Saturday 12 October: a Volunteer Open Day at Swalcliffe barn near Banbury, at which you can find out about volunteering opportunities at this important and fascinating site. Tours of the barn will be available, and members of the Swalcliffe Society, museum staff and volunteers will be on hand to share their experiences of volunteering there. Free and open to all; drop in any time between 10am and 4pm. Further information here.
Tuesday 15 October, 7:00pm: A talk in St Michael’s Church, Steventon, by Sharron Jenkinson, Pauline Cakebread and Christine Hudson-Roberts, about Harriet Jacobs, an extraordinary woman born into slavery in 19th-century America who, through courage, resilience and fortune, eventually made her way to freedom. Through various twists and turns, she ended up crossing the Atlantic to come and stay in – of all places – Steventon. Part of the Steventon History Society’s celebration of Black History Month. Further information here.
Wednesday 16 – Sunday 20 October, 11am-5pm: An exhibition on The life and Times of Harriet Jacobs will in St Michael’s Church, Steventon. Part of the Steventon History Society’s celebration of Black History Month. Further information here.
Saturday 19 October, 11am–4pm: Chipping Norton Local History Society and Museum invite you to Archaeological Finds Day with Dr Ed Caswell, Finds Officer for Oxfordshire. Chipping Norton Museum. Free entry. Further information here.
Sunday 20 October, 10am to 4pm: Thame Museum will be holding its second History Fair at Thame Town Hall. There will be stalls, activities for all ages and associated events. Cotswold Archaeology will be launching the publication of its findings from the important Thame Meadows excavation. There are still some spaces for stallholders so if any group would like to participate please contact the organisers.
Ongoing until Saturday 26 October: The Romans in Bloxham, the current special exhibition at the Bloxham Village Museum. Visitors can learn about Bloxham and the Romans who lived there 2,000 years ago, through an exciting display of Roman artefacts, including coins and brooches, found in the local area. Further information and opening times here.
Saturday 26 October: The Oxfordshire Family History Society will be holding their annual Family History Fair at Cherwell School, Marston Ferry Road, Oxford. This will be an opportunity to get help with your research, chat to subject experts, and browse a wide variety of stalls. Free and open to all. Find out more here.
Sunday 27 October, 2:00pm: Local historian and author Mark Davies will lead a guided walk Dead of Jericho on This 90-minute walk through Jericho and along the Oxford Canal will highlight the factual background to some Inspector Morse stories and other more historical works of fiction. (n.b. there are some flights of steps.) The walk is held in aid of Against Breast Cancer. Advance booking essential, please e-mail caroline_casey@hotmail.co.uk.
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: 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.
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.
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 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.
Wednesdays, ongoing: The Museum of Oxford’s series of city walks led by local historians, every Wednesday at 2pm from April to October. Further information and booking here.
If you know of any relevant events which could be advertised on this page, please send details to: membership@olha.org.uk
Back to the main events page.