Local historian steps back in time to raise funds

Dr Pat Murrell will again raise funds for St Nicholas Hospice Care as she returns with a second series of her Step Back in Time Lectures.

Initially planned for 2020 to follow on from her successful series in 2019, Dr Murrell had to delay the five lectures due to the pandemic but is now looking forward to delivering them over the coming months.

The first in the series, entitled Bury’s Streets and Streetlife 1660-1830, will take place on Thursday, 28 October, starting at 8pm in the Bury St Edmunds URC Church, in Whiting Street, and this will be followed on December 16 by another lecture entitled The Victorian Christmas.

Dr Murrell said: “If you are looking for a friendly and informative night out, then this second series is for you, but do book early as places are limited.

“The topics have been carefully selected and extensively researched. They are designed to appeal both to those who have a serious or merely a casual interest in history.”

A further three events planned for spring 2022 will cover Old Cupola (lost heritage) – the Highs and Lows of Apothecary, Hawstead, Hardwick and Horticulture: some green-fingered Cullums and finally, Meet the Inhabitants – Burials in Bury’s Great Churchyard.

Lizzie Cross, the hospice’s community fundraiser, said: “Dr Murrell is a long-standing supporter of the hospice, and we are so grateful that following on from such a successful series of lectures in 2019, she is supporting us in this way again.

“With Dr Murrell’s professional knowledge of the late Stuart and Georgian period (1660-1830) spanning five decades, she has regularly lectured across Suffolk on a whole variety of subjects, so don’t miss this chance to attend what promises to be a delightfully informative second series of Step Back in Time lectures in her home town.”

Dr Murrell’s 2019 Step Back in Time series raised more than £2,500 for the hospice, and thanks go to all of those who attended, as well as Ron Murrell for his support, Moyes Hall Museum for the loan of equipment and the URC for providing the venue.

Tickets for the first lecture, which will explore life on, above, and below Bury’s central thoroughfare, are currently on sale at £10 and can be purchased from the hospice’s shop in St John’s Street or through the charity’s website: https://stnicholashospice.org.uk/news-community/events-listing/step-back-in-time-for-st-nicholas-hospice-care-burys-streets-and-streetlife/.

The ticket price includes refreshments of cakes and biscuits made to recipes of the period. Tickets for upcoming Step Back in Time lectures will also be sold from the St John’s Street shop.