The local history group meets the 2nd Wednesday of the month at the meeting room at the Mill Hall between 2pm to 4pm. Group members who wish to are encouraged to research local places, people or events from the past and share their research with the group.This leads to a diverse mix of topics covered and promotes further discussion and interest. We look at where to source information for research and provide a selection of local interest history books for our members to borrow.

We aim to invite visiting speakers and visit places of interest in Rayleigh and the local area. Our recent meetings have included the Rayleigh Heritage trail with Rayleigh Town Museum, a guided tour of Holy Trinity Church, Rayleigh, a presentation on Rochford Archive photos and a tour of The Dutch Cottage, Rayleigh.