A SHIPPING disaster, cave archaeology and Cumbria's special buildings are among the talks arranged for next year by the Cartmel Peninsula Local History Society.

The group holds its meetings from 7.30pm in Cartmel Village Hall, with the exception of the May meeting which is in Cartmel Priory.

On February 2 Claire Asplin will describe the Lindale Cave Excavation.

Claire’s family owned the land where the cave is situated.

She was involved in its excavation with archaeologist Chris Salisbury in late 1980s and early 1990s which revealed finds that proved Ancient Britons lived in the area.

The March 2 meeting has a visit by June Hall of the Cumbria Vernacular Buildings Group.

Her topic will be Cumbria's Vernacular Buildings looking at the features and styles which make some of the county's buildings special to the place in which they were built.

The group was formed in 2013 to encourage the study and appreciation of these distinctive structures.

The materials available to builders had a strong influence on styles.

Slate for walls as well as roofs was used extensively in the central Lake District, limestone in the South Lakes and red sandstone in the north east of the county and along the west coast from Furness to St Bees.

You can find out more about the work of the group on its website at www.cvbg.co.uk

The April 6 meeting has a talk by Simon Williams on a significant shipping incident.

His talk is called The Matchless Disaster of 1894 - Morecambe Bay's Worst Boating Disaster.

Matchless was a Lancashire nobby sailing boat used for fishing in the winter and for pleasure trips in the summer months.

On September 3 in 1894 it left Morecambe to sail to Grange but capsized in a gust of wind off Jenny Brown’s Point.

Boatman Samuel Houghton and eight passengers were rescued by other boats but 25 died.

Bodies were washed up at Ulverston, Grange and Arnside.

Cartmel Priory is the venue on May 4 for a talk by Kelley Sproston-Heath called The Hidden Heritage of Fell Foot.