Talks & meetings

December 2024

4th – Friends of the Oxfordshire Museum – David Meara “Street of Shame or Street of Adventure?’ St Brides’ Fleet Street and the world of the media”. The Oxfordshire Museum, Park Street, Woodstock, 7:30pm. Also available on-line; e-mail friendsoftheoxfordshiremuseum@gmail.com for further details.

5thEynsham – Stephanie Dalley “The Hanging Gardens of Babylon”. Church Hall, Thames Street, 7:30pm.

5thLongworth – Sean Callery “Christmas in the Cotswolds”. Southmoor Village Hall, 7:30pm.

6thBensington – “A Christmas Theme” (to be confirmed). Benson Parish Hall, 7:30pm.

7th – Soldiers of Oxfordshire (Woodstock) – Kim Davies “Christmas Past in 12 Objects”. Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum, Park Street, Woodstock, 2:00pm, book via https://www.sofo.org.uk/whats-on/

9thChipping Norton – John Graves “The Romano-British Settlement in Chipping Norton”. Methodist Church Hall, West Street, 2:00pm.

9th – Oxfordshire Family History Society (OFHS) – Open evening: a chance to see BOND (Big Oxfordshire Names Database) in action. All members and non-members welcome, registration required. On-line, 7:15pm.

10thKidlington – Peter Webber “The 150th anniversary of the Shipton-on-Cherwell Railway disaster”. Baptist Church, 7:30pm.

11thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Guy Walters “Hunting Evil – Bringing Nazi War Criminals to Justice”.  Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

11thStanford in the Vale – Melanie King “Can Onions Cure Earache?” Large Village Hall, 7:30pm.

12thBanbury – Mike Heaney “The Ancient English Morris Dance”. Banbury Museum, 7:30pm.

12thDeddington – Launton Handbell Ringers. Primary School, 7:30pm.

13thFinstock – Sean Callery “Christmas in the Cotswolds”. Village Hall, 8:00pm.

16thBicester – Ian Giles “Christmas Music & Song Through the Ages”. Clifton Centre, Ashdene Road, 7:30pm.

16thGoring Gap – Edward Casswell “The Bronze Age”. Goring Village Hall, 2:30pm.

16thKennington – Sean Callery “Christmas in the Cotswolds”. Kennington Methodist Church, Upper Road, 7:45pm.

17thIffley – Tim Healey “A Victorian Christmas”. Church Hall, Church Way, 7:30pm.

18thWychwoods – Tim Healey “A Victorian Christmas”. Milton under Wychwood Village Hall, 7:30pm.

19thAbingdon – Andrew Hamilton “The WW1 Christmas Truce of 1914”. Northcourt Centre, Northcourt Road. 7:45pm.

January 2025

7th  – Hook Norton – John McCormick “Chastleton House – 400 years of elegant and interesting decline”. Baptist Church Hall, Netting Street, 7:30pm.

8th – Friends of the Oxfordshire Museum – Alan Lavender “Chef to four Prime Ministers”. The Oxfordshire Museum, Park Street, Woodstock, 7:30pm. Also available on-line; e-mail friendsoftheoxfordshiremuseum@gmail.com for further details.

8thStanford in the Vale – Mary Vizoso “Stanford in the Vale Photo Archive”. Large Village Hall, 7:30pm.

8thWychwoods – Jonathan Maisey and Joe Duxbury “Cotswold Quarries, Part 2”. Milton under Wychwood Village Hall, 7:30pm.

9th – Banbury – Charlotte Young “Sequestration in Oxfordshire during the Civil Wars”. Banbury Museum, 7:30pm.

9thDeddington – Tim Healey “A Seventeenth-Century Christmas”. Primary School, 7:30pm.

9thWootton & Dry Sandford – Christina Hardyment “Alyce Chaucer: Fact and Fiction”. Wootton Community Centre, 7:30pm.

13th – Oxfordshire Family History Society (OFHS) – Phil Isherwood “Sources, Evidence and Proof for Family Historians”. On-line, 7:15pm.

13thRadley – Richard Dudding “Radley: the thousand-year evolution of a manor”. Church of St James the Great, 7:30pm.

14th – Oxfordshire Architectural and Historical Society (OAHS) – David Clark “’Family Jobbery’: Clough Williams-Ellis in Oxford”. Online talk, 5:30pm, further information at https://oahs.org.uk/lectures.php.

15thBloxham – Sir Tony Baldry “Prime Ministers that I have known”. Jubilee Park Hall, Barley Close, 7:30pm.

15th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Mike Walsh “Battle of Kursk”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

16thAbingdon – Graham Twemlow “Recording Britain: Celebrating the Country’s Natural Beauty and Architectural Heritage”. Northcourt Centre, Northcourt Road. 7:45pm.

16thOxford Preservation Trust – John McNeill “Norman Churches in Oxford”. Key Learning Centre, Oxford Castle,  5:30pm; booking recommended.

17thFinstock – Stephen Barker “Warrior Women of the English Civil War”. Village Hall, 8:00pm.

20thGoring Gap – Melvin Seaborne “Morris Dancing. What is it and where did it come from?”. Goring Village Hall, 2:30pm.

22ndDorchester on Thames – Paul Booth “Roman and early post-Roman Dorchester”. Dorchester Abbey, 7:30pm.

23rdKirtlington & Bletchington – Melanie King “Tricks of the Trade: Spying in the First World War”. Village Hall, Kirtlington, 2:30pm.

27thCumnor – Marie-Louise Kerr “Oxford’s pencillin: The forgotten WW2 story of the development of penicillin by scientists in Oxford. Old School, 7:30pm.

27thMarcham – “World Youth Service and Enterprise Charity”. Marcham Centre, Barrow Close, 7:15pm.

27th – Oxfordshire Family History Society (OFHS) – Nicholas Dixon “Putting your Ancestors on the Map: Finding the Locations of Family Photographs”. On-line, 7:15pm.

27thTackley – Charmian Knight “Frideswide of White Hill: A search for Tackley’s medieval neighbours”. Memorial Hall, 7:30pm.

28thKidlington – John Lowe “‘Always ready and willing’: the story of fires and firefighting in Oxford City”. Baptist Church, 7:30pm.

28th  – Oxfordshire Architectural and Historical Society (OAHS) – Michael Redley “Temperance in Henley before the First World War”. Online talk, 5:30pm, further information at https://oahs.org.uk/lectures.php.

February 2025

3rdSouth Stoke – Karen & Brett Wiles “The Women’s Voluntary Service”. Village Hall 7:30pm.

4thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Taylor Downing “The Army that Never Was – D Day and the Great Deception”. On-line talk, 7:30pm; e-mail zoom@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

4thHook Norton – Deborah Hayter “Harvest rituals”. Baptist Church Hall, Netting Street, 7:30pm.

5th – Friends of the Oxfordshire Museum – Robert Hawes and Frank Collingwood “The life and achievements of Lord Nuffield”. The Oxfordshire Museum, Park Street, Woodstock, 7:30pm. Also available on-line; e-mail friendsoftheoxfordshiremuseum@gmail.com for further details.

10thChipping Norton – Jonathan Maisey & Joe Duxbarry “The History of the Windrush Stone Quarries”. Methodist Church Hall, West Street, 2:00pm.

10th – Oxfordshire Family History Society (OFHS) – Sophie Kay “Genetic Hide-and-Seek: Exploring Missing Ancestor Mysteries Using DNA”. On-line, 7:15pm.

10thRadley – Bill King “A walk along the Thames Path from Oxford to Pangbourne”. Church of St James the Great, 7:30pm.

11th – Oxfordshire Architectural and Historical Society (OAHS) – Eleanor Townsend “Parish Church Patrons: Supporting your Church and Saving your Soul in Medieval England”. Online talk, 5:30pm, further information at https://oahs.org.uk/lectures.php.

12th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Sean Feast  “The RAF Pathfinders”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

12thFlorence Park, Oxford – Michael Stimpson “The history of the cricket professionals of Oxford”. Florence Park Community Centre, East Oxford, 7:30pm.

12thStanford in the Vale – AGM, followed by Bill King “The Role of the Thames in WWII”. Large Village Hall, 7:30pm.

12thWychwoods – Liz Woolley “Child Labour in 19th-Century Oxfordshire”. Milton under Wychwood Village Hall, 7:30pm.

13thBanbury – John Blair “Organization and planning in the Mercian kingdom: a context for Anglo-Saxon Banbury”. Banbury Museum, 7:30pm.

13thDeddington – Stephen Wass “The archaeology of Stowe Landscape Gardens”. Primary School, 7:30pm.

13thWootton & Dry Sandford – Sem Seaborne “Black Wantage, XIX Century Thieves, Murders and Villians”. Wootton Community Centre, 7:30pm.

17thBicester –  Tim Healey “St Giles’s Fair”. Clifton Centre, Ashdene Road, 7:30pm.

17thGoring Gap – Marie-Louise Kerr “Oxfordshire on canvas”. Goring Village Hall, 2:30pm.

18th – Iffley – John Harris “Mutiny, Bounty and Breadfruit”. Church Hall, Church Way, 7:30pm.

19thBloxham – Members’ Night: some of our members share their historical interests. Jubilee Park Hall, Barley Close, 7:30pm.

20thAbingdon – DigVentures Team “The Archaeological Excavations at Wittenham Clumps”. Northcourt Centre, Northcourt Road. 7:45pm.

21st  – Finstock – Stephen Wass “Secret Gardens of Oxfordshire”. Village Hall, 8:00pm.

24thCumnor – Martin Harris “My dad Francis Harris (1925-2010): Growing up in Cumnor and Farmoor”. Old School, 7:30pm.

24thMarcham – Gillian Cane “Coleshill: Nerve Centre of British Resistance”. Marcham Centre, Barrow Close, 7:15pm.

24thOxfordshire Family History Society (OFHS) – Ask the advisor – members evening. On-line, 7:15pm.

24thTackley – Liz Woolley “Felicia Skene: Prison reformer and friend to the poor in Victorian Oxford”. Memorial Hall, 7:30pm.

25thFlorence Park, Oxford – Giles Masters “Let’s build a city: based on the history of East Oxford”. Florence Park Community Centre, East Oxford, 7:30pm.

25thKidlington – Richard Hancock “While memory lasts: Grandfather’s wars”. Baptist Church, 7:30pm.

25th – Oxfordshire Architectural and Historical Society (OAHS) – Mark Kirby “An Unexpected Revival: Stained Glass in the Early 17th Century”. Online talk, 5:30pm, further information at https://oahs.org.uk/lectures.php.

26thDorchester on Thames – Michael Heaney “Mr Tom Carter from Toot Baldon and his life in Oxford”. Dorchester Abbey, 7:30pm.

27thAston – Trevor Jackson “The Oxford to Fairford Railway”. Fellowship Centre, Cote Road, 7:30pm.

27thKirtlington & Bletchington – Richard O Smith “Z-A of Oxford”. Village Hall, Kirtlington, 2:30pm.

March  2025

3rdSouth Stoke – Ian Keable “The Century of Deception : Birth of the Hoax in the Eighteenth Century”. Village Hall 7:30pm.

4thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – James Goulty “The Path to Dien Bien Phu – The French in Indo China 1945-1954”.  On-line talk, 7:30pm; e-mail zoom@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

4thHook Norton – Carol Anderson “Portraits of two 18th-century gentlemen”. Baptist Church Hall, Netting Street, 7:30pm.

5th – Friends of the Oxfordshire Museum – Trevor Jackson “Cemeteries of Oxford”. The Oxfordshire Museum, Park Street, Woodstock, 7:30pm. Also available on-line; e-mail friendsoftheoxfordshiremuseum@gmail.com for further details.

6thOxford Preservation Trust – Sarah Couch “Christ Church Meadow”. Key Learning Centre, Oxford Castle,  5:30pm; booking recommended.

10th  – Chipping Norton – AGM followed by Neil Datson “Elsie Corbett – Pioneering Nurse and Benefactress”. Methodist Church Hall, West Street, 2:00pm.

10th – Oxfordshire Family History Society (OFHS) – Liz Woolley “‘A tough but full-blooded area’: The Parish of St Thomas the Martyr, West Oxford”. On-line, 7:15pm.

10thRadley – Maurice East “Metropolis versus the Meadow”. Church of St James the Great, 7:30pm.

11th – Oxfordshire Architectural and Historical Society (OAHS) – David Miles and Simon Palmer “The Uffington White Horse: Exploring a Wonder of Britain” (The Tom Hassall Lecture). Rewley House, Oxford, 5:30pm, further information at https://oahs.org.uk/lectures.php.

12th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Tim Saunders “The Peninsular War – The making of the Light Division”.  Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

12thFlorence Park, Oxford – Maurice East “‘The total pits’: the remarkable history of Headington Quarry, the village that built Oxford”. Florence Park Community Centre, East Oxford, 7:30pm.

12thStanford in the Vale – Tim Healey “The Green Man Trail in Oxfordshire”. Large Village Hall, 7:30pm.

12thWychwoods – Paul Booth “Archaeology developments in the Chipping Norton area”. Milton under Wychwood Village Hall, 7:30pm.

13thBanbury – Carol Anderson “Over the Hills to Glory: the Ascott Martyrs”. Banbury Museum, 7:30pm.

13thDeddington – Liz Woolley “Lord Nuffield’s great generosity to the Oxford colleges”. Primary School, 7:30pm.

13thWootton & Dry Sandford – John Lowe “Fire and firefighting in Oxford City”. Wootton Community Centre, 7:30pm.

17thBicester – Nick Millea “The Message in the Map”. Clifton Centre, Ashdene Road, 7:30pm.

17thGoring Gap – Roy Larkin “Where the money went in the Great War”. Goring Village Hall, 2:30pm.

18thIffley – Marie-Louise Kerr“Romans of Oxfordshire”. Church Hall, Church Way, 7:30pm.

19thBloxham – Jeremy Holmes “Mad, bad and dangerous to know: Lord Byron and his women”. Jubilee Park Hall, Barley Close, 7:30pm.

20thAbingdon – Hubert Zawadzki “My Polish Father’s Experiences in WW2”. Northcourt Centre, Northcourt Road. 7:45pm.

21stFinstock – Mike Heaney “The Ancient English Morris Dance”. Village Hall, 8:00pm.

24thMarcham – Jackie Smith “A History of Christ’s Hospital, Abingdon”. Marcham Centre, Barrow Close, 7:15pm.

24th – Oxfordshire Family History Society (OFHS) – Ian Waller “My Average Ancestor”. On-line, 7:15pm.

24thTackley – John Harwood “The history of the role of Lord Lieutenancy”. Memorial Hall, 7:30pm.

25thKidlington – Carol Anderson “‘Over the hills to glory’ – the story of the Ascott Martyrs”. Baptist Church, 7:30pm.

26thDorchester on Thames – Liz Woolley “The coming of the railway to Oxford”. Dorchester Abbey, 7:30pm.

27thAston – Mark Davies “Artists in Wonderland: the Pre-Raphaelites in Oxford”. Fellowship Centre, Cote Road, 7:30pm.

27thKirtlington & Bletchington – Stephen Kershaw “Alexander the Great”. Village Hall, Kirtlington, 7:30pm.

31stCumnor – Ciaran Walsh “The ups and downs of Ruskin College: a history of the college”. Old School, 7:30pm.

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.

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

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

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.

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

14th – Oxfordshire Family History Society (OFHS) – Jackie Depelle “Out and about – in the name of Family History”. On-line, 7:15pm.

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

4thChipping Norton – Malcolm Rogers “The Broadway Colony of Artists and Writers”. Methodist Church Hall, West Street, 2:00pm.

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

14thRadley – John Leighfield “Putting Radley on the map: from Gough to Google”. Church of St James the Great, 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.

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

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

23rdDorchester on Thames – Hugh Macmillan “The Thames”. Dorchester Abbey, 7:30pm.

24thAston – AGM followed by Stephen Wass “The Peculiar History of Fishponds and Fishing in Oxfordshire”. Fellowship Centre, Cote Road, 7:30  Cumnor – Martin Buckland “Canal history: The world to Wiltshire from 502BC to the present day”. Old School, 7:30pm.

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

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

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

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

May 2025

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.

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

7th – Friends of the Oxfordshire Museum – Naomi Bergmans “Conservation methods in archaeology”. The Oxfordshire Museum, Park Street, Woodstock, 7:30pm. Also available on-line; e-mail friendsoftheoxfordshiremuseum@gmail.com for further details.

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

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

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

12thRadley – Katherine Bradley “Early women professional gardeners, including the founders of Waterperry”. Church of St James the Great, 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 – Jeremy Smith “Oxford pubs: a historical perspective”. 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.

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

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.

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.

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 – Marie-Louise Kerr “Blue Plaques in South Oxfordshire”. Dorchester Abbey, 7:30pm.

June 2025

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

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

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

11th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Ian Jones “Malice Aforethought – The History of the Booby Trap”. 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.

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

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

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

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

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

9th – British 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.

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

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

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

September 2025

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.

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

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

October 2025

15th – British 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.

20thGoring Gap – Timothy Walker “The history of Harcourt Aboretum”. Goring Village Hall, 2:30pm.

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

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.

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.

17thGoring Gap – Stuart Ackland “Oxford maps”. Goring Village Hall, 2:30pm.

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

December 2025

10th – British 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.

15thGoring Gap – Rob Clarke “The Maiwand lion in the Forbury, Reading”. Goring Village Hall, 2:30pm.

January 2026

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

February 2026

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

11th – British 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

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

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.

 

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.

 

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