LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY: At a meeting of the Local History Society Mr Fred Brush, welcomed members and visitors. He announced that, instead of an outing in June, he had managed to arrange an extra meeting at the Primary School, when the headmaster, Mr Huggard would talk to members on the finds at the school last year. The meeting will be on June 21 instead of June 20 at the primary school and at 7pm, instead of 7.30pm. Mr Brush introduced the speaker, Dr Ray Wilson, who spoke to members on 'Stroud's other Industries'. Most of his audience knew that the town had been a centre of the wool and cloth industry but the wealth of other businesses was astounding. Dr Wilson has made an intensive study of industrial archaeology. He showed slides of various mills, in the main very large buildings. Several of these have now been made into flats. The Dudbridge area of the town seemed to have been the centre of a lot of the industry. There was an iron foundry next to the River Frome, a busy canal with many barges carrying coal as well as completed cargoes from the various industries. There was a corn mill, called Tibbins Mill, launches were built which were packed up and sent to many countries, a carpet works, a pin mill at Woodchester, a silk mill and a company making pianos, still in operation. The Hampton Car was made in the town. Not many were manufactured but they were exhibited at the early motor shows. There is a walking stick factory, making sticks for National Health use and the more classic sticks. The chairman thanked him for a picture, not only of the past, but the present face of Stroud. The next meeting will be on March 21 when Mr David Day will tell members of his life as a local reporter, entitled 'All over the World'.