Talks & meetings

April 2025

1stBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – James Porter “Attacks on the Vichy Fleet in North Africa”. On-line talk, 7:30pm; e-mail zoom@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

1st – Henley – Wendy Morrison “Iron Age Hillforts of the Chilterns”. The Chantry House, St Mary’s Church, Hart Street, 7:30pm.

1stHook Norton – Marie-Louise Kerr “Two William Morrises of Oxford”. Baptist Church Hall, Netting Street, 7:30pm.

2ndFriends of the Oxfordshire Museum (Woodstock) – Tiffany Black “The Work and Life of Sculptor Michael Black”. The Coach House, Oxfordshire Museum, Park Street, 7:30pm. Also available on-line; e-mail friendsoftheoxfordshiremuseum@gmail.com for further details.

2nd – Stonesfield – Graham Rutson “Stonesfield’s Roman Villas”. St James’ Centre, High Street, 7:30pm.

3rdCharlbury – Simon Randall “The Civil War in the Cotswolds”. Memorial Hall, 7:30pm.

3rdEynsham – Gareth Winrow “Stories of Middle Way”. St Leonard’s Church Hall, Thames Street, 7:30pm.

7thChalgrove – Tim Healey “Pagans and Puritans: the story of May Morning in Oxford”. John Hampden Hall, 7:45pm.

7thSouth Stoke – Gillian Cane “A Tour of the Bodleian Library”. Village Hall 7:30pm.

8thThame – Bill King “RAF Mount Farm – The short life of a wartime airfield”. Thame Barns Centre, Church Road, 7:30pm.

9thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Philip K Allan “Wellington’s Navy”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

9thEnstone – Mark Page “Churchill, Kingham and Sarsden: Current VCH Work in West Oxfordshire”. St Kenelm’s Church, Church Enstone, 7:00pm.

9thFlorence Park, Oxford – Mark Davies “The professors of rowing”. Florence Park Community Centre, East Oxford, 7:30pm.

9thStanford in the Vale – Stephen Wass “The Peculiar History of Fishponds and Fish in Oxfordshire – An Archaeology Perspective”. Large Village Hall, 7:30pm.

10thBanbury – Film showing “Olive Gibbs: A Remarkable Woman”. Banbury Museum, 7:30pm.

10thDeddington – Ciaran Walsh “Jericho: Oxford’s first industrial suburb, from cholera epidemics to gentrification”. Primary School, 7:30pm.

10thDidcot – AGM plus David Taylor “Historic Pubs of the City of Oxford”. Northbourne Centre, Church Street, 7:30pm.

12thSoldiers of Oxfordshire Museum, Woodstock – Myfanwy Lloyd “The Liberation of Bergen-Belsen: Soldiers & Survivors”. 2:00pm. Free; book on-line at https://www.sofo.org.uk/whats-on/.

14thBicester – Frank Collingwood “The Oxford Bus Museum”. Clifton Centre, Ashdene Road, 7:30pm.

14thChipping Norton – Malcolm Rogers “The Broadway Colony of Artists and Writers”. Methodist Church Hall, West Street, 2:00pm.

14thGoring Gap – Sarah Somerville “The guides’ guide: working in historic houses today”. Goring Village Hall, 2:30pm.

14thKennington – Stephen Wass “Garden Archaeology: “not that kind of digging”, an overview of recent discoveries in historic gardens”. Methodist Church, Upper Road, 7:45pm.

14thOxfordshire Family History Society (OFHS) – Richard Marks “The World’s First Steam Tramway: The Story of the Wantage Tramway”. On-line, 7:15pm (members only).

14thRadley – Katherine Bradley “Early women professional gardeners, including the founders of Waterperry”. Church of St James the Great, 7:30pm.

15thClanfield & Bampton – Julie Ann Godson “Memories of the Vale”. Carter Institute, Clanfield, 7:30pm.

15thIffley – Elizabeth Wells “The Smiths of Iffley – glimpses of a 17th-century family”. Church Hall, Church Way, 7:30pm.

16thBloxham– Film Night: rare ‘shorts’ covering aspects of the local history of our area. Jubilee Park Hall, Barley Close, 7:30pm.

16thCropredy – Gill White “John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough”. Village Hall, 7:00pm.

16thHarwell – Richard Martin “History of MG Cars”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.

16thLittlemore – Philip Powell “Geology of Oxfordshire, the very early history of Littlemore”. Community Centre, Giles Road, 7:30pm.

17thAbingdon – David Griffiths “The Archaeology of East Oxford”. Northcourt Centre, Northcourt Road. 7:45pm.

17thLongworth – Robert Evans “History of our Footpaths”. Southmoor Village Hall, 7:15pm.

17thSibfords – Lizzy Rowe “Duncan Grant at St Peter’s College”. Sibford Gower Village Hall, 7:30pm.

17thSoldiers of Oxfordshire Museum, Woodstock – Anthony Glees “The Occupation of Alderney: Nazi War Crimes on British Soil?”. 7:00pm. Tickets £12; book on-line at https://www.sofo.org.uk/whats-on/.

17thWhitchurch & Goring Heath – Edward Evans “The history of Caversham Court Gardens”. Whitchurch Village Hall, 2:30pm.

18thFinstock – Neil Huband “Local Heroes – the contribution made by and the effect upon local people of the World Wars”. Village Hall, 8:00pm.

19thWychwoods – Laurence Waters “The Chipping Norton Branch Line”. Milton under Wychwood Village Hall, 7:30pm.

21stCumnor – Martin Buckland “Canal history: The world to Wiltshire from 502BC to the present day”. Old School, 7:30pm.

23rdDorchester on Thames – Marie-Louise Kerr “Blue Plaques in South Oxfordshire”. Dorchester Abbey Guest House, 7:30pm.

23rdWolvercote – Mark Davies “Our Canal, Wolvercote to Oxford”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.

24thAston – AGM followed by Stephen Wass “The Peculiar History of Fishponds and Fishing in Oxfordshire”. Fellowship Centre, Cote Road, 7:30pm.

24thCharlbury – AGM plus Neil Clennell “Wychwood Forest Trust: Progress in Nature Recovery”. Memorial Hall, 7:30pm.

24thLaunton – John Tyler “Reading the Countryside”. Parish Hall, 7:30pm.

25thBenson – Graham Twemlow “The Great British Poster Artists: The Golden Age of Posters in Britain”. Parish Hall, 7:00pm.

28thMarcham – Paul Whitton “George Owen, Royal Physician”. Marcham Centre, Barrow Close, 7:15pm.

28th – Middleton Cheney – Gill White “Bess of Hardwick and Hardwick Hall”. All Saints Church, 7:30pm.

28thOxfordshire Family History Society (OFHS) – Solving Brickwalls – members evening. On-line, 7:15pm (members only).

28thTackley – Anni Byard “Tackley: The dig at Gibralter Point”. Memorial Hall, 7:30pm.

29thAdderbury – AGM followed by Bill King “Yesterday’s Childhood”. The Institute, 7:30pm.

29thKidlington – John Naylor “Knossos, myth and reality”. Baptist Church, 7:30pm.

May 2025

1stEynsham – Stephen Barker “The English Civil War in Eight Paintings”. St Leonard’s Church Hall, Thames Street, 7:30pm.

6thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Rupert Hague Holmes “Operation FLAVIUS – Death on the Rock”. On-line talk, 7:30pm; e-mail zoom@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

6th – Henley – Liz Woolley “Children and War: Children’s Experiences of the Second World War in Oxfordshire”. The Chantry House, St Mary’s Church, Hart Street, 7:30pm.

6thHook Norton – AGM followed by Andrew Lewis “The village wheelwright”. Baptist Church Hall, Netting Street, 7:30pm.

7thEnstone – Jane Potter “The Life of Wilfred Owen: WW1 Poet”. St Kenelm’s Church, Church Enstone, 7:00pm.

7thFriends of the Oxfordshire Museum (Woodstock) – Ruth Buckley “St Frideswide and the Early History of Christ Church”. The Coach House, Oxfordshire Museum, Park Street, 7:30pm.

8thDeddington – Robert Evans “The Oxfordshire Blue Plaques scheme”. Primary School, 7:30pm.

8thDidcot – Chris Webber “Pendon Museum, bringing the past to life”. Northbourne Centre, Church Street, 7:30pm.

10thSoldiers of Oxfordshire Museum, Woodstock – Mike Tickner “The Second World War Burma Campaign: Beyond VE”. 2:00pm. Tickets £12, book on-line at https://www.sofo.org.uk/whats-on/.

12thChalgrove – Stephen Wass “The peculiar history of fish ponds and fishing in Oxfordshire including Ascot Park”. John Hampden Hall, 7:45pm.

12thChipping Norton – Matthew Armitage “Tooley’s Boatyard, Banbury”. Methodist Church Hall, West Street, 2:00pm.

12thOxfordshire Family History Society (OFHS) – Carol Anderson “All that glitters: Woodstock’s cut steel industry”. On-line, 7:15pm (members only).

12thRadley – John Leighfield “Putting Radley on the map: from Gough to Google”. Church Room adjacent to Church of St James the Great, 7:30pm.

12thWeston on the Green – Paul Barnett “The Purton Ships Graveyard”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.

13thThame – Ciaran Walsh “Otmoor Riots in the wider context”. Thame Barns Centre, Church Road, 7:30pm.

14thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Robert Lynam “Bill Slim and Burma”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

14thFlorence Park, Oxford – Simon Wenham “The history of the Morris Works, Cowley”. Florence Park Community Centre, East Oxford, 7:30pm.

14thStanford in the Vale – Antonia Keaney “Odd Men & Necessary Women – Servants at Blenheim”. Large Village Hall, 7:30pm.

14thWychwoods – AGM and “From the Archive”. Milton under Wychwood Village Hall, 7:30pm.

15thAbingdon – Ed Caswell “The Portable Antiquities Service with Especial Reference to Local Finds”. Northcourt Centre, Northcourt Road. 7:45pm.

15thLongworth – Gillian Cane “The Mitford Sisters”. Southmoor Village Hall, 7:15pm.

15thSibfords – Gillian White “The History of the Hugely Huggable Teddy Bear”. Sibford Gower Village Hall, 7:30pm.

15thWhitchurch & Goring Heath – “From the archives. Jane Austen’s local connections and WW2 Home Guard”. Goring Heath Parish Hall, 2:30pm.

16thFinstock – Ben Long “History of Falconry – with flying display dependant on the weather”. Village Hall, 8:00pm.

19thAdderbury – Hywel Lloyd “The story of the discovery and ascent of Everest”. The Institute, 7:30pm.

19thBicester – Stephen Wass “Garden Archaeology – a different kind of digging”. Clifton Centre, Ashdene Road, 7:30pm.

19thGoring Gap – Aldon Ferguson “Interpretation of aerial maps in WW2 and beyond at RAF Medmenham”. Goring Village Hall, 2:30pm.

19thKennington – Lizzy Rowe “Christopher Wren’s Oxford”. Methodist Church, Upper Road, 7:45pm.

20thClanfield & Bampton – Tim Healey “St Giles’ Fair”. Carter Institute, Clanfield, 7:30pm.

20thIffley – Alastair Lack “Oxfordshire Country Houses”. Church Hall, Church Way, 7:30pm.

21stBloxham – Karen and Bret Wiles “World War II rationing and Cooking for Victory: a fair share for all”. Jubilee Park Hall, Barley Close, 7:30pm.

21stCropredy – Tony Mawbey “Treasures of Upton House”. Village Hall, 7:00pm.

21stHarwell – Adrian Rance McGregor “St Matthews – a church in the Landscape”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.

21stLittlemore – Katie Hambrook “Littlemore Priory”. Community Centre, Giles Road, 7:30pm.

26thMarcham – Members’ Evening. Marcham Centre, Barrow Close, 7:15pm.

27thKidlington – Shaun Todd “The history and etiquettes of afternoon tea. What you may not know!”. Baptist Church, 7:30pm.

28thDorchester on Thames – Hugh Macmillan “The Thames”. Dorchester Abbey Guest House, 7:30pm.

29thBurford – George Lambrick “The Rollright Stones, a reflection on their archaeological, folklore and cultural value”. Baptist Church, Witney Street, 7:30pm.

29thLaunton – Martin Sirot Smith “Daily Life in Tudor Times”. Parish Hall, 7:30pm.

30thBenson – Christina Hardyment “Imagining Ewelme’s Greatest Lady: Alyce Chaucer, Duchess of Suffolk, 1404-1475”. Parish Hall, 7:00pm.

June 2025

2ndChalgrove – Andrew Long “Oxfordshire place names”. John Hampden Hall, 7:45pm.

2ndSouth Stoke – Shaun Todd “The History of Afternoon Tea and its Etiquette”. Village Hall 7:30pm.

3rdBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – David Bickerton “Sinking of the Bismark”. On-line talk, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

3rd – Henley – Heather Adams “Frankenstein and Ozymandias: Discovering the Shelleys of Marlow”. The Chantry House, St Mary’s Church, Hart Street, 7:30pm.

4thFriends of the Oxfordshire Museum (Woodstock) – AGM followed by Naomi Bergmans “A ‘Mammoth’ Task: highlights from the Conservation Laboratory, Oxfordshire Museum Service”. The Coach House, Oxfordshire Museum, Park Street, 7:00pm. Also available on-line; e-mail friendsoftheoxfordshiremuseum@gmail.com for further details.

9thOxfordshire Family History Society (OFHS) – Michael Riordan “Family and Local History in Oxford College Archives”. On-line, 7:15pm (members only).

9thRadley – Mike Evans “The Fitzharry’s Estate – from medieval knights to atomic spies”. Church of St James the Great, 7:30pm.

10thThame – Lucy Lawrence “Recent Archaeological discoveries in Buckinghamshire”. Thame Barns Centre, Church Road, 7:30pm.

11thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Mike Nicholas “The Battle of the Bulge”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

11thFlorence Park, Oxford – Local authors “Oxford Crime: how to interweave plotting, characterisation and the city streetscape”. Florence Park Community Centre, East Oxford, 7:30pm.

11thStanford in the Vale – Stephen Barker “Oxford in the English Civil War”. Large Village Hall, 7:30pm.

12thDeddington – Clive Evans “Deddington Primary School and its history”. Primary School, 7:30pm.

14thHornton – Traditional afternoon tea plus Melanie King “How the English fell in love with tea”. Pavilion, time tbc.

16thAdderbury – Our village: an open meeting to share reminiscences and archive material”. The Institute, 7:30pm.

16thBicester – Simon Wenham “Poverty, Pestilence and Public Health in Victorian Britain”. Clifton Centre, Ashdene Road, 7:30pm.

16thKennington – Marie-Louise Kerr “Famous Local Folk: the people behind the blue plaques of South Oxfordshire”. Methodist Church, Upper Road, 7:45pm.

17thClanfield & Bampton – AGM and light entertainment from Richard Martin”. Carter Institute, Clanfield, 7:30pm.

18thCropredy – Bill King “Industrial Archaeology in Your Attic, Garage and Shed”. Village Hall, 7:00pm.

18thEnstone – Helen Castle “The Great Rollright Shepherd, Richard Widdows, who died in 1910 aged 104”. St Kenelm’s Church, Church Enstone, 7:00pm.

19thAbingdon – Open evening with presentations by members. Northcourt Centre, Northcourt Road. 7:45pm.

19thSibfords – Screening of the Sibfords Millenium Pageant. Sibford Gower Village Hall, 7:30pm.

23rdMarcham – Peter Barker “Birds of Otmoor”. Marcham Centre, Barrow Close, 7:15pm.

23rdOxfordshire Family History Society (OFHS) – Richard Holt “Apprentice records: History and sources with a case study”. On-line, 7:15pm (members only).

24thKidlington – Bill King “WW1, part 3 and beyond”. Baptist Church, 7:30pm.

26thBurford – Richard Martin “Limestone, the ‘other’ material of the Cotswolds”. Baptist Church, Witney Street, 7:30pm.

26thLaunton – Gillian Cane “Bletchley Park”. Parish Hall, 7:30pm.

July 2025

1stBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Alina Nowobilska “VE Day 1945 – Poland under the Russians”. On-line talk, 7:30pm; e-mail zoom@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

2ndFriends of the Oxfordshire Museum (Woodstock) – Melanie King “Cold Comforts: The Hidden Ice Houses of Oxfordshire”. The Coach House, Oxfordshire Museum, Park Street, 7:30pm. Also available on-line; e-mail friendsoftheoxfordshiremuseum@gmail.com for further details.

8thThame – Eve Bacon “Spices and Medieval society”. Thame Barns Centre, Church Road, 7:30pm.

9thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Tony Bray “Manna from Heaven – The Story of Air Re-Supply”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

9thFlorence Park, Oxford – Jeremy Smith “Oxford pub histories”. Florence Park Community Centre, East Oxford, 7:30pm.

12thSoldiers of Oxfordshire Museum, Woodstock – Ross King “EH Shepard: Italy, the Great War and a Canadian Bear”. 2:00pm. Tickets £12, book on-line at https://www.sofo.org.uk/whats-on/.

14th Oxfordshire Family History Society (OFHS) – Ian Everest “Flanders and the Somme – then and now”. On-line, 7:15pm (members only).

14thRadley – Mark Davies “What a liberty!”. Church of St James the Great, 7:30pm.

16thCropredy – Alastair Lack “CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien”. Village Hall, 7:00pm.

16th – Stonesfield – Emma Nicholls and Duncan Murdock “Jurassic Trackways”. Primary School, High Street, 7:30pm.

21stAdderbury – Mary Sutcliffe “A history of Sezincote House and Gardens”. The Institute, 7:30pm.

24thBurford – Graham Kew “The history of Minster Lovell”. Baptist Church, Witney Street, 7:30pm.

29thKidlington – Gillian Cane “The Miracle of Bletchley Park”. Baptist Church, 7:30pm.

August 2025

9thSoldiers of Oxfordshire Museum, Woodstock – Derek Plews “A Brilliant Little Victory: the Asiago Plateau, Italy 1918”. 2:00pm. Tickets £12, book on-line at https://www.sofo.org.uk/whats-on/.

12thThame – Members’ evening. Thame Barns Centre, Church Road, 7:30pm.

13thFlorence Park, Oxford – Mick Conmy “The Irish Potato Famine and me”. Florence Park Community Centre, East Oxford, 7:30pm.

September 2025

3rdFriends of the Oxfordshire Museum (Woodstock) – Nicole Perry-Bradford “Oxfordshire Museum Highlights”. The Coach House, Oxfordshire Museum, Park Street, 7:30pm. Also available on-line; e-mail friendsoftheoxfordshiremuseum@gmail.com for further details.

4thSoldiers of Oxfordshire Museum, Woodstock – Melanie King “Shadows and Silk: The World of the Female Spy”. 7:30pm. Tickets £15, book on-line at https://www.sofo.org.uk/whats-on/.

8thRadley – Simon Wenham “More than three men in a boat: the rise and fall of pleasure boating on the Thames”. Church of St James the Great, 7:30pm.

9thThame – Sarah Somerville “Shaw House: Over 400 years of history”. Thame Barns Centre, Church Road, 7:30pm.

15thAdderbury – Barrie Trinder “The Village Carrier”. The Institute, 7:30pm.

15thGoring Gap – Nick Millea “The Gough map: getting about in medieval Britain”. Goring Village Hall, 2:30pm.

15thKennington – Deborah Hayter “Harvest rituals”. Methodist Church, Upper Road, 7:45pm.

17thCropredy – Helen Frost “The Women’s Land Army in the First World War”. Village Hall, 7:00pm.

17thEnstone – Jo Willett “Sarah Siddons: The First Celebrity Actress”. St Kenelm’s Church, Church Enstone, 7:00pm.

17thHarwell – David Gahan “A history of Hanney”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.

18thLongworth – Marie-Louse Kerr “Oxfordshire on Canvas”. Southmoor Village Hall, 7:15pm.

18thSibfords – Mark Davies “Oxford Castle: 17th– and 18th-century Crimes, Escapes and Punishments”. Sibford Gower Village Hall, 7:30pm.

18thWhitchurch & Goring Heath – Catherine Sampson “A Stroll through Berkshire’s graveyards”. Goring Heath Parish Hall, 2:30pm.

24thDorchester on Thames – Viviane Quirke “The Importance of Place: the Development of Penicillin in WWII in Oxfordshire”. Dorchester Abbey Guest House, 7:30pm.

25thBurford – Carol Anderson “The Great Exodus of the 1870s, featuring agricultural labourers from Fulbrook, Taynton and Burford who emigrated to Australasia and beyond”. Baptist Church, Witney Street, 7:30pm.

25thLaunton – Dick Richards “Commonwealth War Graves Commission”. Parish Hall, 7:30pm.

26thBenson – Helen Cresswell “Roman Britain and its links to Benson”. Parish Hall, 7:00pm.

October 2025

1stFriends of the Oxfordshire Museum (Woodstock) – Colin Hill “Swalcliffe Barn: Behind the Scenes”. The Coach House, Oxfordshire Museum, Park Street, 7:30pm. Also available on-line; e-mail friendsoftheoxfordshiremuseum@gmail.com for further details.

7th – Henley – Paul Lacey “Bus Operators of Henley and Marlow”. The Chantry House, St Mary’s Church, Hart Street, 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 on-line at https://www.sofo.org.uk/whats-on/.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

November 2025

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

4th – Henley – 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.

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 on-line; e-mail friendsoftheoxfordshiremuseum@gmail.com for further details.

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

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.

17thAdderbury – Tim Healey “A Victorian Christmas”. The Institute, 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 “All at Sea”. Carter Institute, Clanfield, 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.

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

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

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

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

December 2025

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

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

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 on-line; e-mail friendsoftheoxfordshiremuseum@gmail.com for further details.

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

10thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Gary Sheffield – topic tbc. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

10thFlorence Park, Oxford – Ian Goldin “A history of migration”. Florence Park Community Centre, East Oxford, 7:30pm.

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.

January 2026

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

14thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Linda Parker “Rudolf Hess – The Flight to England”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

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

February 2026

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

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 on-line; e-mail friendsoftheoxfordshiremuseum@gmail.com for further details.

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

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

March 2026

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

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

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.

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

April 2026

3rdBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) –Paul Whittle “River Kwai Railway – The True Story”. On-line talk, 7:30pm; e-mail zoom@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

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.

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

May 2026

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

June 2026

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

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.

July 2026

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.

October 2026

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.

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.

 

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