered data and recorded every aspect of the site.

Dr Rob David will speak at the November meeting on Friday, November 25.

His lecture is called “Waiter, Miner, Butcher, Spy: Germans and Austrians in Cumbria during the First World War” and describes what happened to these people and the impact it had on local communities.

Barrow Civic and Local History Society was established in 1985 to promote interest and pride in the heritage of Barrow and the local area.

Information about the society can be found on the website, barrowhistorysociety.org.uk