Talks & meetings

September 2025

29thCumnor – Julie Ann Godson “Memories of the Vale: a lost way of life before the railway came to the countryside”. Cumnor Old School, 7:30pm.

29th – Stonesfield – “Glove-making in Stonesfield – A centuries-old cottage industry revived in the 1950s”. Village Hall, 7:00pm.

30thKidlington – Gillian Cane “The Miracle of Bletchley Park”. Baptist Church, High Street, 7:30pm.

October 2025

1stFriends of the Oxfordshire Museum (Woodstock) – Liz Woolley “Dream Palaces: A history of the Ultimate Picture Palace and early cinema in Oxford” (n.b. changed from advertised programme). The Coach House, Oxfordshire Museum, Park Street, 7:30pm.

2ndCharlbury –Fergus Butler-Gallie “Twelve churches: an unlikely history of the buildings that made Christianity”. Memorial Hall, 7:30pm.

2ndEynsham – Graham Twemlow “Recording Britain. Celebrating the Country’s Natural Beauty and Architectural Heritage”. St Leonard’s Church Hall, 7:30pm.

4thMuseum of Oxford – Mark Davies “A Jericho Scrapbook”. Museum of Oxford, Oxford Town Hall, 11:00am. Booking at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/author-talk-a-jericho-scrapbook-with-mark-davies-jericho-200-tickets-1389423225269

6thChalgrove – Gillian Cane “It’s a Girl’s Life in the Army”. John Hampden Hall, 7:45pm.

6thFriends of Uffington Museum – Sjeord Vogt “Tolkien”. Thomas Hughes Memorial Hall, 7:30pm.

6thSouth Stoke – Moira Ackers “Monuments and the tales they tell”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.

6thWhitchurch & Goring Heath – Stephen Goss “Caversham Park – from Domesday Book to listening for Doomsday”. Goring Heath Parish Hall, 2:30pm.

7thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Ross Beadle “The Origins of the Schlieffen Plan”. Online talk, 7:30pm; e-mail zoom@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

7thHenley – Paul Lacey “Bus Operators of Henley and Marlow”. The Chantry House, St Mary’s Church, Hart Street, 7:30pm.

7thHook Norton – Steve Kilsby “Banbury Historic Buildings”. Baptist Church Hall, Netting Street, 7:30pm.

7thLower Windrush – John Lowe “Always Ready, Always Willing: The story of fires and firefighting in Oxford”. Standlake Village Hall, 7:30pm.

8thFlorence Park, Oxford – Pete Cann, “Labour’s Fifth Column” (a play). Florence Park Community Centre, East Oxford, 7:30pm. Tickets from https://wegottickets.com/event/674764.

8thMuseum of Oxford – Victoria Bentata “Oxford in the History of Medicine: Bright ideas, discoveries and innovations through the ages”. Museum of Oxford, Oxford Town Hall, 1:00pm. Booking at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lunchtime-talk-oxford-in-the-history-of-medicine-tickets-1389166607719

8thWallingford – Gregory Cole “The Abingdon Abbey Project”. St Mary’s Church, 8:00pm.

8thWychwoods – Diane Purkiss “A history of what the English have eaten”. Milton Village Hall, 7:30pm.

9thBanbury – Andy Hopper “Warwick Castle during the Civil Wars”. Education Studio, Banbury Museum, 7:30pm.

9thDeddington – Katherine Bradley “Creative Women – the history of women involved in the Arts and Crafts Movement in Oxfordshire and the Cotswolds (including Jane and May Morris)”. Primary School, 7:30pm.

9thHornton – Deborah Hayter “Lost villages of Oxfordshire”. Pavilion, 7:30pm.

11thSoldiers of Oxfordshire Museum, Woodstock – Ashley Jackson “Oxford’s War 1939-1945”. 2:00pm. Tickets £12, book online at https://www.sofo.org.uk/whats-on.

13thChipping Norton – Neil Datson “Elsie Corbett, Pioneering Nurse and Benefactress”. Methodist Church Lower Hall, West Street, 2:00pm.

13thOxfordshire Family History Society (OFHS) – Janet Few “Bonnets, Bobbins, Beading and Buttony: English women’s work in the home industries”. OFHS members only (https://www.ofhs.uk/become-a-member); online, 8:00pm.

13thRadley – Liz Woolley “Some may question its flavour but none its potency: a history of brewing in Oxford”. St James Church, 7:30pm.

14thOxfordshire Architectural and Historical Society (OAHS) – Julian Munby “John Ashdown Remembered: A Walk Past Some High Street Houses”. Rewley House, Oxford, 5:30pm, further information at https://oahs.org.uk/lectures.php.

14thThame – Stephen Wass “The archaeology of Stowe Landscape Gardens”. Thame Barns Centre, Church Road, 7:30pm.

15thBloxham – Brian Pile “Banbury Stockyard and My Life as an Auctioneer”. Jubilee Park Hall, Barley Close, 7:30pm.

15thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Michael Philips “Hitler’s Gunner Generals”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

15thCropredy – Stephen Barker “A Watershed: Mahatma Gandhi”. Village Hall, 7:00pm.

15thLittlemore – John Lowe “Always ready, Always willing: the story of fires and firefighting in Oxford”. Community Centre, Giles Road, 7:30pm.

15thWolvercote – AGM followed by Alastair Lack “Wolvercote Cemetery”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.

15thEnstone – Liz Woolley “Oxfordshire and the Spanish Civil War: 1936-39”. St Kenelm’s Church, Church Enstone, 7:00pm.

15thHarwell – Katherine Watsom “Crime, Medicine and Science in History”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.

16thAbingdon – Carl Champness “From River to Handaxe: Lodge Hill and the Palaeolithic Thames Valley”. Northcourt Centre, Northcourt Road, 7:45pm.

16thFriends of Vale and Downland Museum – Stephen Wass “Oxfordshire’s medieval gardens”. Vale and Downland Museum, Wantage, 7:30pm.

16thLongworth – Andrew Long “Naming of Oxfordshire Pubs”. Southmoor Village Hall, 7:15pm.

16thOxfordshire Gardens Trust – Justine Hopkins “Cornard Wood to Fangorn Forest: British Trees in Art and Literature”. Online talk, 6:00pm, further information at https://ogt.org.uk/news-events

16thSibfords – Oswyn Murray “The Battle of Edgehill, and the Sibford Gallows”. Sibford Gower Village Hall, 7:30pm.

17thFinstock – Graham Rutton “Roman Villas in the Ancient Forest of Wychwood”. Village Hall, 8:00pm.

20thAdderbury – Muriel Pilkington “The Lost Villages of Oxfordshire”. The Institute, 7:30pm.

20thBicester – Pete Seaward “House Arrest in Woodstock”. Clifton Centre, Ashdene Road, 7:30pm.

20thGoring Gap – Timothy Walker “The history of Harcourt Aboretum”. Goring Village Hall, 2:30pm.

20thKennington – Stephen Barker “Warrior women of the Civil War”. Methodist Church, Upper Road, 7:45pm.

21stClanfield & Bampton – Rosemary Honour Smith “Clanfield in photographs; a trip down Memory Lane”. Carter Institute, Clanfield, 7:30pm.

21stIffley – Stephen Wass “Digging up Stowe – Archaeological Investigations into one of the country’s finest landscape gardens”. Church Hall, Church Way, 7:30pm.

22ndDorchester on Thames – Simon Wenham “The Compilation of the Oxford Dictionary”. Dorchester Abbey Guest House, 7:30pm.

23rdKirtlington & Bletchington – Nigel Biggar and Paul Clifford “Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning”. Kirtlington Village Hall, 7:30pm

27thCumnor – Michael Heaney “The man who collected Oxfordshire: the antiquary Percy Manning”. Cumnor Old School, 7:30pm.

27thHanney – Paul Whitton “Balliol to Bethlehem, Wycliffe and Hus: Freedom, Faith and Fire” . War Memorial Hall, 8:00pm.

27thMarcham – Sem Seaborne “The Port of Wantage”. Marcham Centre, Barrow Close, 7:45pm.

27thMiddleton Cheney – Bill King “The industrial archaeology in your attic, garage and shed”. All Saints Church, 7:30pm.

27thTackley – Jonathan Healey “1596 and all that: the Oxfordshire Rising in its context”. Memorial Hall, 7:30pm.

28thKidlington – Paul Barnett “Light in the Darkest Hour – Dunkirk’s Little Ships”. Baptist Church, High Street, 7:30pm.

28thOxfordshire Architectural and Historical Society (OAHS) – Duncan Taylor “A New Understanding of Oxford’s Divinity School Vault”. Rewley House, Oxford, 5:30pm, further information at https://oahs.org.uk/lectures.php.

29thFlorence Park, Oxford – Frances Moody “A history of the Florence Park estate”. Florence Park Community Centre, East Oxford, 7:30pm.

30thBurford – David Cohen “Conversation around the archive images and reflections of old Burford”. Audience participation encouraged. Baptist Church, Witney Street, 7:30pm.

30thAston – Kim Davies “Oxfordshire’s Military Heritage in 50 objects”. Fellowship Centre, Cote Road, 7:30pm.

30thOxford Preservation Trust – Catriona Bass “Floodplain meadows”. Key Learning Centre, Oxford Castle, 5:30pm. Book at https://app.sheepcrm.com/oxfordpreservation/events/oxfordpreservation-booking-68b9bc840aa1129fa431a8a4/.

31stBenson – “The Work of the Air Ambulance”. Parish Hall, 7:00pm.

November 2025

3rdChalgrove – Karen and Brett Wiles “Wartime children: the 1940s Home Front from a child’s point of view”. John Hampden Hall, 7:45pm.

3rdFriends of Uffington Museum – Liz Derrington “Steam – The New Wonder”. Thomas Hughes Memorial Hall, 7:30pm.

3rdSouth Stoke – Steve Parrinder “Witchcraft”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.

4thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Spencer Jones “Boer War – Scorched Earth”. Online talk, 7:30pm; e-mail zoom@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

4thHenley – John Rogers “Kings, Boxes and Dots: A Brief History of the Post Office and Royal Mail”. The Chantry House, St Mary’s Church, Hart Street, 7:30pm.

4thHook Norton – Russell Collins “More Tales from Hook Norton Pottery”. Baptist Church Hall, Netting Street, 7:30pm.

4thLower Windrush – Amy Moore “Charles I and Oxford – Pre-Civil War”. Standlake Village Hall, 7:30pm.

5thFriends of the Oxfordshire Museum (Woodstock) – Alice Foster “World War I: Paintings and Poetry”. The Coach House, Oxfordshire Museum, Park Street, 7:30pm. Also available online; e-mail friendsoftheoxfordshiremuseum@gmail.com for further details.

6thCharlbury – Marcus Rees “Oxfordshire uncorked: a guide to our local vineyards”. Memorial Hall, 7:30pm.

6thEynsham – Kathryn Davies “Artisan Art in Vernacular Wall Painting”. St Leonard’s Church Hall, 7:30pm.

6thSoldiers of Oxfordshire Museum, Woodstock – Mike Montagu & Antonia Keaney “Churchill Remembered”. Marlborough Room, Blenheim Palace, 6:30pm. Tickets £45, book online at https://www.sofo.org.uk/whats-on/.

10thChipping Norton – John Leighfield “From Gough to Google”. Methodist Church Lower Hall, West Street, 2:00pm.

10thOxfordshire Family History Society (OFHS) – Bill King “The River at War (River Thames) ”. OFHS members only (https://www.ofhs.uk/become-a-member); online, 8:00pm.

10thRadley – Paul Booth “From Roman Britain to Early Anglos-Saxon England: archaeological evidence from Dorchester-on-Thames” . St James Church, 7:30pm.

10thWeston on the Green – Maurice East “Slade Army Camp”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.

11thOxfordshire Architectural and Historical Society (OAHS) – Nigel Hiscock “An Architectural History of Town and Gown in Oxford”. Rewley House, Oxford, 5:30pm, further information at https://oahs.org.uk/lectures.php.

11thThame – Stephen Barker “Oxfordshire in the British Civil Wars, 1642-51”. Thame Barns Centre, Church Road, 7:30pm.

12thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Anthony Tucker Jones “Churchill: the Cold War Warrior”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

12thEnstone – Mark Abrey “St Kenelm’s church records, family histories and old tombstones”. St Kenelm’s Church, Church Enstone, 7:00pm.

12thFlorence Park, Oxford – Matthew Spring “A biography of William Hershel”. Florence Park Community Centre, East Oxford, 7:30pm.

12thMuseum of Oxford – Stephen Barker “The Indian Army in the First World War: An Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry Perspective”. Museum of Oxford, Oxford Town Hall, 1:00pm. Booking at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lunchtime-talk-the-indian-army-in-the-first-world-war-tickets-1389187811139

12th – Oxford Civic Society – Mark Davies “Jericho: Oxford’s ‘dangerously hospitable’ 200-year-old suburb”. Rewley House, Wellington Square, 6:00pm.

12thWallingford – Richard Oram “Oxfordshire Archaeology Round-up”. St Mary’s Church, 8:00pm.

12thWychwoods – Juliet Heslewood “Fairford Church”. Milton Village Hall, 7:30pm.

13thBanbury – Duncan Murdock “Uncovering Oxfordshire’s Dinosaur Highway”. Education Studio, Banbury Museum, 7:30pm.

13thDeddington – Shaun Todd “The history of afternoon tea and its etiquette”. Primary School, 7:30pm.

13thOxfordshire Gardens Trust– Malcolm Airs “‘One of the most Beautiful Landscapes in the World’: Nuneham Courtenay Gardens, House and Village”. Online talk, 6:00pm, further information at https://ogt.org.uk/news-events

17thAdderbury – Tim Healey “A Victorian Christmas”. The Institute, 7:30pm.

17thBicester – Matthew Hathaway “Bicester in World War 2”. Clifton Centre, Ashdene Road, 7:30pm.

17thGoring Gap – Stuart Ackland “Oxford maps”. Goring Village Hall, 2:30pm.

17thKennington – Bill King “Women of World War Two”. Methodist Church, Upper Road, 7:45pm.

18thClanfield & Bampton – Andrew Wright “Fishers, seafarers and us; yesterday and today”. Carter Institute, Clanfield, 7:30pm.

18thIffley – David Wiles “Democracy as Theatre”. Church Hall, Church Way, 7:30pm.

19thBloxham – AGM and Liz Woolley “Early Cinema in Oxford”. Jubilee Park Hall, Barley Close, 7:30pm.

19thCropredy – Marie Lou Kerr “The woman who would be Queen: Empress Matilda, the anarchy and her links to Oxford Castle and Wallingford”. Village Hall, 7:00pm.

19thLittlemore – Jamie Williams “Another man’s trash is an archaeologists treasure: Excavations from Trinity College”. Community Centre, Giles Road, 7:30pm.

20thAbingdon – Teresa Witcombe “The Wandering Mind: From Oxford to the Frontiers of Knowledge in the Middle Ages” . Northcourt Centre, Northcourt Road, 7:45pm.

20thFriends of Vale and Downland Museum – Marie-Louise Kerr “Romans of Oxfordshire: Roman settlement and impact in the local area”. Vale and Downland Museum, Wantage, 7:30pm.

20thLongworth – Stephen Wass “The Peculiar History of Fishponds and Fishing in Oxfordshire and around”. Southmoor Village Hall, 7:15pm.

20th – Stonesfield – “The Avro Vulcan bomber and its role in the Cold War”. St James’s Centre, High Street, 7:30pm.

20thSibfords – Tim Healey “A 17th-century Christmas”. Sibford Gower Village Hall, 7:30pm.

20thWhitchurch & Goring Heath – Bill King “Industrial archaeology in your garage, shed and attic”. Goring Heath Parish Hall, 2:30pm.

21stFinstock – Doing Their Bit “Rationing and Cookery in WW2 (with food samples)”. Village Hall, 8:00pm.

24thCumnor – Alan Copeland “Eccentric London, Part 1” (Social Evening). Cumnor Old School, 7:30pm.

24thHanney – Andrew Long “Oxfordshire Place Names” . War Memorial Hall, 8:00pm.

24thMarcham – Robert Evans “God’s acre: writing village history from the graveyard”. Marcham Centre, Barrow Close, 7:45pm.

24thMiddleton Cheney – Stephen Barker “Armistice 1918 and after”. All Saints Church, 7:30pm.

24thOxfordshire Family History Society (OFHS) – Claire Moores “The rise of the Reading Rooms”. OFHS members only (https://www.ofhs.uk/become-a-member); online, 8:00pm.

24thTackley – Robin Gibbons “Tackley’s parson, priests and pastors: some colourful characters through the centuries”. Memorial Hall, 7:30pm.

25thKidlington – Charles Boundy “Ice Age to Athelstan – The emergence of England”. Baptist Church, High Street, 7:30pm.

25thOxfordshire Architectural and Historical Society (OAHS) – Michael Dawson “The Boathouses of Oxfordshire”. Rewley House, Oxford, 5:30pm, further information at https://oahs.org.uk/lectures.php.

26thDorchester on Thames – Patsy Smith and Denise Line “Education in Dorchester on Thames”. Dorchester Abbey Guest House, 7:30pm.

27thAston – Peter Gibbs “Concord – First to Last” (talk and film). Fellowship Centre, Cote Road, 7:30pm.

27thKirtlington & Bletchington – Dick Richards “The Commonwealth War Graves Commission”. Kirtlington Village Hall, 7:30pm

27thLaunton – Pat Tucker’s “Launton Quiz”. Parish Hall, 7:30pm.

December 2025

2ndBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Christina Holstein “Verdun – The German Offensive 1916”. Online talk, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

2ndHenley – Adrian Cox “Excavations at Greys Court”. The Chantry House, St Mary’s Church, Hart Street, 7:30pm.

2ndHook Norton – Ray Gasson “Farming in Hook Norton”. Baptist Church Hall, Netting Street, 7:30pm.

2ndLower Windrush – Stephen Goss “Oxford’s statues and the forgotten celebrated citizens they remember”. Standlake Village Hall, 7:30pm.

2nd – Oxford Civic Society – Simon Horobin “C.S. Lewis’s Oxford”. Rewley House, Wellington Square, 8:00pm.

2ndThame – AGM plus the Launton Handbell Ringers. Thame Barns Centre, Church Road, 7:30pm.

3rdFriends of the Oxfordshire Museum (Woodstock) – Colin Harrison “William Turner of Oxford and Shipton-on-Cherwell”. The Coach House, Oxfordshire Museum, Park Street, 7:30pm. Also available online; e-mail friendsoftheoxfordshiremuseum@gmail.com for further details.

3rdOxford Preservation Trust – Liz Woolley “Dream Palaces: A history of the Ultimate Picture Palace and early cinema in Oxford”. Key Learning Centre, Oxford Castle, 5:30pm. Book at https://app.sheepcrm.com/oxfordpreservation/events/oxfordpreservation-booking-68a2f7e904bb811d408e8ca6/

4thCharlbury – Liz Woolley “Lord Nuffield’s great generosity to the Oxford colleges”. Online talk, 7:30pm.

5thBenson – Mike Brook “A Christmas Miscellany: Humorous performance pieces on a seasonal theme”. Parish Hall, 7:00pm.

8thChipping Norton – Simon Randall “History in Your Post”. Methodist Church Lower Hall, West Street, 2:00pm.

8thOxfordshire Family History Society (OFHS) – Sean Callery “Christmas in the Cotswolds”. OFHS members only (https://www.ofhs.uk/become-a-member); online, 8:00pm.

9thKidlington – Tim Healey “A Seventeenth-Century Christmas”. Baptist Church, High Street, 7:30pm.

9thOxfordshire Architectural and Historical Society (OAHS) – Geoffrey Tyack “Country House Building in South Oxfordshire 1700-1850”. Rewley House, Oxford, 5:30pm, further information at https://oahs.org.uk/lectures.php.

10thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Gary Sheffield “The Dominion of Fear – The Experiences of Soldiers on the Battlefield in the Two World Wars”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

10thFlorence Park, Oxford – Emma Orton “Covid and the decline of childhood literacy”. Florence Park Community Centre, East Oxford, 7:30pm.

10thMuseum of Oxford – Tim Healey “A 17th-Century Christmas”. Museum of Oxford, Oxford Town Hall, 1:00pm. Booking at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lunchtime-talk-a-17th-century-christmas-tickets-1401363940269

10thWychwoods – Sean Callery “Christmas in the Cotswolds”. Milton Village Hall, 7:30pm.

11thBanbury – Stephen Barker “Indian Students at Victorian Oxford”. Education Studio, Banbury Museum, 7:30pm.

11thDeddington – Simon Wenham “More than three men in a boat: the rise and fall of pleasure boating on the Thames”. Primary School, 7:30pm.

12thFinstock – Tony Cooper and Kath Lucas “The Wheel of the Year – the history and customs of the seasons in readings and music”. Village Hall, 8:00pm.

15thGoring Gap – Rob Clarke “The Maiwand lion in the Forbury, Reading”. Goring Village Hall, 2:30pm.

15thKennington – Tim Healey “Victorian Christmas”. Methodist Church, Upper Road, 7:45pm.

16thIffley – Tim Healey “A Seventeenth-Century Christmas”. Church Hall, Church Way, 7:30pm.

17thMarcham – Christmas astronomy debate : How does Santa navigate? Marcham Centre, Barrow Close, 7:45pm.

18thAbingdon – Clare Goodall “A Medieval Christmas with Stories and Music” . Northcourt Centre, Northcourt Road, 7:45pm.

January 2026

5thChalgrove – Liz Woolley “Felicia Skene: Oxford writer, prison reformer and friend of the poor”. John Hampden Hall, 7:45pm.

5thSouth Stoke – Simon Wenham “Living the Lexicon: James Murray & the Creation of the Oxford English Dictionary”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.

6thHook Norton – Trevor Jackson “Cemeteries of Oxford”. Baptist Church Hall, Netting Street, 7:30pm.

7thFriends of the Oxfordshire Museum (Woodstock) – Lizzy Rowe “John Piper in Oxfordshire”. The Coach House, Oxfordshire Museum, Park Street, 7:30pm. Also available online; e-mail friendsoftheoxfordshiremuseum@gmail.com for further details.

8thBanbury – Stephen Wass “Secret Gardens and Science – Tales from Oxfordshire Gardens 1600 -1680”. Education Studio, Banbury Museum, 7:30pm.

8thCharlbury – Julie Ingram “Net Zero: food farming and land use”. Online talk, 7:30pm.

8thDeddington – Marie-Louise Kerr “The Romans of Oxfordshire: Roman settlement and impact in the local area”. Primary School, 7:30pm.

12thOxfordshire Family History Society (OFHS) – Penny Walters “Mixing DNA results with a paper trail: Demystifying DNA”. OFHS members only (https://www.ofhs.uk/become-a-member); online, 7:45pm.

12thRadley – Richard Dudding “Wick Hall: the story of a house and a family” . St James Church, 7:30pm.

12thWeston on the Green – Stephen Barker “Women in the First World War”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.

13thOxfordshire Architectural and Historical Society (OAHS) – Martin Watts “Cotswold Archaeology’s Work at Kelmscott”. Online talk, 5:30pm, further information at https://oahs.org.uk/lectures.php.

14thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Katherine Carter “Churchill’s Citadel – Chartwell and the Gatherings Before the Storm”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

14thWychwoods – Gillian Cane “The Mitford Sisters”. Milton Village Hall, 7:30pm.

15thAbingdon – Gary Lock “Becoming Roman in Oxfordshire: Excavations at Marcham/Frilford” . Northcourt Centre, Northcourt Road, 7:45pm.

16thFinstock – Graham Sutton “The Livery Companies of the City of London”. Village Hall, 8:00pm.

19th – Goring Gap – Tim Healey “A history of St Giles Fair, Oxford”. Goring Village Hall, 2:30pm.

21stBloxham – Stephen Goss “The Secret History: Oxfordshire and the Cold War”. Jubilee Park Hall, Barley Close, 7:30pm.

22ndKirtlington & Bletchington – Janice Kinory “Salt in Prehistoric Britain”. Kirtlington Village Hall, 2:30pm

26thCumnor – Liz Woolley “Kingerlee: the family and the building firm”. Cumnor Old School, 7:30pm.

26thHanney – Sam Seabourne “The Port of Wantage” . War Memorial Hall, 8:00pm.

26thMarcham – Caroline Rymer “Bugs, Drugs and Goats – how not to plan a career”. Marcham Centre, Barrow Close, 7:45pm.

26thOxfordshire Family History Society (OFHS) – Phil Isherwood “Whatever happened to Aunt Gonda? (Looking at mid 20th-century sources) ”. OFHS members only (https://www.ofhs.uk/become-a-member); online, 7:45pm.

26thTackley – Stephen Barker “Women in the First World War”. Memorial Hall, 7:30pm.

27thKidlington – Dick Richards “The Commonwealth War Graves Commission”. Baptist Church, High Street, 7:30pm.

27thOxfordshire Architectural and Historical Society (OAHS) – Nick Wright “Three Houses in St Ebbes: Investigating the History and Development of Oxford Preservation Trust’s Houses in Turn Again Lane” (The Oxfordshire Buildings Record Lecture). Online talk, 5:30pm, further information at https://oahs.org.uk/lectures.php.

February 2026

2ndChalgrove – AGM followed by Colin Oakes “St Brides Church: London’s History in one Building”. John Hampden Hall, 7:45pm.

2ndSouth Stoke – Steve Capel-Davies “Ways Over Water-Thames Crossings”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.

3rdBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Taylor Downing “1983 – The World at the Brink”. Online talk, 7:30pm; e-mail zoom@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

3rdHook Norton – Tim Healey “Apples – Myth and Mystery”. Baptist Church Hall, Netting Street, 7:30pm.

3rdLower Windrush – Bill King “Glenn Miller: the magic and the mystery”. Standlake Village Hall, 7:30pm.

4thFriends of the Oxfordshire Museum (Woodstock) – Antonia Keaney “Lights, Camera, Action: Behind the Scenes at Blenheim Palace”. The Coach House, Oxfordshire Museum, Park Street, 7:30pm. Also available online; e-mail friendsoftheoxfordshiremuseum@gmail.com for further details.

5thCharlbury – Tim Bryan “Brunel, GWR and the Cotswold Line”. Online talk, 7:30pm.

9thChipping Norton – Hugh Thomas “RAF Flying Training in the Chipping Norton area in WW2”. Methodist Church Lower Hall, West Street, 2:00pm.

9thOxfordshire Family History Society (OFHS) – Rebecca Probert “The crime of bigamy, 1604-2024: a guide for family historians”. OFHS members only (https://www.ofhs.uk/become-a-member); online, 7:45pm.

9thRadley – Steven Gunn “Everyday life and accidental death in 16th century Oxfordshire and Berkshire” . St James Church, 7:30pm.

10thOxfordshire Architectural and Historical Society (OAHS) – Ben Ford “Initial Results from Recent Excavations at Oriel College and Hertford College”. Online talk, 5:30pm, further information at https://oahs.org.uk/lectures.php.

11thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Gordon Rogers “Churchill’s Toyshop”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

11thWychwoods – “Witney Blankets or the New Mill”. Milton Village Hall, 7:30pm.

12thBanbury – Elizabeth Gemmill “Medieval British Women: Myth and Reality”. Education Studio, Banbury Museum, 7:30pm.

12thDeddington – Trevor Jackson “RAF Brize Norton: over 80 years of flying operations”. Primary School, 7:30pm.

16thBicester – John May “The Role of the High Sheriff of Oxfordshire”. Clifton Centre, Ashdene Road, 7:30pm.

16thGoring Gap – Sue Ellis “Not all beer and skittles”. Goring Village Hall, 2:30pm.

17thIffley – Edmund Gray “ A brilliant circle of Arts and Crafts designers”. Church Hall, Church Way, 7:30pm.

18thBloxham – Members’ Night (some of our members share their historical interests). Jubilee Park Hall, Barley Close, 7:30pm.

19thAbingdon – Martin Buckland “Malting and Brewing in Abingdon” . Northcourt Centre, Northcourt Road, 7:45pm.

20thFinstock – Melanie King “Cold Comforts – the Ice Houses of Oxfordshire”. Village Hall, 8:00pm.

23rdCumnor – Karen & Bret Wiles “Life on the Home Front in WW2”. Cumnor Old School, 7:30pm.

23rdHanney – Gillian Cane “Coleshill- Nerve Centre of British Resistance” . War Memorial Hall, 8:00pm.

23rdMarcham – Andrew Mann and Barry Hudson “Those other village voices, the birds that share our gardens with us”. Marcham Centre, Barrow Close, 7:45pm.

23rdOxfordshire Family History Society (OFHS) – Tim Healey “Drovers’ Roads in Oxfordshire and beyond”. OFHS members only (https://www.ofhs.uk/become-a-member); online, 7:45pm.

23rdTackley – “Collections and recollections” (details tbc). Memorial Hall, 7:30pm.

24thKidlington – Ann & John Ford “Morris Minors in the Media – not about engines and gearboxes”. Baptist Church, High Street, 7:30pm.

24thOxfordshire Architectural and Historical Society (OAHS) – Peter Steere “’A Good Man for his Age’: Dr W.T.G. Woodforde, Abingdon Medical Officer of Health 1873-1908”. Online talk, 5:30pm, further information at https://oahs.org.uk/lectures.php.

26thAston – Ken Langford and Susie Fletcher “Saddlery & Leather”. Fellowship Centre, Cote Road, 7:30pm.

26thKirtlington & Bletchington – Lizzie Rowe “Christopher Wren’s Oxford”. Kirtlington Village Hall, 2:30pm

March 2026

2ndChalgrove – Bill King “Dad’s Underground Army: the Auxiliary Units of the British Resistance Organisation”. John Hampden Hall, 7:45pm.

2ndSouth Stoke – Joseph Rogers “Tithe Barns”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.

3rdBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) –John Curatola “US Eighth Air Force over Europe in WW2”. Online talk, 7:30pm; e-mail zoom@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

3rdHook Norton – Robert Hudson “Elizabeth Woodville – Edward IV’s scandalous wife”. Baptist Church Hall, Netting Street, 7:30pm.

3rdLower Windrush – Stephen Barker “Tricks of the Trade: Spying in WWI”. Standlake Village Hall, 7:30pm.

4th – Friends of the Oxfordshire Museum (Woodstock) – David Meara “50 Gems of Oxfordshire”. The Coach House, Oxfordshire Museum, Park Street, 7:30pm. Also available online; e-mail friendsoftheoxfordshiremuseum@gmail.com for further details.

5thCharlbury – Gill Perkins “Charlbury welcomes bumblebees”. Memorial Hall, 7:30pm.

9thChipping Norton – AGM followed by Tony Cooper “The Great Prize Fight at White Oak Green 1846”. Methodist Church Lower Hall, West Street, 2:00pm.

9thFriends of Uffington Museum – Sem Seabourne “Black Wantage”. Thomas Hughes Memorial Hall, 7:30pm.

9thOxfordshire Family History Society (OFHS) – Carol Anderson “The Woodstock cut-steel industry (postponed from 2025) ”. OFHS members only (https://www.ofhs.uk/become-a-member); online, 7:45pm.

9thRadley – John Lowe “Always Ready, Always Willing: Fires and firefighting in the city of Oxford from 879 to 1974” . St James Church, 7:30pm.

9thWeston on the Green – Simon Wenham “Poverty, Pestilence and Public Health in Victorian Britain”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.

11thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Geoffrey Vesey Holt “The Last Hundred Days – The Battle of Amiens to the Hindenburg Line”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

11thWychwoods – Tracey Bowers “The Joint Casualty & Compassionate Centre (Armed Forces & Veterans Services)”. Milton Village Hall, 7:30pm.

12thBanbury – Tom Crook “The corruption of Parliament? A brief history of where MPs get their money from, 1800-2025”. Education Studio, Banbury Museum, 7:30pm.

12thDeddington – Christopher Hotten “The Man who Saved England: James Lees–Milne”. Primary School, 7:30pm.

16thGoring Gap – Richard Marks “The history of the Great Western Railway in Berkshire”. Goring Village Hall, 2:30pm.

17thIffley – Liz Woolley “Leisure and Entertainment in Victorian and Edwardian Oxford”. Church Hall, Church Way, 7:30pm.

18thBloxham – Film Night (rare ‘shorts’ covering aspects of the local history of our area). Jubilee Park Hall, Barley Close, 7:30pm.

19thAbingdon – Roger Thomas “The Medieval Streets of Abingdon” . Northcourt Centre, Northcourt Road, 7:45pm.

20thFinstock – Tim Healey “The Drove Roads of Oxfordshire”. Village Hall, 8:00pm.

23rdHanney – John Naylor “The Watlington Hoard” . War Memorial Hall, 8:00pm.

23rdMarcham – Alan Bovingdon-Cox “The History of RAF Abingdon”. Marcham Centre, Barrow Close, 7:45pm.

23rdTackley – Deborah Hayter “’The Poor law in the 18th century: crisis in the parishes”. Memorial Hall, 7:30pm.

26thKirtlington & Bletchington – Sean Callery “The Story of the Cotswolds”. Kirtlington Village Hall, 7:30pm

30thCumnor – Mark Davies “James Sadler: the Oxford air balloon pioneer”. Cumnor Old School, 7:30pm.

31stKidlington – John Duddington “Wick Hall – from bin bag to book”. Baptist Church, High Street, 7:30pm.

April 2026

2ndCharlbury – Marjorie Glasgow “The Oxfordshire Lieutenancy”. Memorial Hall, 7:30pm.

7thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) –Paul Whittle “River Kwai Railway – The True Story”. Online talk, 7:30pm; e-mail zoom@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

7thHook Norton – Julie Ann Godson “Scandal in High Society Oxfordshire”. Baptist Church Hall, Netting Street, 7:30pm.

7thLower Windrush – Andrew Long “Oxfordshire place names”. Standlake Village Hall, 7:30pm.

8thWychwoods – Family genealogy evening”. Milton Village Hall, 7:30pm.

9thDeddington – Carol Anderson “All that glitters: Woodstock’s cut steel industry”. Primary School, 7:30pm.

13thChalgrove – Marie-Louise Kerr “Oxford’s Penicillin: the forgotten WW2 story of the development of penicillin by scientists”. John Hampden Hall, 7:45pm.

13thChipping Norton – Ramon Gater “Chastleton Graves”. Methodist Church Lower Hall, West Street, 2:00pm.

13thOxfordshire Family History Society (OFHS) – Simon Davies “Family History Archive on wearexyz”. OFHS members only (https://www.ofhs.uk/become-a-member); online, 7:45pm.

13thRadley – Hubert Zawadzki “My Polish father’s experience in WW2 from Gulag to Normandy and Scotland” . St James Church, 7:30pm.

15thBloxham – Members of the Bloxham Underground Tunnels Society “Bloxham’s Underground Tunnels” (tbc). Jubilee Park Hall, Barley Close, 7:30pm.

15thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Chris Leworthy “Operation Chastise – The Dambusters Raid”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

16thBanbury – Map evening; details to be confirmed. Education Studio, Banbury Museum, 7:30pm.

17thFinstock – David Pratley “Finstock Life – a long-standing Finstock character in conversation about changes and events in the village over the years”. Village Hall, 8:00pm.

20thGoring Gap – Malcolm Summers “Greyfriars, Reading: prison to parish church”. Goring Village Hall, 2:30pm.

21stIffley – Christina Hardyment “Alyce Chaucer: The Facts and the Fictions”. Church Hall, Church Way, 7:30pm.

27thCumnor – AGM and Melanie King “‘Taking the Waters’: the waxing and waning of the English spa”. Cumnor Old School, 7:30pm.

27thHanney – Richard Marks “The Wantage Tramway” . War Memorial Hall, 8:00pm.

27thMarcham – David Guyoncourt “The Wildlife of Radley Lakes”. Marcham Centre, Barrow Close, 7:45pm.

27thOxfordshire Family History Society (OFHS) – Simon Doyle “How AI can save you hours when researching your family history”. OFHS members only (https://www.ofhs.uk/become-a-member); online, 7:45pm.

27thTackley – Anni Byard “Tackley: The Dig at Gibraltar Point”. Memorial Hall, 7:30pm.

28th – Appleton with Eaton – Jane Harrison “Besselsleigh Manor dig update”. Appleton Village Hall, 7:30pm.

28thKidlington – John Caldecott “The story of how John (a foundling baby) found his mother (the rest of the story)”. Baptist Church, High Street, 7:30pm.

30thAston – AGM and in-house session “Aston and Cote Field Names”. Fellowship Centre, Cote Road, 7:30pm.

May 2026

5thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Guy Bartlett “Operation NIMROD – SAS in Action”. Online talk, 7:30pm; e-mail zoom@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

5thHook Norton – AGM followed by Stephen Wass “Baddesley Clinton & Packwood House: Recent archaeological discoveries”. Baptist Church Hall, Netting Street, 7:30pm.

7thCharlbury – Marie-Louise Kerr “Oxfordshire on Canvas”. Memorial Hall, 7:30pm.

11thChalgrove – Julie Ann Godson “Free Spirits of Oxfordshire: true originals from history”. John Hampden Hall, 7:45pm.

11thChipping Norton – George Lambrick “The Rollright Stones”. Methodist Church Lower Hall, West Street, 2:00pm.

11thOxfordshire Family History Society (OFHS) – Richard Marks “Royal Navy WW1 (part one of two talks) ”. OFHS members only (https://www.ofhs.uk/become-a-member); online, 7:45pm.

11thRadley – Mike Hurst “Tracks to trenches: railway activities in southern England and France during WW1” . St James Church, 7:30pm.

11thWeston on the Green – Tim Healey “Drovers’ Roads in Oxfordshire and Beyond”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.

13thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Stephen Goss “The War that No One Wanted: The Origins of the Great War”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

13thWychwoods – AGM followed by “From the Archive”. Milton Village Hall, 7:30pm.

14thDeddington – Tim Healey “The Green Man Trail in Oxfordshire”. Primary School, 7:30pm.

15thFinstock – Neil Huband “The Home Front in Oxfordshire – a look at the industrial, agricultural and social changes enforced by WW2”. Village Hall, 8:00pm.

18thGoring Gap – Mike Cooper “The defence of Reading from the Vikings to the Civil War”. Goring Village Hall, 2:30pm.

18thHanney – Timothy Walker “History of Oxford Botanic Garden” . War Memorial Hall, 8:00pm.

19thIffley – Malcolm Graham “Removing nuisances, creating vistas: the work of the Oxford Paving Commissioners 1771-1800”. Church Hall, Church Way, 7:30pm.

20thBloxham – Martin Buckland “Canal People”. Jubilee Park Hall, Barley Close, 7:30pm.

21stAbingdon – Clare Sargent “Rediscovering Capability Brown at Radley Hall” . Northcourt Centre, Northcourt Road, 7:45pm.

25thMarcham – Ricky Smith “The History of Rycote Chapel”. Marcham Centre, Barrow Close, 7:45pm.

26thKidlington – Andrew Shapland “Knossos – Myth or Reality”. Baptist Church, High Street, 7:30pm.

June 2026

1stChalgrove – Melanie King “Taking the Waters: the waxing and the waning of the English spa”. John Hampden Hall, 7:45pm.

1stSouth Stoke – Dick Richards “The Commonwealth War Graves Commission Archives”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.

2ndBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – James Porter “German Occupation of the Channel Islands”. Online talk, 7:30pm; e-mail zoom@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

8thRadley – Stephen Wass “Garden archaeology: not that kind of digging” . St James Church, 7:30pm.

10thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Mike Tickner “A Head Ache and a Heart Ache. The Indian Army at Partition”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

11thDeddington – Alastair Lack “CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien”. Primary School, 7:30pm.

18thAbingdon – Open evening with presentations by members. Northcourt Centre, Northcourt Road, 7:45pm.

22ndMarcham – Catherine Sampson “Berkshire and South Oxfordshire Churches: hidden gems and stories”. Marcham Centre, Barrow Close, 7:45pm.

30thKidlington – AGM and members evening with coffee and quiz. Baptist Church, High Street, 7:30pm.

July 2026

6thSouth Stoke – Andrew Long “The Naming of Oxfordshire Pubs”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.

7thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Robert Verkaik “Arnhem and the Cambridge Spies”. Online talk, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

13thRadley – Victoria Bentata “Alice and the Dodo in Oxford” . St James Church, 7:30pm.

13thWeston on the Green – Nick Millea “The Message in the Map”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.

15thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Guy Walters “Berlin Games – How Hitler Stole the Olympic Dream”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

28thKidlington – Al Sylvester “Exercise Southern Reach – the conception of an Antarctic expedition”. Baptist Church, High Street, 7:30pm.

September 2026

14thRadley – AGM and Melanie King “Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough: taking the waters in Bath, Scarborough and Windsor Great Park” . St James Church, 7:30pm.

October 2026

6thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Richard Gibbons “Berlin – A Divided City”. Online talk, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

14thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Ross Beadle “There was more to it than Tanks – The Battle of Cambrai”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

19thGoring Gap – Katrina Cooper “For God and the Cause: soldiery in the English Civil War through the lens of the Sealed Knot”. Goring Village Hall, 2:30pm.

November 2026

3rdBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Richard Phillips  “German Spies in Britain in WW2”. Online talk, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

9thWeston on the Green – Tim Healey “A Victorian Christmas”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.

11thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Chris Finn “Buccaneer and Tornado Operations in Operation GRANBY”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

16thBicester – Nigel Walton “1918 – Peace & Remembrance in Bicester”. Clifton Centre, Ashdene Road, 7:30pm.

December 2026

15thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Helen Fry “The White Lady – The story of British Intelligence Networks behind German Lines”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

January 2027

13thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Linda Parker “Rudolf Hess – His Flight to England”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

February 2027

2ndBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Rachel Pistol “World War Two Internment in UK and USA”. Online talk, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

March 2027

2ndBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – James Porter “Battle of Narvik 1940”. Online talk, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

10thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Jack Bowsher “Battle of Burma – Meiktila”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

April 2027

14th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Andy Richardson  “Britain’s Atomic  V Bombers – The Ultimate Peacekeepers”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

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