Thursday 31 October, 7:30pm: Chipping Norton Archaeological Research Group (CHARG) invite you to a talk by Dr Ed Caswell, Bronze Age Oxfordshire: was it the ‘wild west’ of its day? Lower Town Hall, Chipping Norton. No charge for entrance but donations welcomed. Further information here.
Saturday 2 November, 12pm to 5pm: The Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum in Woodstock will host a First World War-themed family day. There will be living history displays, interactive galleries, and historians and heritage organisations on hand to help visitors find out more about the First World War in Oxfordshire and about their own family history. The museum will be accepting donations of records and objects with local Great War stories. Further information here.
Saturday 2 November: SOLD OUT Two community plays, written by local playwright Peter Cann and directed by Oxford Theatre Guild’s Tim Eyres, will be presented at the Museum of Oxford. The Cutteslowe Walls and Oxford’s Inferno (about a major strike at Pressed Steel) explore two significant events that took place in Oxford ninety years ago, in 1934. There will be performances at 2:30pm and 5:30pm. Each performance is a double-bill of both plays, shown back-to-back, with an interval. Tickets (only £8.50) can be bought from the Museum Shop, and will be available via the Museum of Oxford’s website in due course. The plays form the first two parts of The Oxford Trilogy; the third play, Little Edens – about the 1934 Florence Park rent strike – will be shown at the Museum of Oxford on Saturday 7 December.
Thursday 7 November, 10:30am-3:30pm: Banbury Museum hosts an Archaeological Finds Surgery on the first Thursday of every other month. If you have any archaeological objects found locally, you can help build a better picture of Oxfordshire’s history by coming and having them identified and recorded by Edward Caswell, the county’s Finds Liaison Officer. Free, no need to book. Further information here.
Wednesday 13 November, 1pm: The Museum of Oxford’s popular Lunchtime Talks series continues with Malcolm Graham speaking on Exploring the History of Oxford’s Covered Market. This talk, in celebration of the Covered Market’s 250th anniversary, will examine how it has evolved from supplying everyday essentials to a place that is appreciated by residents and visitors as one of Oxford’s most treasured heritage assets. Advance booking highly recommended; tickets only £5 here.
Saturday 16 November: A day school, Chipping Norton: Archaeology, History and Buildings, will be held at Rewley House in Oxford. The event is jointly hosted by the Oxford University’s Department for Continuing Education and the Oxfordshire Victoria County History to mark the publication of the latter’s forthcoming volume on the town. Find out more and book your place here.
Sunday 17 November: the South Midlands branch of the Council for British Archaeology will host a one-day conference The Archaeology of Transport and Industry at the Cherwell School in Oxford. Five speakers will examine topics including Abingdon’s malting industry; Victorian industrial buildings in Oxford; the archaeology of Britain’s electricity industry; and aspects of local railway and canal heritage. Further information and booking (by 13 November) here.
Sunday 17 November: a chance to buy an original watercolour by John Steane (1932-2024), former Oxfordshire County Archaeologist and founder of the Oxfordshire Buildings Record. Many of John’s pictures feature historic Oxfordshire buildings, and his paintings of ancient barns – one of his favourite subjects – are particularly beautiful. Find out more about the sale, whose proceeds will go to charity, here.
Tuesday 19 November: An exhibition to celebrate the centenary of Brown’s Café in Oxford’s Covered Market, one of the longest-standing and best-loved eateries in the city, will open at the Westgate Library and run until 21 December. Find out about Catherine Brown, the café’s high-spirited and popular founder, who presided over the tea urn for forty years, and about what Brown’s has meant to generations of townsfolk, students and academics alike.
Saturday 23 November: A day school, History of Oxford: From Early Medieval Settlement to Post-Industrial City will take place at Rewley House in Oxford. The event is organised by the Oxford Historical Society; talks by five leading urban historians will explore the content and course of Oxford’s changing economy. Find out more and book your place here.
Saturday 30 November, 2:15pm: Professor William Gibson will give a lecture on James II, Oxford and Oxfordshire in the lecture theatre of the Weston Library in Oxford. The event is organised by the Oxfordshire Record Society and will be followed by the society’s AGM. The lecture is free and open to all; no need to book.
Saturday 30 November, 7:30pm: A special screening of Olive Gibbs: A Remarkable Woman at St Barnabas Church in Jericho, Oxford. This new 50-minute documentary film, by BAFTA award-winning film maker Helen Sheppard and Christopher Baines, explores the extraordinary life of Oxford Labour politician and peace campaigner Olive Gibbs. The film comes to Jericho, an area of the city with which Olive was closely connected all her life, after two sold-out screenings at Oxford’s Ultimate Picture Palace cinema. Find out more and buy your tickets here. Proceeds from the evening will go to St Barnabas Church.
Saturday 7 December: A community play, Little Edens – about the 1934 Florence Park rent strike –written by local playwright Peter Cann and directed by Oxford Theatre Guild’s Tim Eyres, will be presented at the Museum of Oxford. Tickets can be bought from the Museum Shop, and will be available via the Museum of Oxford’s website in due course. The play is the third part of The Oxford Trilogy; the first two parts, The Cutteslowe Walls and Oxford’s Inferno (about a major strike at Pressed Steel) will be shown at the Museum of Oxford on Saturday 2 November (see above).
Ongoing: The Museum of Oxford continues its popular series of free gallery tours, Stories of Oxford, led by knowledgeable and enthusiastic volunteers. From football to fairgrounds, marmalade to Morris Motors, patron saints to pubs, barges, bones, and all types of quirky customs, there’s something to interest everyone. Further information and booking here.
Saturdays, ongoing: Tours of Oxford’s magnificent Town Hall take place twice a month on Saturdays at 11am. These are a great opportunity to see behind the scenes and to learn about the building’s fascinating history. Find out more here.
Ongoing until 4 January 2025: A photographic exhibition at the Museum of Oxford, Park Life: People and Nature in Florence Park and Cutteslowe. The display celebrates the 90th anniversary of the Florence Park estate in East Oxford, 90 years since the infamous Cutteslowe Walls were built north of Summertown, and 65 years since they were taken down. It shows how people, history, and nature are closely intertwined in these two vibrant communities. The exhibition is free and open to all; special late-night opening on Friday 15 November as part of Oxford’s 3-day Christmas Lights Festival. Find out more here.
Ongoing until March 2025: An exhibition at Banbury Museum,The Changing Face of Banbury: a constantly evolving town. The exhibition delves into the rich history of Banbury, highlighting the changes it has undergone within living memory, and the evolution of the town since the 1940s.Through rare photographs, treasured artefacts, and interactive displays, visitors can discover how the market place has evolved, how industries have shifted, and how communities have been shaped by both tradition and transformation. Further information here.
If you know of any relevant events which could be advertised on this page, please send details to: membership@olha.org.uk
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