Please note that members or guests taking part in meetings, visits or field events do so at their own risk as SIAS can not accept any responsibility for injury or damage.
Programme
Talks are held at Silver Street Baptist Church, Taunton or on-line via 'Zoom' on Monday evenings at 19:30 from September to March. They cover a wide range of topics. At Silver Street there is also a free-of-charge Book Exchange and SIAS publications are on sale at reduced price for members. Trips are organised during the Summer.
MEMBERS OF SIAS: There is no charge to SIAS members except on trips where entry fees are indicated.
GUESTS are welcome. They are charged £3. Places on trips must be booked in advance (see below). SIAS members have first preference on trips where numbers are limited.
Autumn Programme 2025
September 16th (Tuesday): All day visit to colliery and railway sites north-east of Bristol. Morning: led by Steve Grudgings (South Gloucestershire Mines Research Group). Meet at 11.00 at Bitterwell Lake car park, Coalpit Heath, BS36 2UF [GR:ST679795]. Afternoon: led by Steve Hake, visit to Brandy Bottom Colliery, one of the projects of Avon Industrial Buildings Trust who have led extensive excavations and conservation on the site. The site is a scheduled monument and includes two engine houses, a chimney, and many other mining features. For the afternoon we will meet at 14.00 at Windmill Golf Academy on Henfield Road, BS36 2FE [GR:ST680785] to share cars, because parking is limited near the Colliery. Members are welcome to come for morning or afternoon only. There are plenty of spaces left on what is likely to be a fascinating visit; places can be booked with the Field Officer, details below, who will also confirm with those who have already booked. Further details on itinerary will be communicated to members who book for this visit. Donation of £5 for Brandy Bottom visit payable on the day. Visitors are welcome - fee £3 each.
Field Officer Peter Daniel contact details:
Email peter.daniel51@btinternet.com - Telephone 01288 341653 or 07736 374003
October 6th (Monday) - live at Silver Street
Lawrence (Larry) Bennett - The Pioneering Long-range Radio Stations of Somerset
October 20th (Monday) - on-line via ‘Zoom’
Bill Burns (from New York) - Was there really a Victorian internet?
(and how did we get from there to here?)
November 3rd (Monday) - live at Silver Street
Martin Watts - Somerset Mills in Art and Illustrations
November 17th (Monday) - on-line via ‘Zoom’
Keith Hodgkins - Beers and Breweries of the Black Country
December 1st (Monday) - live at Silver Street
Members’ Evening and Social. All contributions welcome; slides, talks, demonstrations, artefacts, photographs, anecdotes, etc. Please contact the Field Officer with suggestions - Teas, coffees and biscuits between items
December 15th (Monday) - on-line via ‘Zoom’
Ben Sumpter - Mining Engineering in Cornwall
Note: Members and visitors should indicate in advance the visits in which they wish to participate. Email responses to the Field Officer, peter.daniel51@btinternet.com, are preferable since it makes it easier to contact participants in the event of changes. In cases of urgency, please telephone Peter Daniel - 07736 374003.
Although SIAS does not require payment in advance, those booking a place on a trip will, unless prevented by illness, be expected to pay, even if they are unable to attend.
Silver Street Baptist Church Hall is situated on the gyratory system where the B3170 from Corfe meets the A38 in Taunton. There is parking in the Church's private car park, but please do not park in reserved spaces.
Location maps
