Otford and District Historical Society (ODHS) monthly meetings are held at 20:00 on Wednesdays from September to May at Otford Village Memorial Hall. (Hall open at 19:30 for tea, coffee and biscuits.) For details click the ‘Programme’ tab.

You can contact the Society by email at odhs@otford.net

Please note: Occasionally monthly meetings may be held on a day other than Wednesday.

Special meetings will be announced from time to time and may take place at other times in other venues.

Single membership £20 a year (payable at the September meeting).

Visitors are welcome at £5 per meeting.

The 1940s Society also meets bi-monthly in Otford Village Memorial Hall.  Details of the meetings can be found on the ‘Programme’ page of this site and in the ‘Otford History and Heritage Newsletter’. 

To find out more about the group’s activities please send an email to Otford@1940.co.uk  

If you wish to be added to the email distribution list of the (free) ‘Otford History and Heritage Newsletter’, published three or four times a year, and also receive emails about history-related events in Otford, (a total of approximately 9 emails per year) please email your name and email address to Otford@1940.co.uk

Otford and District Historical Society was founded in 1950.

Talks have been given by many speakers who include Alison Weir and John Suchet.

The ODHS Committee together with guest speakers Alison Weir (sixth from the left and Siobhan Clarke (fifth from right) in St Bartholomew’s Church in December 2014. Others pictured from the ODHS committee are (from left-to-right) Jackie Howe, Elizabeth Ward, Ann Calcott, Alan Williams, Ed Thompson, Lesley Edmeads, Phil Clucas, Nick Fothergill, Sue Stephenson, Cliff Ward and David Calcott

Fergus Anckorn, World War Two Veteran, PoW in the Far East and magician has been a speaker, pictured here with society committee member Phil Clucas

Becket’s Well Otford – excavated in the early 1950s.  An early example of ODHS activity

The ‘1940s Society’ was founded in the early 21st century by Ian Bayley who continues to run the Society.  The meetings in Otford are now organised by a committee whose members are pictured below in ‘The Bull’ in Otford High Street

From left-to-right they are Ed Thompson, Alan Williams, Phil Clucas, Nick Fothergill and Graham Kelly

Other local history societies

Several other historical societies in and around Sevenoaks and the Darent Valley also hold regular meetings.  Information is available from the Society websites as follows:

North West Kent Family History Society (NWKFHS). Hold monthly Saturday morning meetings in Otford Memorial Hall

https://www.nwkfhs.org.uk/events/branch-meetings/sevenoaks-branch

Kemsing Heritage Centre (including the programme of talks):
http://www.kemsingheritagecentre.org.uk/wordpress/
Shoreham and District Historical Society:
https://shorehamkenthistory.weebly.com
Sevenoaks Historical Society: http://www.sevenoakshistory.org.uk/
Farningham and Eynsford Historical Society: http://www.felhs.org.uk/diary.asp
Plaxtol Local History Group: http://www.plaxtolhistory.org.uk/