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.
May 2021
4th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Mark Taylor “Ships and Stars and Isles”. On-line talk, 2:00pm, register by e-mailing zoom@bmmhs.org
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
5th – Friends of the Oxfordshire Museum – Liz Woolley “The Victorian and Edwardian development of East Oxford”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing contact@FriendsOfTOM.org.uk
6th – Oxford Preservation Trust – Tom Hassall “Turning the bridge – saving the Rewley Road Swing Bridge Part II”. On-line talk, 5:00pm, book via https://www.oxfordpreservation.org.uk/events/turning-bridge-%E2%80%93-saving-rewley-road-swing-bridge-part-ii-opt-trustee-tom-hassall-thursday-6
6th – Charlbury – Alice Prochaska “How it became respectable to educate women. The past, present and future of the women’s colleges at Oxford”. On-line talk, 8:00pm, register by e-mailing susanmerry2@gmail.com
10th – Radley – Alastair Lack “The Oxford of Inspector Morse”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing chairman@radleyhistoryclub.org.uk
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 – Man, Movie and Myth”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing zoom@bmmhs.org
17th – Adderbury – Janice Kinory “Salt in Prehistoric Britain”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing philandbmansell@hotmail.com
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– Bloxham – Victoria Bentata “Einstein and the Refugee Scholars in Oxford”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing ian_myson@hotmail.com
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, further information from https://littlemorelocalhistorysociety.wordpress.com/2021-programme/
20th – Abingdon – Liz Woolley – “The Coming of the Railway to Oxford”. On-line-talk, 7:45, members only.
20th – Thame Museum – Catherine Taylor “Rothschild Money Moving Mountains”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, tickets from www.thamemuseum.org/whats-on/talks-online/
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
1st – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Ian Castle “The Zeppelin Onslaught – Britain’s Forgotten Blitz”. On-line talk, 2:00pm, register by e-mailing zoom@bmmhs.org
2nd – Friends of the Oxfordshire Museum – Stephen Dawson, Oxford Preservation Trust “Oxford is not a museum piece, it is a living thing”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing contact@FriendsOfTOM.org.uk
9th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Philip Allan “The Battle of the Nile 1789”. 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.
17th – Thame Museum – John Tyler “The Lost Forest of Bernwood”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, tickets from www.thamemuseum.org/whats-on/talks-online/
21st – Adderbury – Marie-Louise Kerr “The Romans of Oxfordshire”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing philandbmansell@hotmail.com
July 2021
6th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Lucy Betteridge Dyson “The Real War Horse”. On-line talk, 2:00pm, register by e-mailing zoom@bmmhs.org
8th – Thame Museum – Simon Wenham “Crime and Punishment in Victorian Britain”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, tickets from www.thamemuseum.org/whats-on/talks-online/
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) –David Vassallo “Operation Pedestal”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing zoom@bmmhs.org
19th – Adderbury – AGM and Alistair Lack “The Country Houses of Oxfordshire”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing philandbmansell@hotmail.com
20th – Oxford Preservation Trust – David Radford “Recent archaeological work in Oxford”. On-line talk, 5:00pm, book via https://www.oxfordpreservation.org.uk/events/recent-archaeology-work-oxford-david-radford-tuesday-20-july-5pm-virtual-talk
September 2021
1st – Friends of the Oxfordshire Museum – Graeme Whitehall “In India’s Image: Strange tales from the Chiltern Hills – the story of the Maharajah’s Well at Stoke Row”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing contact@FriendsOfTOM.org.uk
8th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Helen Fry “MI19 Escape and Invasion”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing zoom@bmmhs.org
9th – Wootton & Dry Sandford – Simon Wenham “A crystal vision of Victorian Britain – the Great Exhibition of 1851”. Wootton Community Centre, 7:30pm.
13th – Radley – AGM followed by “Radley Remembered – a presentation of memories of Radley to 1953”. St James Church, 7:30pm.
14th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Ian Binnie “The Second Mounted Division at Gallipoli”. On-line talk, 2:00pm, register by e-mailing zoom@bmmhs.org
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, further information from https://littlemorelocalhistorysociety.wordpress.com/2021-programme/
16th – Wychwoods – Stephen Barker “Oxfordshire during the Second World War”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing mail@wychwoodshistory.uk
20th – Adderbury – Stephen Oliver “The History and Restoration of St Mary’s, Adderbury”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing philandbmansell@hotmail.com
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
5th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote)– Kathy Quinlan Flatter and Linda Parker “The Blitz in London December 1940”. On-line talk, 2:00pm, register by e-mailing zoom@bmmhs.org
6th – Friends of the Oxfordshire Museum – Angie Bolton “Rich Pickings in the Museum Services Archaeology Collection from the Palaeolithic to the late Medieval”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing contact@FriendsOfTOM.org.uk
13th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Gareth Glover “Waterloo Myths and the Quest for the Truth”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing zoom@bmmhs.org
13th – Wolvercote – AGM followed by Alison McDonald “10,000 Years of Life Beside the Thames”. Village Hall. 7:30pm.
14th – Wootton & Dry Sandford – Timothy Walker “The Harcourt Arboretum – the first 50 years”. Wootton Community Centre, 7:30pm.
18th – Adderbury – Ciaran Walsh “The Otmoor Riots in a Wider Context”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing philandbmansell@hotmail.com
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
22nd – Thame Museum – Susan Fern “The Lenborough Hoard and the Buckingham Mint”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, tickets from www.thamemuseum.org/whats-on/talks-online/
November 2021
2nd – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote)– Gary Sheffield “The Role of NCOs in the armies of the British Empire 1914 – 1945”. On-line talk, 2:00pm, register by e-mailing zoom@bmmhs.org
3rd – Friends of the Oxfordshire Museum – Alice Foster “In Memoriam: War in Art and Literature”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing contact@FriendsOfTOM.org.uk
10th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Paul Beaver “Suez”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing zoom@bmmhs.org
11th – Wootton & Dry Sandford – Liz Woolley “The common lodging house in Victorian England”. Wootton Community Centre, 7:30pm.
12th – Thame Museum – Tom Crook “The Big Stink: The Victorian Battle Against Dirt”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, tickets from www.thamemuseum.org/whats-on/talks-online/
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
1st – Friends of the Oxfordshire Museum – Howard Robinson “A History of Worcester Cathedral and some of its unusual Patrons”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing contact@FriendsOfTOM.org.uk
8th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Paul Caddick-Adams “The Battle of the Bulge”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing zoom@bmmhs.org
14th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Robin Brodhurst “The Battle of the Atlantic – The Turning Point”. On-line talk, 2:00pm, register by e-mailing zoom@bmmhs.org
15th – Harwell – Adam Sloman “The History of MG cars at Abingdon”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.
16th – Thame Museum – Andy Thomas “Christmas: A Festive History”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, tickets from www.thamemuseum.org/whats-on/talks-online/
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.
January 2022
6th – Friends of the Oxfordshire Museum – David Juler “|The Museum of Oxford: Recent changes, Acquisitions and Attractions”. On-line talk, 7:30pm, register by e-mailing contact@FriendsOfTOM.org.uk
13th – Wootton & Dry Sandford – Richard Dudding “Radley – gentry, yeomen and land”. Wootton Community Centre, 7:30pm.
February 2022
10th – Wootton & Dry Sandford – Tim Healey “Apples ! The Myth and Mystery of England’s Favourite Fruit”. Wootton Community Centre, 7:30pm.
March 2022
10th – Wootton & Dry Sandford – Peter Forsaith “From London to Oxford: building Westminster College (a queer sort of story) ”. Wootton Community Centre, 7:30pm.
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