LLHG's final meeting was on Thursday 20 November, when Judith Shingler and her colleagues from Ambleside Oral History Group presented "Tales of the Unexpected", a collection of fascinating stories that had taken them by surprise when researching in the archive.

​LLHG's association with AOHG dates back to our early days so it was appropriate that their light-hearted and entertaining presentation should be our final talk.

We regret to tell you that, at a Special General Meeting (SGM) of LLHG, held on Thursday 18 September, that as no replacements for the retiring holders of the offices of Treasurer, Chair, and Secretary have come forward, it was decided to wind-up the group in accordance with the conditions of its constitution, with effect from 1st January 2026.
In order that those wanting to continue to actively participate in researching Levens local history can have the funds to do so, an arrangement has been made with Kendal Historical and Archaeological Society that that society will hold the residual funds of LLHG on their behalf once all LLHG's debts have been paid.

The SGM minutes which detail the proceedings of the SGM and what was decided have been emailed to all those on the LLHG circulation list. If anyone else wishes to see the minutes they are available via the LLHG contact form - see the "Contact & Membership" tab above.

The remainder of the LLHG Autumn 2025 speaker programme will continue unaltered with meetings on 16 October and 20 November.

We hope everyone is enjoying their summer, and this is just to say that the LLHG 2025 season resumes on Thursday 18 September with a talk by Dr. Sarah Rose on “Understanding Past and Place: the Role of Antiquaries in Local History”  
​Meanwhile with committee retirements looming, and no obvious successor candidates visible, the continuance of LLHG after the end of this year is doubtful. We would welcome some new blood to sustain the group.

​We all have our in our minds a stereotype of the consequences of the New Poor Law of 1834, but Stuart Newstead will examine the actual situation for the poor of our district. Stuart says - "Our views of the Victorian workhouses is very much based on how Charles Dickens portrayed them in his novels. Oliver twist asking for more gruel is perhaps the best known image. Dickens related stories of misery, cruelty and desperation. But was Dickens correct or was the real situation more nuanced?  In south Westmorland the workhouses at Kirkby Lonsdale, Milnthorpe and Kendal had been founded under the Old Poor Law. They were brought together when the Kendal Poor Law Union was established under the New Poor Law. Tensions existed between the Kendal Union Guardians and the National Poor Law Commission about how these workhouses should be run. This presentation will explore these tensions and how the running of the South Westmorland workhouse compared to Dickens's portrayal.”

 Kevin Grice, who in addition to being an LLHG member is a retired barrister and former Secretary of the Kendal Historical and Archaeological Society, is now  Publications Officer and Council member at CWAAS as well as a Volunteer Supervisor for LDNPA. Kevin will talk about “the History of Brockhole”. Brockhole on Windermere is a  house built in the 1890s as a wealthy family’s home and having been a convalescent home has been in the hands the LDNP since 1966.

​Dr. Mike Winstanley will speak about how our area was presented in art in his talk “Westmorland, Lonsdale and Amounderness Illustrated: early 19th century prints and their artists” . Potential tourists could have a preview of a very popular area when they couldn't go on the Grand Tour  because of the Napoleonic War.

​Once upon a time when there were no fridges or freezers, trade in ice from frozen wastes beyond our shores was a major commercial activity as people sought the keep food from spoiling. It is a fact that a big heap of ice insulates itself and melts slowly, so from a domestic perspective if you had the wherewithal to build an icehouse in your garden you could buy a pile of ice to put in it to keep your perishables fresh for weeks. Levens Hall has a fine icehouse, thoroughly restored a few years ago, which will feature in Dr. David’s talk.

HELLO EVERYONE - Our 2025 programme begins with our AGM on Thursday 16 January. The business meeting will be followed by Ian Hodkinson giving a talk about William Lakin Turner - Portrait of a Lakeland Artist.