Pearls of wisdom help Horncastle's heritage society celebrate its 60th birthday

Pearl Wheatley was the first secretary of the society back in 1966 and held the post for nearly 20 years.

She is is also well known as ‘Miss Wheatley’ to past pupils and students of Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Horncastle where she served as headmistress for many years.

So the society was delighted to welcome her back for the birthday celebrations at one of its popular archives days, held at Horncastle Community Centre.

As the memories flowed, Pearl spoke about the organisation’s earliest days. She recalled that it was formed as Horncastle Civic Society to “find ways of improving the town and to protect its heritage”.

Back in 1966, historic buildings were under threat and the town had a traffic problem, showing that things haven’t changed all that much! The construction of Jubilee Way was controversial, as Pearl explained.

Fast forward to 2026, and the society’s aims are still very similar – preserving and protecting Horncastle’s past, present and future, while promoting its rich heritage.

But it does so much more now, including walks, talks, exhibitions, maintaining the town’s archives, running a local history museum and book-publishing.

The birthday event was a big success, with a steady stream of visitors enjoying a range of items on display.

A spokesperson for the society, which is based at the Sir Joseph Banks Centre on Bridge Street, said: “Our archives days are consistently good fun, and it was lovely to mark our diamond jubilee in this way.

"We are always happy to share what we know and what we have with members and visitors.”

For more information and details of upcoming events, visit the society’s website at www.horncastlehistory.co.uk.