History Societies
Dymchurch & District Heritage Group
Dymchurch & District Heritage Group was formed in January 2010 and have gone from strength to strength with a strong membership. Meetings are held regularly at the Methodist Church, High Street, Dymchurch, and the Society has its own Heritage Room at the rear of the Church. They are open the 1st Saturday of the month from March to November, 2 pm to 4 pm
Annual membership is £8. Admission for meetings is £3 for members and £5 for non-members.
Please visit the Dymchurch & District Heritage Group website to find out more.
The Friends of Lydd, Registered Charity No. 274692, are a historic society and are the custodians of the Lydd Town Museum which opens daily during the summer months plus bank holiday weekends. The museum is situated in the old fire station Queens Road, Lydd and was first opened in 1978.
Meetings are held monthly in Hardy Hall, Skinner Road, Lydd on 3rd Wednesday each month at 7.30 pm, when speakers are engaged to give talks and at times slides or films covering their subject. These talks are varied and of interest to the majority of members and we do encourage visitors to our meetings for a small fee to help cover the costs and in the hope of enrolling new members.
For membership information please 
email the Secretary, Alice Boxall.
For more information about the Friends of Lydd, please see their History of Friends of Lydd.
The Friends of Martello24, Registered Charity No. 1172376 is a Romney Marsh Trust set up to advance the education of the public in the history and heritage of Martello Tower No. 24 in Dymchurch. This is to be achieved particularly by working In partnership with English Heritage to open Martello Tower No 24 to the public on a published regular basis. The trust also aims to work with the owners of other historic buildings in Dymchurch to achieve greater awareness of these buildings
Please visit the Friends of Martello24 website to find out more.
The Lydd Station Heritage Group was set up in 2022 to save this unique building for the future. The station closed on 6 March 1967 in the face of dwindling passenger traffic and insignificant freight returns, although the line remained open through Lydd Town as far as a siding near Dungeness for freight traffic to serve the BNFL nuclear power plant at Dungeness. Find out more about Lydd Railway Station.
If you would like to join the Lydd Station Heritage Group, you can contact them via their Facebook page.
The New Romney History Society is a group of local people who are interested and enthusiastic about the history of New Romney and its local area. They meet monthly for lively discussions and are often joined by visiting speakers. During some meetings, they examine local historical records and documents eg church registers of marriages, baptisms, old school documents, etc.
The Society meets on the 4th Monday of each month at 7.30 pm in the Old School, New Romney. New members are welcome.
To find out more contact Chairman Gaynor Cobb by email, or visit the New Romney History Society website.
Newchurch has a rich history and they have set up an online project to document the history of Newchurch and the surrounding area. This is a project initiated many years ago by Newchurch Parish Council and some resident historians, who compiled a printed booklet.
You can find out more on their Newchurch History website, and contact them by using their feedback form.
Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway Association Heritage Group
The Heritage Group of the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch Railway Association was formed to ensure a process by which to preserve items of historical interest and value associated with the 80-plus years of existence of the railway. As part of the activities of the group, several collections of photographs, postcards and articles of printed matter have been acquired. These collections are being added to their website where you can search for items.
The Association publishes The Marshlander, a quarterly heritage railway magazine sent exclusively to Association Members. It has been running since 1967 and aims to record events on the Railway from current news through recounting historical occasions. Each magazine contains updates from various departments on the railway as well as contributions from readers/members.
To join the Heritage Group, please email the Association.
Please visit the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway Association Heritage Group website to find out more.
Romney Marsh Community Archaeology Group
The Romney Marsh Community Archaeology Group (ROMCAG) was formed in 2022 by a group of volunteers, keen on uncovering the history and archaeology of Romney Marsh. Many of them had previously volunteered with archaeology at different stages of the Fifth Continent Project and when the Fifth Continent Project came to an end, their vision was to create an enduring archaeological legacy for the Marsh community.
The aim 0f ROMCAG is to discover the area’s heritage using research - oral history, archived documents, reports, newspapers and books as well as archaeological methods — geophysics, excavation, finds processing and conservation - sharing this knowledge with the local community, to preserve and celebrate the rich history of the Marsh for future generations.
If you are interested in getting involved, please contact the group by email. No history or archaeology experience needed, just enthusiasm!
Romney Marsh Wartime Collection
The Romney Marsh Wartime Collection, incorporating Brenzett Aeronautical Museum Trust, at Brenzett, is a unique collection of wartime equipment, remains recovered from aircraft crash sites and memorabilia collected and donated to the Museum since its formation in 1972.
The Romney Marsh Wartime Collection welcome support and volunteers and members of the public who wish to become a friend of the museum may do so by visiting their website or contacting them by email.
