As part of the Staffordshire Libraries History Festival, Stone Library has some great, exciting and FREE events taking place with local historians who know and love to share the history of Stone and our county.
| Event | Date and Time | Cost |
| Stone library Children’s History Hunt Can you spot the items on the quiz in your library? | September-October | Free Drop in |
| Newspaper Articles Display Newspaper clippings from the Stone and Stafford Newspapers from 1950-1960 | October | Free Drop In |
| Stone Library History Display Memorabilia from the past-Located on the 1st floor in the glass case. | September-October | Free Drop In |
| Geoffrey Collier Prints of Stone Prints of Geoff’s original artwork of Stone and the surrounding area. | September-October | £30 per print £1.00 per postcard Cash Only |
| Stone Historical and Civic Society Books for sale They did what was asked of them-Stone’s Contribution to the Great War 1914-1916 The whole town played a part- Stone’s Contribution to the Great War 1917-1918 | September-October | £10.00 Cash Only |
| A slice of life Join us at Stone library for an afternoon of reminiscence.There will be memory boxes, music, pictures of Stone, scrapbooks of Stone library, conversation and of course, a slice of cake! | Friday 6thSeptember 2.00pm | Free Drop in |
| Get Back To NatureA morning with Peter Branson Peter Branson, former English teacher, higher and further education lecturer and creative writing tutor, Peter was born and brought up in Stone and lived there again for a few years in the 1980. He now lives in Rode Heath, East Cheshire.He is a poet, songwriter & singer whose work has been published widely.Much of his work is based on childhood and teenage experiences in and around Stone, characters who lived there, locations like Red Hill, the Moddershall Valley and Scotch Brook, the Common Plot, Kibblestone, the Downsbanks, poems about birdlife specifically, nature generally and growing up. | Friday 20thSeptember 11am | Free Booking Essential 01785 895585 Cash only for the purchase of books. |
| Staffordshire from Above- A Talk with Shaun Farrelly Back in the 1920s, powered flight was in it’s early days but a company named Aerofilms employed brave young aviators to travel around the British Isles to take photos from the skies. Most of the pilots and observers had seen action in the recent war and were now using those skills to collect over one million images of the countryside, towns, cities and industrial sites. Back then, such scenes would have astonished people and nowadays they are an amazing record of a dramatically different world which has now largely gone. During this talk, we will see parts of this county and we can marvel at the changes in so many places, or at how little change there has been in some instances. | Thursday 26thSeptember 11.00am | Free Booking Essential 01785 895585 |
| ‘The Fauld explosion – November 1944’A talk by Steve Booth Steve The RAF Fauld explosion was a military accident which occurred at 11:11 am on Monday, 27 November 1944 at the RAF Fauld underground munitions storage depot in Staffordshire, England. It was one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history and the largest on UK soil. Join Steve Booth as he delves into what happened that day and the history behind it. | Thursday 3rdOctober 10am | Free Booking Essential |
| Behind the curtain- A Talk with Keith Harrison Go behind the curtain at the Gatehouse Theatre and hear all about the fascinating history of one of Stafford’s most historic buildings.Opened in 1877, the former Borough Hall has an incredible story to tell.We promise drama, death, destruction and the invention of coloured soap.Among those making guest appearances will be William Shakespeare, Sheridan, Charles Dickens and, yes, Ken Dodd.This audio visual talk includes pictures of Stafford past, when the Gatehouse wasn’t the only – or even the biggest – theatre in town.Find out what really goes on backstage, the glamour of the Green Room and the ghosts who can’t resist taking one more curtain call. | Thursday 3rdOctober 2.00pm | Free Booking Essential |
| Stone Through the Ages Come and discover the history of Stone first hand as we take you on a journey from the modern era, through to the middle ages, Roman rule and beyond. Told by Stone’s own metal detectorist Geoff Banks, this captivating event provides unique insight into the numerous artefacts and treasures uncovered locally to the town and the stories these items contain, shaping our understanding of the area and how our ancestors lived. Attendees will be given the opportunity to hold real history in their hands. | Friday 4th October4.30pm | Free Booking Essential 01785 895585 |
| A slice of life- Famous Folk of Staffordshire- A talk with Kath A celebration of the most inspirational Staffordshire folks; from Philip Astley and his circus to Shane Meadows and his films – enjoy a whistle-stop trip around this great county, and of course, a slice of cake! | Friday 11thOctober 2.00pm | Free Drop in |
| Star of Stone a Talk with Geoff Berriman In 2018, at the age of 85, Geoff co-piloted a Spitfire over Stone as a tribute to Norwegian pilot Karl Jacobsen, who was killed in action on 19th June 1942 while flying the town’s renowned Spitfire, the Star of Stone. Geoff’s narrative encompasses his aviation endeavours, the rich history of the Star of Stone Spitfire including the funding of the Spitfire by the town, the commemorative painting created by artist Charles O’Neill, the individuals involved in piloting the aircraft during World War II, and the unification fostered by The Spitfire Group throughout this remarkable journey. | Friday 18THOctober 11.00am | Free Booking Essential 01785 895585 |
| Game of Stone Scribblers Join the Stone Scribblers as they tell their tales, share their poetry and invite you into their world of imaginationA collection of poetry, prose and short stories with a Staffordshire theme. | Tuesday 22ndOctober 2.00pm | Free Booking Essential 01785 895585 |
| Joy Stephens-A brief History of Stone Library Joy will be talking about the history of the building, which is now Stone Library, from its beginnings as the Market Hall through to present day. There will be slides showing the newspaper clippings kept by previous librarians. | Friday 25thOctober 2.00pm | Free Booking Essential 01785 895585 |
| Quill Creations Draw some pictures with your very own quill feather. Age: 5+ | Monday 28thOctober 11.00am | Free Booking Essential 01785 895585 |
| Stone Through the Ages-Children Unearth the epic tale of Stone with Geoff Banks, the town’s metal detecting maestro! Get ready to time travel from today, back to the medieval, Roman times, and beyond. Discover the hidden gems and tales of the past that Geoff has dug up, painting a vivid picture of our ancestors’ lives. This adventure is perfect kids and grown-ups, offering a chance to touch real history right in your hands!You will also be joining Geoff in a treasure hunt! Can you solve the all the riddles and be a real treasure hunter for the day?! | Wednesday 30thOctober 10am | Free Booking essential 01785 895585 |
