Here’s a list of the people who have chaired Warrington History Society since its formation in 1964 together with the years they spent in office. Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the page for “pen portraits” of some of our earliest presiding officers.

PEN PORTRAITS OF SOME PAST CHAIRMEN & WOMEN by Dorothy Sullivan

Arthur Rimmer: “Quiet and helpful”
Cliff Newton: “Knew the rules inside and out”
Ken Jermy: “Archaeology was his main interest – sometimes nodded off in meetings!”
Harry Henshaw: “Risley and Croft were his main areas”
Brian Griffiths: “Turkeys and collects teapots”
Dan Doherty: “Boteler Grammar School. Dan always wanted a photo of the wall around the Town Hall. When I found a drawing of it in an old Warrington Guardian it made Dan’s day if not his year!”
Henry Ashcroft: “Loved railways. I was once on a train journey with him when he kept the whole carriage informed about the places they were passing. He also once told a ticket booking clerk that he was wrong to tell a passenger he couldn’t get to a particular destination in Warrington and proceeded to tell the clerk how it could be done who looked it up and agreed”
Paddy 0’Brien: “Warrington Academy”
Cyril Leake: “Think he must like water”
Clare Furneaux: “Lyon family. Quiet”
Ken Ashworth: “Gets on with it. Amazed how many people he knows”

(Dorothy’s Pen Portraits were originally published in the Society’s 40th Anniversary Newsletter in Autumm 2004)