We have some fantastic Blue Plaques around #Thatcham, take a look at www.youtube.com/playlist?lis... and have your say on the next plaque(s) via Thatcham Town Council ( docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... )

Thatcham has a lot of history and this week Thatcham Town Council are sharing short histories of the current blue plaque scheme. Jump over to their YouTube channel to watch - youtube.com/watch?v=NW1S... - you will also see three of our own members taking parts, see if you can spot them!

I wrote a post ( nickbits.co.uk/blog/2018/03... ) on my @nickbits blog back in 2018 - "Is #Thatcham Britain’s oldest inhabited settlement?" where I noted about the Saxon origins. 1/3

This years Thatcham Festival I have the following events: Beating of the Bounds Talk (10th October) Soldiers of Thatcham (12th October) Thatcham Around and About (15th October) 1/2

Got two of these ( ulanzi ) #VIJIM VL81 Bi-Colour LED during the pandemic for doing remote schooling & some #Thatcham history talks online. Battery now going on them and switch issues on other. Lasted well, time to replace.

Invested a few months ago in new medical alerts. Prefer the white on black, the silver one looks nice but can be difficult to see. Both on Casio W-96H watches - neither perfect fit but do work. For those interested, links for both www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1... and www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1...

Sadly time to replace the Neewer NW-3000, have loved them. Looking for another more studio headphones (not too expensive). Go with Audio-Technica, OneOdio, or other? Any recommendations?

So #Newbury Museum most will tell you opened in 1904. It has been through numerous changes, today is West Berkshire Museum. However it has its origins much earlier as part of the Literary and Scientific Institution which is first (the museum) mentioned (I can find) in 1853.

Looking at the Belfast Telegraph 15 June 1872 via @BNArchive and it rightly has Mark Tuck (nickbits.co.uk/blog/2022/03...) of #Newbury placed in the stocks. It says stocks not used for 26 years. Article even then was wrong. Got several uses in the late 1840s and 1850s.

Was asked yesterday about Heartstart #Thatcham - see bit.ly/442Glpc and find out why I started it www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVmD... - I do still help with defibrillators/AEDs and teach CPR when I can in the local community.

Despite many such as Beresford’s Lost Villages noting Henwick as a Deserted Medieval Village, I still disagree. When owned by Reading Abbey we had two manors, to reduce confusion one was called "the manor of Thatcham, otherwise Henwick" 1/2

I still find many in the area teaching that #Thatcham is a village despite having a Town Council, a Town Football Club and so on - Thatcham has been a town since 1974 - learn more at nickbits.co.uk/blog/2024/08...

Will be working on my website refresh, nickbits.co.uk, over next few weeks and finally, hopefully, get my podcast up and running.

Love the cycle lanes around the area, make it much safer. Hate people walking on the one in Lower Way, #Thatcham. But what worries me, and I have seen this lots of times, and just watched another cycling the wrong way in the cycle lane on the A4 near Northfield Road in #Thatcham. 1/2

A few years old now but nice to see my PhD research, Psychovisually tuned attribute operators for pre-processing digital video, that I did at @uniofbath.bsky.social being used by others - see www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Image-...

The Poplars, now known as Bradley Moore House and is home to the Cedars Dental Care, is a building that dates back to the 1700s and has played a crucial role in Thatcham’s history. Below is a short history of the building. Read more at nickbits.co.uk/blog/2025/03...

Just rewatching some of the 2023 & 2024 #AllAboutThatPlace / #AATP and wondering of there will be a 2025 event? @oneplacestudies.bsky.social

My first ESP32-S3 device. Camera, SD, card, etc all work. WiFi can see networks. But whatever i do I cannot get WiFi to connect to any network. All my other ESP32 devices work fine. Tried example Arduino IDE code as well as ESP-IDF and no go. Any suggestions?

Thomas "Berkshire" Blake was the last person to be placed in the stocks in #Thatcham, 1852. Mark Tuck was placed in the stocks in #Newbury in 1872 and was the last in the country - read the post - nickbits.co.uk/blog/2022/03...

For those interested in the Roman Cemetery in #Newbury, Dr David Peacocks book is an excellent and up to date record, well worth a read.

The first #Newbury Horticultural Society appears to have been formed by 1828 but faded away sometime after 1836 but being restarted in 1848.

I have started, re-started, my Roman #Thatcham research. Putting all references in some sort of order, mapping out finds, etc. Will be looking at, I hope, some finds later in the year. Preparing for a talk and perhaps something to print (booklet?) in 2026 on "Roman Thatcham".

Slowly getting my #Thatcham history research going again after a few months of little activity. Looking at some photogrammetry for some local landmarks but first giving the nickbits.co.uk site an update and attempting to finish some older projects.

So made this last a few more years (abt. 10) but really do need to sort a replacement now. Gone to see what Lifesystems have, sadly new versions are all smaller with less compartments than the old mode,l unless I am missing something! Searching for alternatives, suggestions?

More research on the history of the name #Thatcham. I have Thacham being used the longest with Thatcham being the most recent variation. See the blog post nickbits.co.uk/blog/2022/05...

Sadly my trusty old (purchased c.1988) Casio FX-7000G Graphics Calculator has now developed a dark patch on the LCD. Looking for some information - is it the film or the whole LCD? Where can I get a new LCD?

Been working to update "Thatcham: The Great War" (see thatchamtowncouncil.gov.uk/history/ww1-... ) which covered WWI soldiers on Thatcham War Memorial book to include WWII and a history of Thatcham War Memorial.

Done two or three #Thatcham history talks over the last two weeks, another today and then on 28th April 2025 I will be talking to Thatcham Historical Society about "A history of Thatcham Hundred" - discussing what a hundred is? What are they covered? And much more

In 1883 The Marsh in #Newbury was renamed the People's Park. And in 1897 it was renamed again to Victoria Park. Some of the facts in my Newbury 365 book (second edition in progress).

I have an article about Dunston House, #Thatcham on my blog at nickbits.co.uk/blog/2023/10.... I am still attempting to track down the original, and as far as I am aware, only painting of the property. Last known was in hands of a Mrs Wheeler in the late 1800s.

Week later than promised but here is the post on The Poplars, #Thatcham - nickbits.co.uk/blog/2025/03... - on my blog.

Finally getting back to it. I may have a short post for my nickbits.co.uk blog about Francis Baily and will have a piece about the Poplars building too to coincide with the new blue plaque. The latter will be posted in the next day or two.

Continuing my #Thatcham history research and I now have references to "Thatcham Borough", "Awbery Street" in the 1930s. Interesting as references to both I thought had died out in the 1800s.

A photo from #Thatcham taken on what I believe was Whitelands Farm. Afraid no source for this old photo.

Dunston House/Estate was a manor house in #Thatcham in the 1700s. It was built in the 1720s and demolished around 1800. Find out more on my blog at nickbits.co.uk/blog/2023/10... or watch www.youtube.com/watch?v=Leez...

Having helped train over 2,300 people with CPR I know just how important it is. February is Heart Month, why not take 15 minutes out to learn CPR with the @thebhf.bsky.social RevivR, see www.bhf.org.uk/how-you-can-.... It really can be the difference between saving a life and not.

Catching up on some reference/reading materials, this time with reference to the Fromont family and the King's Head at #Thatcham during Coaching Days. The first book "Romance on the Road" and get a fantastic map

First foray into Bluesky. Also on Mastodon ( mastodonapp.uk/@drnickyoung ) and X ( x.com/drnickyoung ). Will be sharing updates and facts on my local, #Thatcham, research and other activities.