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.
Historian Maurice East will lead a series of walking tours to brighten up December, looking at lesser-known aspects of Oxford’s history:
Sunday 1 December: Historian Maurice East will lead a walking tour, Detroit on Thames: the incredible story of William Morris, part of a series looking at lesser-known aspects of Oxford’s history . Further information and booking here. (All proceeds go to support Breast Cancer Abingdon.)
Sunday 1 December, 12:15pm: A free screening of the award-winning documentary 66 Men of Grandpont 1914-1918 at St Matthew’s Church, 63 Marlborough Road, Oxford OX1 4LW. This 40-minute film explores how the First World War affected one small suburban community in South Oxford, and how, a hundred years later, local residents commemorated those who went to fight. All welcome; no need to book. Further information here.
Tuesday 3 December, 3:30-5:30pm: The Rumble Museum at Cheney School in Oxford will hold a Toys and Games Collection Afternoon. Members of the public are invited to visit with stories about their childhood toys and games, as well as items they would be happy to donate to the museum’s forthcoming exhibition A History of Childhood. Toys and games of any kind and from any era, up to the present day, are welcome. Free to attend; artefact-handling, refreshments, and activities for all ages. Find out more here.
Saturday 7 December: The next Antique Bottle and Collectors Fair will be hosted by the Oxfordshire Antique Bottle Collectors Club at Didcot Civic Hall. Many historic bottles and other items with Oxfordshire connections will be available to buy at competitive prices; they make great Christmas presents! Find out the details here.
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. Advance booking essential, as tickets sell fast; find out more and book your ticket here.
Wednesday 11 December, 1:00pm: The Museum of Oxford’s popular Lunchtime Talks series continues with writer Martin Stott speaking on A Baker’s Dozen: Oxford’s Food History in 13 Courses. Oxford has a rich food history which includes the Oxford sausage, Frank Cooper’s Oxford Marmalade, and lots of breweries. This talk will explore how this heritage is seen in the city’s architecture, neighbourhoods, food markets and celebrations. Advance booking highly recommended; tickets here.
Ongoing until Saturday 21 December: 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, at the Westgate Library. 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. You can also watch a new short film by Thom Airs celebrating Brown’s Café here.
Thursday 26 December: Historian Maurice East will lead a walking tour, Headington Quarry: Ruffians, geology, poachers, and washing lines, part of a series looking at lesser-known aspects of Oxford’s history . Further information and booking here.
Saturday 28 December: Historian Maurice East will lead a walking tour, The Lost Streets of St Ebbes, part of a series looking at lesser-known aspects of Oxford’s history . Further information and booking here.
Monday 30 December: Historian Maurice East will lead a walking tour, Headington: Romans, turnpikes, first division football, and nuclear war, part of a series looking at lesser-known aspects of Oxford’s history . Further information and booking here.
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. 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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