Previous Autumn and Spring Meetings
	Autumn Meeting to Welwyn, October 2007
	On a bright sunny morning in October The RAI descended on Welwyn for a visit organised by Tony Rook, who has lived and worked in Welwyn and researched its history and archaeology for over sixty years.
	We began at Welwyn (Digswell) viaduct, which was designed by William Cubitt. It is 1560 feet long, has 40 arches and is 100 feet high.
	Then we went on to Dicket Mead Roman villa and the remains of its well-preserved bath-house which Tony had uncovered in the grounds of the school where he was working in 1960.
	After lunch Tony took us on a leisurely walk round Welwyn village.
	During this perambulation one of us managed to get his feet wet in the River Mimran!
	Spring Meeting, 18–20 May 2007 – Rochester, Chatham, Upnor and Fort Amherst
	“The Kingswear Castle will sail promptly at 2 p.m. Please do arrive on time as it will not wait.”
	The now nautically experienced members of the R.A.I. were prompt but the boat, of course, wasn’t. However, she soon hove into view and we boarded the paddle steamer for our cruise on the Medway. This provided a perfect start to the weekend by giving us a view from the river of our main subjects of investigation, that is to say, Rochester’s castle and cathedral, and the dockyard at Chatham.
	On Saturday morning, Tim Tatton-Brown led us round the cathedral. He had set the scene for us by describing the current state of knowledge about Rochester, both in his lecture at the March meeting and in a complementary talk the previous evening. Well prepared though we were, it was impossible not to wonder at the reality of the place, its elements and what they can tell us. For no reason I can explain, the second oldest door in England and a newly polished onyx marble shaft in the cloister emerge from the riot of detail that still mills in the mind.
	A guided tour of the High Street, passing Two Post Lane and Black Boy Alley brought us to the castle with its too-high keep and empty precinct. However, the latter was soon filled and enlivened for us, and the significance of the loftiness explained. But did the King occupy the fourth floor or the fifth?
	Alert administrative action produced a coach to Chatham and lunch, following which our President guided us round the dockyards. He had previously brough them to life for us by describing their condition on the eve of Trafalgar, so our minds had been set on the right course. His stunning tour brought out, among so many things, how lucky we are to have them still. I am also glad to have been given the following ideas. First, that humble buildings may be of importance on the grounds that what they were used for was important (viz. the timber-seasoning sheds) and, second, that there is benefit in proceeding slowly, as with building warships in peacetime so as to keep the necessary skills alive.