THE Bordesley Society was founded in 1951 with the aim of preserving and excavating the Bordesley Abbey meadows.

The secretary was therefore a little nervous when she invited Tom Paget to speak on English Monasteries on October 21, wondering if he would be too basic for the society.

She need not have worried. This was an excellent lecture.

Mr Paget was extremely knowledgeable about the subject and continually threw out snippets of information which kept members on their toes.

Did you know, for example, that the monastic movement is thought to have begun with the hermits of Egypt?

First, Mr Paget went through the history of monasticism, right up to the new monasteries of Buckfast, Quarr and Prinknash.

Then he described the conventional buildings, followed by the people who lived in them.

Did you know the Cistercians invented the role of lay-brother?

For the second half of the lecture, Mr Paget showed slides of various monsteries.

The society has lectures once a month during the winter and outings in the summer. All are welcome.

The next meeting will be on Thursday, November 18, at 7.30pm at Saint Luke's Memorial Hall, Headless Cross, when Anne Bradford will be describing her visit to Dandong, China.

For more details, call 01527 541317.