Conference
The annual AGM and Conference is held at the beginning of September at a location within the British Isles.
Conferences areas are chosen two or three years ahead and are organised by a local member in association with the Conference Administrator. They normally start after dinner on the Friday with an evening lecture on the area to be visited. The next two days have full itineraries of visits to fortifications in the area and are followed by the AGM on Saturday evening and by evening lectures on Sunday. On the Monday morning there is usually a visit to a site of particular interest. A conference guidebook is produced giving summary information and plans of the sites to be visited. Please see the report of the 2011 conference for more information.
Conference 2012: Falmouth
The annual AGM and Conference will be held in Falmouth from 31st August to the 3rd of September 2012 based at the University of Exeter’s Tremough Campus at Penryn. The campus is well served by road, being about a two-hour drive from Exeter, and by rail, with the local station at Penryn being about a 15-minute walk to the campus. The newly built accommodation is in single rooms with en-suite facilities. There is ample car parking close by.
Provisional Programme
Friday 31st August: lecture by a speaker from English Heritage, on the Falmouth defences we shall be visiting over the week end.
Saturday 1st September: Starting with a walk along the east glacis of Pendennis Castle overlooking the docks, which were taken over and extended by the Admiralty in both world wars. Then southwards past the wartime trenches, the site of the twin 6 pdr Battery at Middle Point, Crab Quay Battery, and Little Denis Blockhouse and on to the remains of the practice Battery at Pendennis Point. Next we will enter Pendennis Castle proper and examine the extensive features of the Henrician Castle and Half Moon 6-in Battery, its magazines and BOP. This English Heritage site has recently been in receipt of Lottery funding which has enabled wide refurbishment to be undertaken. The AGM will be held in the evening.
Sunday 2nd September: We shall visit St Mawes Castle and its Guardhouse, Gunpowder Magazine, the Grand Sea Battery, the Tudor Blockhouse, 12-pdr battery, minefield observation station and the electric light Director's cell. In the afternoon we will move on to St Anthony's Head 6-in Battery to view the camp site and officers' accommodation, the pier and dam, the battery magazine and the BOP. We will be able to enter parts of these three sites, which are not usually open to the public. On Sunday evening there will be a lecture on other principle sites in Cornwall likely to be of interest to members.
Monday 3rd September: optional visit to Okehampton Battle Camp to see the ranges in the morning. This will enable members to complete about 11/2 hours of their journey out of the far South West before stopping for the visit.
Attendees will need to make their own way to Falmouth where the cost includes three nights accommodation, meals, coach transport during the tour. Once again, to save costs, members are asked to bring their EH and NT members cards with them or to pay the usual entrance fee to the three sites. The cost will be £250 per person.
Booking forms will be circulated in the January Casemate and are also available on the Member's Pages of this site. Numbers are limited to 50 and early application is advised.
The conference administrator is Alistair Graham Kerr (sales@fsgfort.com)