The Society: Constitution, Officers and Operation
Constitution
The Railway & Canal Historical Society is registered in England as a company (no 922300) limited by guarantee and a charity (no 256047).
The Registered Office is 7 Grosvenor Gardens, London, SW1W 0AF (but general correspondence should be sent to the address of the appropriate Officer and not to this address).
Our Constitution (Articles and Memorandum of Association) may be accessed using the following links:
RCHS Memorandum of Association
Charitable objective
The principal objective is: ‘To promote, encourage and co-ordinate the study of the history of railways, canals and transport’.
Officers
President: The President is elected for a period of two years and is an ex-officio member of the Council and its committees and sub-committees.
Vice-Presidents: Vice-Presidents are appointed from those members who have given noteworthy service to transport history and/or to the Society. Vice-Presidents may also volunteer to be ex-officio members of Council.
Secretary and Treasurer: The Hon Secretary and Hon Treasurer are annual directly-elected posts. They are ex-officio members of the Council and the Managing Committee.
Chairman of Managing Committee: Appointed by the Council annually from amongst the elected members of Council.
Other officers: The Membership Secretary, Journal Editor, Bulletin Editor, Reviews Editor and Research Officer are elected at the Annual General Meeting. Other officers are appointed by the Council or the Managing Committee.
The current Officers: For the names and contact details of the Officers, follow this link.
Organisation
General Meetings: The ultimate decision-making body is the membership at a General Meeting, which is normally held annually in April or May. The constitution includes provisions for Extraordinary General Meetings and for decisions to be made by a poll of all members.
Council: The Council comprises: the President, the Secretary and Treasurer; up to twelve ordinary members elected annually from the national membership; a representative nominated by each Regional Group; and those Vice-Presidents who opt to also be trustees. The Council is the Society’s governing body, its principal role being to consider strategic and policy issues, subject to any resolutions passed at General Meetings. It usually meets three times a year:
Managing Committee: The Managing Committee comprises: the Chairman (as appointed by the Council); the President, Secretary and Treasurer; and three other elected members of Council. It is responsible for the day-to-day business of the Society and usually meets at least four times a year.
Annual Reports & Accounts
Links to:
2024 Annual Report and Accounts
2015 Annual Report & Accounts.