14/05/2026
The next Museum Talk will be next Thursday, 21st May. The talk, by Ann Shearer.
Dr PETRUS JOHANNES DE NYSSEN
A Halesworth doctor in his times 1887 – 1936
Dr Petrus Johannes De Nyssen was a pillar of Halesworth society for nearly 50 years. What brought him from his native South Africa to a small town in Suffolk, and what does his story tell us about the economic and social history of his times?
This talk gives a preview of a study to be published in The Suffolk Review in August. In it, Ann Shearer draws extensively on contemporary newspaper accounts as well as other published sources about Halesworth and the history of medical services to evoke both the man and the world he lived and worked in. There are stories about individuals which illuminate the way people lived and the attitudes of the times, as well as glimpses of Halesworth’s social life in peacetime and at war. Ann finds these both fascinating and instructive and hopes many others with an interest in local history will too.
The United Reformed Church, Quay Street, Halesworth IP19 8EP
The talk starts at 7:30pm, doors open at 7:00pm
Admission £8. Friends of the Museum £4. Pay at the door.
