The locations of the Cygnet Room and Maeldune Centre are shown below:
© Maldon Society 2020
The Society seeks to preserve all that is best in local architecture and ensure that any future development is in keeping with the town's ambience and overall design.The Society aims to promote and preserve the historical heritage of this town and its surrounding area by:
- encouraging civic pride in the area and promoting co-operation with other organisations
- encouraging high standards of planning and architecture by liaising with Councils on planning applications
- arranging well-advertised monthly talks of local interest, open to the public
- managing an informative website (maldonsoc.org) and producing a twice yearly Newsletter
- managing an Archive of photographs and drawings illustrating the history of the town, housed in the Maeldune Centre
- developing an oral history Archive by recording memories and stories from local residents
- being involved with Heritage weekends and the installation of Blue Plaques
Those who share our aims can join the Society by paying a fee of £10 per person or £16 per couple. The membership fee covers the period from 1st April to 31st March. A reduced fee is payable for those joining after 1st April.
Contact Martin Pike on 0774 379 3066, email maldonsociety1957@gmail.com, or download our membership form for further information:
Researcher Lynne Raymond achieve her ambition of correcting the famous story of Edward Bright, the Fat Man of Maldon, thanks to the help of the Maldon Society. Ms Raymond began the project in 2013 by working with evidence found a few years ago. The biggest challenge was to correct the famous figure’s address. Based on historical evidence from the 1890s, the original blue plaque had him living at Church House in Brights Path.
However, new evidence revealed it was his son, who shares his name, and his daughter-in-law who lived there instead. The Fat Man lived at the building which is between 57 and 59 High Street with his family. The Maldon Society organised a replacement plaque for Edward Bright and his son who was a notable person in the town. Among those attending the unveiling were direct descendent Richard Bright, chairman of the Maldon Society Judy Lea, district chairman Henry Bass and conservation officer Tim Howson.
Pictured below left to right: Simon Fothergill from Brights and Sons, Richard Bright, Cllr Henry Bass, Mark Salisbury of Church House and Lynne Raymond with the Edward Bright replacement plaques.
THE MALDON SOCIETY MISSION STATEMENT
THE ORAL HISTORY LISTENING STATION
The content on the Listening Station in the Maeldune Centre has been updated. There are 15 short excerpts from a wide range of the current library of recordings, including some on the embroidery the listening station sits next to, so next time you are out shopping on the High Street do please call in and give it a go. The Listening Station is pictured below:
PLAQUES TO CELEBRATE EDWARD BRIGHT
HERITAGE WEEKEND 11 - 12 SEPTEMBER
Founded over 60 years ago the Maldon Society still actively promotes the heritage of Maldon and its surroundings, adapting to new ways of doing this. We also seek to protect that heritage from unnecessary or harmful change, for example by keeping an eye on planning applications, particularly in the conservation areas, and by participating in local area reviews.
Visitors to the Maeldune Centre are welcome to access the Society's archives which contain over thirty individual collections of photographs, videos and pen-and-ink drawings of the town and its people, ranging from the 1930's to the present day. The adjacent oral archives include a listening station. Over 50 people have now contributed with all sorts of memories of life in the town when it was starting to extend beyond its medieval size, for example boat building and sailing, childhoods spent above the High Street shops, wartime events, learning to swim in the Promenade lake etc.
When Covid recedes as a threat we intend to restart our monthly talks on local buildings, people and events. These have previously always been open to the public as well as members with the intention of promoting an appreciation of our heritage as widely as possible. Meanwhile we help to maintain the vitality of the town working closely with business representatives, with all other local heritage groups and both the town and district councils.
We thank you for looking at our website and welcome new members to help further our aims. Please see below for details as to how to join. Our latest newsletter can be viewed here:
The Society had a stand on both days and launched its latest "Blue Plaques Walks" leaflet, a copy of which can be be viewed here:
Left to right: Adul Hafix, Mayor of Maldon, Wendy Howell, Secretary of the Maldon Society and David Ogg, Deputy Mayor at our stand.
The Society recently organised a viewing of the Beeleigh Abbey gardens exclusively for our members and their guests. Sixty people attended and our Chair, Judy Lea, gave a history of Abbey to attendees, shown below:
