Thursday 2 October, 10.30am: Historian Dick Richards will give a tour of the Commonwealth War Graves at Botley Cemetery in west Oxford. There are 740 war graves (from both world wars) at Botley; in this fascinating tour you will learn the history of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) and about the actions and sacrifice of some of the casualties buried here. Tours are free (though a donation to CWGC is appreciated); book your tickets here.
Saturday 4 October, 11am: Mark Davies will give a talk about the history of Jericho at the launch of his new book A Jericho Scrapbook: Inside an Oxford Community Saved from Destruction at the Museum of Oxford. Signed copies will be available to buy at a discounted price. Find out more and book your ticket for the talk here.
Saturday 4 October: Christ Church, Oxford, will host a special 500th anniversary conference A Saint, a Cardinal, a College: From St Frideswide to Thomas Wolsey. The event will bring together a panel of experts to explore the origins, creation and intellectual landscape of Thomas Wolsey’s Cardinal College, from the priory of Augustinian canons founded c. 1120 and dedicated to St Frideswide, to Canterbury College and Wolsey’s collegiate foundation. Tickets only £15, concessions available; find out more and book your place here.
Tuesday 7 October, 2pm: A.s part of the celebrations of the 200th anniversary of Jericho in north Oxford, historian Mark Davies will lead a historical and literary walking tour. The walk will trace the area’s transition from lush meadowland to dynamic – sometimes controversial – suburb, and will include visits to the Oxford University Press museum and St Barnabas Church. Tickets £12; further information and booking here.
Wednesday 8 October, 1pm: The Museum of Oxford’s popular series of lunchtime talks continues, with historian and tour guide Victoria Bentata speaking on Oxford in the History of Medicine: Bright ideas, discoveries and innovations through the ages.Further information and booking here.
Wednesday 15 October, 7:30-8:30pm: Oxfordshire Buildings Record’s next on-line Buildings Forum. The evening is an informal ‘surgery’ to which anyone interested in the historic buildings and architecture of Oxfordshire can bring their building-related curiosities, queries and discoveries. The forum provides an open space to encourage the sharing and growth of knowledge of all who attend. Free and open to all; further information here.
Friday 17 October, 2–4pm: A workshop on the history of environmental protest in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, Marching through time: environmental protest in Oxfordshire and Bucks, will be held at the Museum of Oxford. The workshop is the first in a new six-part event series taking place throughout the autumn, hosted by Oxford University’s Community History Hub. Free but booking required. Find out more here and book your place here.
Friday 17 October, between 2pm and 4pm: Oxford Preservation Trust looks after the North Hinksey Conduit House on behalf of English Heritage, and is offering free tours of this unusual building. The conduit house was built in 1617 on a hill overlooking Oxford. It enclosed and protected a 20,000-gallon lead cistern; clean drinking water from the springs at North Hinksey flowed from here down to the Carfax Conduit, an extravagant fountain in the centre of the city. Tours are free and there’s no need to book; further information here.
Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 October: The Marcham Society celebrates its 30th anniversary this year with a special two-day event, Marcham Uncovered. Visitors can find out about the archaeology, local history, and natural history of the area, and take part in guided tours, astronomy viewings through telescopes, workshops and quizzes. Find out more here.
Sunday 19 October: Combe Mill near Woodstock will be in steam for the last time this year. Visit to see the working beam engine, blacksmith’s forge, and waterwheel, plus special woodworking demonstrations, autumn market stalls, and dancing by Charlbury Morris. Find out more here.
Wednesday 22 October, 3pm: The launch of the Oxfordshire Record Society (ORS)‘s latest volume, Bampton Vestry Minutes 1730-1858, edited by Diana Bennett. Prof William Gibson, chair of ORS, and Dr Simon Townley, editor of the Oxfordshire Victoria County History, will discuss this important new book. There will also be an opportunity to buy a copy.
Sunday 26 October, 9am-2pm: The next Oxford Antique Bottle Collectors’ Fair will be at Exeter Hall, Oxford Road, Kidlington. There will be dozens of stalls selling antique bottles, pot lids, flagons, enamel signs, showcards, tins, and postcards, many from Oxfordshire (great Christmas presents!), plus refreshments, an auction, and a raffle. Entry at 9am, £5.00; at 9:30am, £2.50; after 10:30am, free.
Ongoing until 31 October: The Burford Tolsey Museum has two exhibitions open throughout the summer, Burford during World War II, commemorating 80 years since the end of the War, and Helen Bryce: an artist’s lasting contribution to Burford. Entry to the museum and the exhibitions is free, seven days a week, 2pm-5pm.
Saturday 1 November, 7:30pm: Launch of the new book by Oxford-based writer and photographer Martin Stott, Bartlemas: Oxford’s hidden sanctuary, published to mark the 900th anniversary of the founding of the leper hospital at Bartlemas in East Oxford. Caper bookshop on Magdalen Road in East Oxford. There will an accompanying exhibition from 1 to 9 November at the same venue. More details here.
Friday 7 November, 7:30pm: Book launch reception for the latest book from the Tolsey Press, Burford’s Wartime Stories. Baptist Church, Burford. Find out more here.
Wednesday 12 November, 1pm: The Museum of Oxford’s popular series of lunchtime talks continues, with historian Stephen Barker speaking on The Indian Army in the First World War: An Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry Perspective. Further information and booking here.
Ongoing until 18 November: From Conflict to Peace: Celebrating VE & VJ Day at the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum (SOFO) in Woodstock. The exhibition explores what happened as the Second World War ended in Europe and the Pacific, from stories of Oxfordshire people and county regiments serving in the final stages of the conflict, to celebrations in the county itself. For more information and to share a story with the museum, click here.
Wednesday 10 December, 1pm: The Museum of Oxford’s popular series of lunchtime talks continues, with historian Tim Healey speaking on A 17th-century Christmas. Further information and booking here.
Ongoing until 31 January 2026: The latest free exhibition at the Vale & Downland Museum is Wantage Tramway – The Story of a Bucolic Roadside Steam Tramway. The display tells the remarkable story of the a roadside line that began as an ambitious local dream in the 1870s, became the world’s first steam-powered tramway, and served the community for over seventy years, carrying goods including coal and flour, wartime supplies, and market-day passengers. Further information here.
Ongoing until January 2026: The Museum of Oxford celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2025 with an exhibition entitled Our Oxford, 50 years, 50 stories. The display brings together fifty new stories about the heritage of the city, from a wide range of individuals and communities. Free entry.
Ongoing: The Museum of Oxford continues its popular series of free gallery tours, Stories of Oxford, led by knowledgeable and enthusiastic volunteers. From football to fairgrounds, marmalade to Morris Motors, patron saints to pubs, barges, bones, and all types of quirky customs, there’s something to interest everyone. Further information and booking here.
Saturdays, ongoing: tours of Oxford’s magnificent Town Hall take place twice a month on Saturdays at 11am. These are a great opportunity to see behind the scenes and to learn about the building’s fascinating history. Find out more here.
If you know of any relevant events which could be advertised on this page, please send details to: membership@olha.org.uk
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