Throughout the spring and summer 2026: Oxford Preservation trust (OPT) is running monthly tours of three of its historical sites: the 17th-century Conduit House in North Hinksey, the Elizabethan Painted Room in Oxford, and the Medieval Merchant’s House in Abingdon. Further information, dates and booking here.
Saturdays and Sundays from May to September: North Leigh Roman Villa near Witney is considered to be one of the largest villas in Roman Britain with a history of occupation spanning five centuries. At its most extensive in the early 4th century AD it included three bath suites, sixteen mosaic floors and eleven rooms with under-floor heating. The site of the villa is accessible at all times and the villa’s extraordinary 4th-century mosaic floor will be open to the public from 11am to 5pm on 30 and 31 May, 27 and 28 June, 25 and 26 July, 8 and 9 August, 22 and 23 August, and 19 and 20 September. There are more details about access to the site and its history here.
Ongoing until 29 April: The spirit of the place, an exhibition focusing on the lives of the staff and servants at Magdalen College, Oxford, from its foundation to the present day. On display in the Old Library every Wednesday from 2pm to 4:30pm (except for during the Christmas closure period). Private group visits at other times can be arranged by contacting the college librarians.
Ongoing until 31 May: The current exhibition at the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum (SOFO) in Woodstock, Oxfordshire’s Military History in Fifty Objects, has been extended until the end of May. Combining old favourites from the archives with some of the most recent donations to the museum’s collections, the display illustrates milestones in the history of the two county regiments – the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry and Queen’s Own Oxfordshire Hussars – as well as the impact that conflicts have had on the people of Oxfordshire. Find out more here.
Ongoing until 28 June: An exhibition at the Abingdon County Hall Museum celebrates the 70th anniversary of the MGA, one of the most successful MG models. The MG (Morris Garages) factory in Abingdon produced cars for 50 years and was employing 1,100 people when it closed in 1980. The new temporary exhibition is in addition to the County Hall Museum’s permanent MG exhibit, which includes one of the last MGB Roadsters to leave the production line.
Ongoing until 4 July: An exhibition at the Museum of Oxford, Community Became Home, celebrates the project to transform a former football club’s changing rooms in Marston into a temple, cultural centre and community space for Oxfordshire’s Hindu community, estimated at more than 10,000 people. Over the past 20 years, a dedicated group has worked to realise this dream, and through photographs, personal stories, and objects, this exhibition explores this collective effort. There will be a special event to celebrate the exhibition on Friday 15 May, 6-8pm, including traditional music and Bharatanatyam dance performances, henna art, and the chance to explore all the museum galleries and shop after hours. Free and open to all, but booking required.
Saturday 2 May: a march and rally in Oxford featuring a new commemorative banner, as part of the centenary of the 1926 General Strike and Oxfordshire’s involvement in one of the most significant events in labour history. Find out more here.
Sunday 3 May, 2pm: As part of the Oxford Festival of the Arts 2026, historian and author Mark Davies will lead the Binsey Whimsy Walk. Join Mark on a short walk to the secluded church at Binsey, near Oxford, where the ‘Treacle Well’ dedicated to St Margaret remains a symbol of the sanctity of Frideswide, Oxford’s patron saint. Starting at The Perch public house, Mark will reference the area’s varied literary and factual associations, within the festival’s theme of Signs, Symbols, and Secrets. All’s well that ends at the Well! Find out more and book your place here.
Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 May: The annual National Mills Weekend. Oxfordshire mills taking part include Chinnor Windmill; Wheatley Windmill; and Combe Mill.
Saturday 9 May: annual Levellers’ Day in Burford, including commemoration of the centenary of the 1926 General Strike and Oxfordshire’s involvement in one of the most significant events in labour history. Find out more here.
Saturday 9 May, 11am to 3pm: Stratton Audley Local History Society celebrates its 20th anniversary this year with a special open day in St Mary & St Edburga Church, Church Street, Stratton Audley. Members of the society have archived material collected over the last 20 years and this will be a great opportunity to browse or look in more depth at photographs, maps and original documents relating to the history of the village, its buildings and its people. Free and open to all; no need to book.
Wednesday 13 May, 1pm: The Museum of Oxford’s popular series of lunchtime talks continues on with historian Maurice East speaking on Everybody Out! Industrial action in Oxford between the wars. During the nine days of the General Strike of May 1926 nearly three million trade unionists went on strike in sympathy with miners whose employers were trying to impose pay cuts and a longer working day. The ripples of discontent reached Oxford, a town which was already experiencing considerable industrial, cultural and social change. Join Maurice East to discover how trade unionism and working-class political activism arrived in the city of dreaming spires. Further information and booking here.
Saturday 16 May: a new play, The General Strike in Oxford by Peter Cann, performed at the Museum of Oxford as part of the centenary of the 1926 General Strike and Oxfordshire’s involvement in one of the most significant events in labour history. Find out more here.
Saturday 16 May, 10:30am: As part of the Commonwealth War Grave Commission (CWGC)’s War Graves Week, free tours of Botley Cemetery in Oxford. The cemetery contains 156 burials from the First World War and 516 from the Second World War. A knowledge guide will explain the history of the cemetery, outline the work of the CWGC, and reveal the stories of some of the servicemen for whom Botley is the final resting place. Further information and booking here.
Tuesday 19 May, 7:30-8:30pm: The Oxfordshire Buildings Record is holding one of its periodic online forums. These are informal discussion forums at which people are invited to talk about or raise questions on particular Oxfordshire buildings, building features, or themes. If you’d like to offer something in particular, email martha.bailey@hotmail.co.uk; or just drop in via this Teams meeting link.
Wednesday 20 May, 2:00pm: As part of the Commonwealth War Grave Commission (CWGC)’s War Graves Week, free tours of Botley Cemetery in Oxford. The cemetery contains 156 burials from the First World War and 516 from the Second World War. A knowledge guide will explain the history of the cemetery, outline the work of the CWGC, and reveal the stories of some of the servicemen for whom Botley is the final resting place. Further information and booking here.
Saturday 23 May: A new exhibition Lee Miller: A Woman at War opens at the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum (SOFO), Woodstock. The display (which follows a major retrospective of Miller’s work at London’s Tate Gallery) includes her photographs of American nurses stationed at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford in 1943, her first wartime assignment for Vogue. There are also many other iconic images taken in Britain and in Europe, where Miller was a war correspondent on battle grounds and at the liberation of concentration camps. The exhibition at SOFO runs until 13 September; further information here.
Sunday 24 May, 2:00pm: As part of the Commonwealth War Grave Commission (CWGC)’s War Graves Week, free tours of Botley Cemetery in Oxford. The cemetery contains 156 burials from the First World War and 516 from the Second World War. A knowledge guide will explain the history of the cemetery, outline the work of the CWGC, and reveal the stories of some of the servicemen for whom Botley is the final resting place. Further information and booking here.
Monday 25 May: The Morris Motors Museum in Long Hanborough (part of the Oxford Bus Museum) will hold a special Morris Day. Bring your classic Morris car, artefacts, or stories of working at the car factory in Cowley, or just come along to enjoy the displays. The Morris Motors Museum traces the development of the Nuffield empire, founded by William Morris (later Lord Nuffield) from its humble beginnings as a bicycle workshop in East Oxford to become one of the world’s major vehicle manufacturers. Find out more about Morris Motors and the museum here, and about the special Morris Day here.
Saturday 20 June, 10am-4pm: The popular annual Oxfordshire Past conference (organised by the Oxfordshire Architectural and Historical Society) will take place at The Chantry House in Henley. This is a chance to hear all the latest updates from around the county, with talks on recent and current archaeological work in Oxford city, research for the Victoria County History in west Oxfordshire, the latest finds recorded by the Finds Liaison Officer for the Portable Antiquities Scheme, and the recent work of the Oxfordshire Buildings Record. Tickets for the full day are only £10; find out more and book your place here.
Ongoing throughout 2026: The year-long Warneford 200 – Mental Health Through the Ages project, marking 200 years of mental health care at the Warneford Hospital in Oxford, launched in January. The Warneford, which opened in July 1826, is the oldest psychiatric hospital still in clinical use in the UK. The Warneford 200 projects reflects on its long and complex history, recognising the experiences of patients, families, and staff whose stories have shaped the evolution of mental health care. Events running throughout 2026 include a short film, a travelling exhibition (currently at the Museum of Oxford until Saturday 21 March), an on-line exhibition, a theatre production, workshops, public lectures, and a garden installation, at locations all over Oxfordshire. Read more on the project website.
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.
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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