Boxmoor Playhouse
MONDAY 27 April, 10:00 REFRESHMENTS,
(NB: Date differs due to May Bank Holiday)
10.30 PRESENTATION
doors open 09:45
When news broke that RMS Titanic – the supposedly unsinkable ship – had sunk with the loss of 1,500 lives there was shock across the world. While there have been larger maritime disasters since, the tragedy of the then most luxurious liner ever to be built has been remembered in a way few other shipwrecks have.
This talk provides an insight into Britain and the international situation in the ‘Belle Époque’ before the First World War. It tells the story of the conception, construction, and fate of Titanic and her two sister ships. Developed and built in Belfast, learn about the fraught and violent political situation in what was then one of the most important industrial cities in the world.
The impact of the sinking (as well as the conspiracy theories that emerged) are discussed, and the clandestine Cold War reasons for the ship’s discovery revealed. Stephen adds stories of his family connexions to Titanic and the Belfast shipyards to explore her history and why over a century later Titanic is still claiming lives.
Stephen Goss is an academic historian published in peer-review journals who has been a popular speaker in local historical societies and community groups for 15 years.
No fee to be paid
Contact: Groups via this link (select addressee: Groups)
The meeting will be hybrid, if you wish to participate on Zoom, use the link that will be supplied in the Group News closer to the date.
If you experience difficulty with the sound, turning on Captions, at the bottom of the Zoom screen on a PC or by clicking on More … on an iPad, should assist greatly. Please bear in mind that the task of getting both sound and picture to members on Zoom is fraught with difficulties. We continue to struggle on, it may not always be totally successful.
Directions
Boxmoor Playhouse
72 St John’s Rd
Hemel Hempstead
HP1 1NP
Parking round the Moor OR 55 – 57 Park Road, HP1 1JS
The parking outside St John’s church now has a 3 hour limit and no return for 2 hours. This is to discourage commuters going to the station using it for all day parking. The three-hour limit works for our monthly meeting. Warning, there is someone who checks!
Directions
Buses between Hemel and Berkhamsted: 500 and X500 bus.
Buses are approximately every 30 minutes: 500 and X500 Timetable
Local buses running in St John’s Road past Boxmoor Playhouse
2026 Dates (see below for Refreshments Rota)
30 March Hemel: Lucy Allen – The Petticoat Rebellion
27 April Hemel: Stephen Goss: The Titanic and her times
1 June Hemel: Fran Sandham – Solo walk through Africa
6 July Hemel: Tricia Thompson – Oh, I do Like to be Beside the Seaside!
3 August Hemel: John Tyler – The Seasons, A year in the English Countryside
Refreshments Rota
30 March Genealogy A
27 April Wine Appreciation
1 June Tea Dance
6 July Italian Language and Culture
3 August Garden Visiting
7 September Exploring Towns and Villages
This may change close to given date if a group notifies me that they are unable to find enough people
See Northchurch Map
See Hemel Map
Last updated: 31 Mar ’26
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