In normal circumstances there are talks on a wide variety of local history subjects going on all over the county more or less every weekday. During the Covid-19 lockdown period many groups are organising on-line talks, and these are proving very popular. They have the advantage of being accessible to everyone, wherever you are in the world!
Talks which we know are happening are listed below. Note that a small charge for attending on-line may be made by the organisers.
For other events and exhibitions see this page.
March 2021
1st – Berkshire Industrial Archaeology Group – Edwin Trout “For the Use of the Inhabitants Forever: Wells & Pumps of the Thames & Chilterns”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, further information at http://biag.org.uk/event/use-inhabitants-forever-well-pumps-thames-chilterns/
1st – Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum – Gareth Glover “The 52nd Foot at Waterloo”. On-line talk, 7:00pm, view at https://www.sofo.org.uk/whats-on/lockdownlecture52ndwaterloo/
2nd – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Bill Steadman “The intelligence, deception & communications for D Day”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing zoom@bmmhs.org
4th – Charlbury – Stephen Barker “Soldiers, Saints and Sinners: Oxfordshire Characters from the British Civil War 1642-46”. On-line talk, 8:00pm, register by e-mailing susanmerry2@gmail.com
8th – Radley – Simon Wenham “Living the Lexicon, James Murray and the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, for registration see the club website www.radleyhistoryclub.org.uk
9th – Oxfordshire Architectural And Historical Society (OAHS) – Alex Davies and Chris Hayden “Changes in Later Prehistory: Recent Later Bronze and Iron Age Discoveries in Oxfordshire”. On-line talk, 5:30pm, further information at https://oahs.org.uk/lectures.php (OAHS members only).
10th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Peter Burt “The sinking of the Russian nuclear submarine ‘Kursk’, August 2000”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing zoom@bmmhs.org
11th – Banbury – Toby Purser “Conquered England: the Norman Conquest and the end of the Anglo-Saxon state”. Banbury Museum, Spiceball Park Road, 7:30pm, and streamed live via Microsoft Teams. For further information e-mail simon.townsend@banburymuseum.org
15th – Adderbury – Stephen Dawson “The Work of the Oxford Preservation Trust”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing philandbmansell@hotmail.com
15th – Goring Gap – Bill King “The Upper Thames Patrol – the waterborne Home Guard of the River Thames”. On-line talk, 2:30pm, register by e-mailing goringgaphistory@gmail.com
16th – Enstone – Caroline Barron “Women in Medieval London”. Contact johnch.pritchard@tiscali.co.uk to check details.
16th – Iffley – Deborah Hayter “Common right – private property: how enclosure shaped the Oxfordshire Landscape”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing mpetipa@ntlworld.com
17th – Bloxham – Ian Keable “The history of cartoons from William Hogarth to Private Eye”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing ian_myson@hotmail.com
17th – Littlemore – Liz Woolley “How the coming of the railway changed Oxford”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing history.littlemore@gmail.com
18th – Museum of Oxford – Stephen Barker “Hardit Singh Malik – the Flying Sikh”. On-line talk, 6:00pm, book via https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/136278198761
18th – Wychwoods – Tom Shannon “The Journey from Afghanistan”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing mail@wychwoodshistory.uk
20th – Iffley – Tim Porter “Medieval Hospitals”. 7:30pm, in Iffley Church Hall if possible, e-mail mpetipa@ntlworld.com for confirmation.
22nd – Berkshire Industrial Archaeology Group – John Holden “The story of early incandescent light bulbs (including a case study of the Victorian Robertson Lamp Works in Hammersmith)”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, further information at http://biag.org.uk/event/story-early-incandescent-light-bulbs-including-case-study-victorian-robertson-lamp-works-hammersmith/
23rd – Hanney – Tim Healey “Sex, Drink and Death in the 17th Century” . 8:00pm, War Memorial Hall, East Hanney, or via Zoom; e-mail hhgsecretary@gmail.com by the preceding Saturday for further information.
25th – Kirtlington & Bletchingdon – James McDougall “The Middle East 1918-48”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing shackletonuk@gmail.com
April 2021
1st – Charlbury – Carol Anderson “Over the Hills to Glory: The Story of the Ascott Martyrs”. On-line talk, 8:00pm, register by e-mailing susanmerry2@gmail.com
8th – Banbury – 75th anniversary showing of “24 Square Miles”, the 1946 film about the survey of the area between Banbury and Chipping Norton”. Banbury Museum, Spiceball Park Road, 7:30pm, and streamed live via Microsoft Teams. For further information e-mail simon.townsend@banburymuseum.org
12th – Radley – Tim Healey “Pagans and Puritans, The story of May morning in Oxford”. St James the Great Church, 7:30pm.
13th – Enstone – Frank Prochaska “The feminisation of the Monarchy”. Contact johnch.pritchard@tiscali.co.uk to check details.
14th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Dilip Sarkar “I Knew the Few – The Battle of Britain Pilots”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing zoom@bmmhs.org
14th – Wolvercote – Julie Hamilton “Wolvercote Young People’s Club”. Village Hall. 7:30pm.
15th – Wootton & Dry Sandford – AGM, plus Philip Candy “A Tapestry of Life – James Candy”. Community Centre, Wootton, 7:30pm.
15th – Wychwoods – David Innes “Capt Ralph Kite MC, Ox & Bucks Light Infantry”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing mail@wychwoodshistory.uk
19th – Berkshire Industrial Archaeology Group – Ruth Weinberg “The Gas Engines & Tylor Pump at the County Hall, Abingdon”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, further information at http://biag.org.uk/event/gas-engines-tylor-pump-county-hall-abingdon/
19th – Goring Gap – Marie-Louise Kerr “Oxford’s Penicillin”. On-line talk, 8:00pm, register by e-mailing goringgaphistory@gmail.com
21st – Bloxham – Marie-Louise Kerr “Oxfordshire on Canvas”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing ian_myson@hotmail.com
21st – Littlemore – Wendy Morrison “Hillforts of the Chilterns”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing history.littlemore@gmail.com
22nd – Museum of Oxford – Liz Woolley “Beer, sausages and marmalade: Oxford food and drink in the 19th century”. On-line talk, 6:00pm, book via https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/136279763441
26th – Oxfordshire Family History Society – John Frearson “Opening the Dore”. Exeter Hall, Oxford Road, Kidlington, 8:00pm. TBC – contact Christopher Fance, meetings@ofhs.org.uk, to confirm.
27th – Hanney – Victoria Bentata Aziz “Oxford in the History of Medicine” . 8:00pm, War Memorial Hall, East Hanney, or via Zoom; e-mail hhgsecretary@gmail.com by the preceding Saturday for further information.
May 2021
4th – Museum of Oxford – Mark Davies “Lewis Carroll and the Pre-Raphaelites”. On-line talk, 6:00pm, book via https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/136282950975
6th – Charlbury – Rhona & Simon Walker “Cottages and churches; markets and mission halls – Corrugated iron from catalogues”. On-line talk, 8:00pm, register by e-mailing susanmerry2@gmail.com
10th – Radley – Alastair Lack “The Oxford of Inspector Morse”. 7:30pm, either on-line or at St James the Great church, see the club website www.radleyhistoryclub.org.uk for details.
10th – Weston-on-the-Green – Simon Wenham “Salters Steamers”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.
12th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – John Peaty “Lawrence of Arabia”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing zoom@bmmhs.org
17th – Goring Gap – Liz Woolley “A History of Brewing in Oxford”. On-line talk, 8:00pm, register by e-mailing goringgaphistory@gmail.com
18th – Iffley – Tom Doig “The Victorian Way of Death”. 7:30pm, venue/Zoom tbc, e-mail mpetipa@ntlworld.com for confirmation.
19th– Enstone – ffiona Perigrinor “A Medieval Pilgrim”. Contact johnch.pritchard@tiscali.co.uk to check details.
19th – Littlemore – John Stewart “The History of Littlemore Hospital – from Victorian pauper asylum to mental health institute”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing history.littlemore@gmail.com
20th – Abingdon – Liz Woolley – “The Coming of the Railway to Oxford”. On-line-talk, 7:45, members only.
20th – Wychwoods – AGM and Julie Ann Godson “Oxfordshire in the Past”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing mail@wychwoodshistory.uk
25th – Hanney – Mark Davies “Artists in Wonderland: The Pre-Raphaelites in Oxford” . 8:00pm, War Memorial Hall, East Hanney, or via Zoom; e-mail hhgsecretary@gmail.com by the preceding Saturday for further information.
June 2021
9th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Philip Allan “The Battle of the Nile”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing zoom@bmmhs.org
14th – Radley – Nic Vanderpeet “Spitfires over Oxfordshire and the D-day Landings”. St James Church, 7:30pm.
July 2021
12th – Radley – Tom Crook “The Great Stink! Engineers and Sewerage Systems”. St James Church, 7:30pm.
12th – Weston-on-the-Green – AGM and Mark Davies “Daniel Harris, Oxford Gaoler”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.
14th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Speaker from the Gurkha Museum Trust “ The History of the Gurkhas in the British and Indian Armies, 1815 to present day”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing zoom@bmmhs.org
September 2021
13th – Radley – AGM followed by “Radley Remembered – a presentation of memories of Radley to 1953”. St James Church, 7:30pm.
15th – Harwell – Eric Jenkins “Harwell through the camera lens”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.
15th – Littlemore – Christopher Young “Roman Pottery finds in Oxford”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing history.littlemore@gmail.com
16th – Wychwoods – Stephen Barker “Oxfordshire during the Second World War”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing mail@wychwoodshistory.uk
20th – Goring Gap – Dan Allen “Women and the Victorian Army: What was life like for soldiers’ families at home and abroad?” 8:00pm, in Goring Village Hall if possible, e-mail goringgaphistory@gmail.com for confirmation.
October 2021
13th – Wolvercote – AGM followed by Alison McDonald “10,000 Years of Life Beside the Thames”. Village Hall. 7:30pm.
18th – Goring Gap – Paul Henderson “James Sowerby: Enlightenment, Art and Science”. 2:30pm, in Goring Village Hall if possible, e-mail goringgaphistory@gmail.com for confirmation.
20th – Harwell – Charles East “The Kennet and Avon Canal, past and present”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.
21st – Wychwoods – David Young “Primitive Methodism”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing mail@wychwoodshistory.uk
November 2021
15th – Goring Gap – Nicola Tallis “Lady Jane Grey”. 2:30pm, in Goring Village Hall if possible, e-mail goringgaphistory@gmail.com for confirmation.
17th – Harwell – Jane M Card “The Great Fire of Harwell, 1852” (to be confirmed). Village Hall, 7:30pm.
18th – Wychwoods – Juliet Heslewood “William Morris and the Cotswolds”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing mail@wychwoodshistory.uk
22nd – Oxfordshire Family History Society – Tim Healey “A 17th-Century Christmas”. Exeter Hall, Kidlington, 8:00pm.
December 2021
15th – Harwell – Adam Sloman “The History of MG cars at Abingdon”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.
20th – Goring Gap – David Allan “The Amazing Mr. Dickens: the inspiration behind his most famous characters”. 2:30pm, in Goring Village Hall if possible, e-mail goringgaphistory@gmail.com for confirmation.
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