| Date |
Event |
Venue and
Time |
|
|
|
|
| Monday |
17 November 2025 |
35th
Annual General Meeting |
Memorial Hall - 7:30pm |
| |
|
New and old
members and guests welcome. |
|
| |
|
Followed by: Cotswolds Cornucopia
Sean Callery |
|
| |
|
The
Cotswolds is one of Britain s most scenic areas where rolling green hills are
speckled with honey stone villages. There s a story behind every scenic site,
for this area was once the heart of the English economy and its landscape is
now regarded as one of the treasures of Britain.
Take a whirlwind tour of ten famous Cotswolds villages and towns. Enjoy
their scenery and stories - plus at each stop-off, discover a quirky fact
that I guarantee will surprise you. The talk reveals how Japan connects with
a famous landmark, why a man stares into space for eternity, and some amazing
connections with sports, writers and the Houses of Parliament. |
|
| |
|
|
|
| Monday |
19 January 2026 |
The Cripps: Socialist Squires of Filkins Bert Clough |
Memorial Hall - 7:30pm |
| |
|
The talk
will cover the lives of Sir Stafford Cripps, Lady Isobel Cripps and their
son, Sir John Cripps. It will explain how Stafford, Attlee's Chancellor of
Exchequer, enhanced the village of Filkins. It will also describe how John
was an ardent environmentalist as editor of The Countryman, published in
Burford, and chairperson of the Countryside Commission. |
|
|
|
|
|
| Monday |
16 February 2026 |
Industrial Archaeology in your Garage, Shed and Attic
Bill King |
Memorial Hall - 7:30pm |
| |
|
One does
not have to travel far to see evidence of our industrial past. A short tour
around your home will reveal an abundance of Industrial Archaeology without
having to brave the elements on an archaeological dig . This talk is a light
hearted examination of what the artefacts to be found around the average home
can tell us about the Industrial Archaeology of Britain. |
|
|
|
|
|
| Monday |
16 March 2026 |
The North Wessex Way David Mitchell |
Memorial Hall - 7:30pm |
| |
|
David
Mitchell, a local historian, will talk about the ancient but forgotten road
from Oxford to Bristol that he discovered on a map from 1675. The route has
its origins back in the Iron Age and was used by everyone in the millennia
that followed: Kings, armies, monks, travellers, and pilgrims. But, in the
18th century, it suddenly fell into disuse and only now is its history and
importance being recognised. |
|
|
|
|
|
| Monday |
20 April 2026 |
Those Mitford Sisters Gillian Cane |
Memorial Hall - 7:30pm |
| |
|
These six
sisters were, by anybody s standards, outrageous. They continue to both shock and appal in
equal measure, and for good reason. They are, however, enduringly
fascinating. From becoming a Duchess
to becoming an intimate confidante and fanatical supporter of Hitler, from
fighting in the Spanish Civil War for the Communists, to being jailed in
solitary confinement, they all made their mark on history in some way, and
they were never boring. |
|
|
|
|
|
| Monday |
18 May 2026 |
Woodchester Mansion - an
Unfinished Masterpiece Liz Davenport |
Memorial Hall - 7:30pm |
| |
|
Woodchester
Mansion is the unfinished masterpiece of the young local Victorian architect
Benjamin Bucknall. It stands today as evidence of both his interest in the
work of the French architect Viollet-le-Duc and the quality of the
craftsmanship and perfection demanded by his patron, the wealthy Catholic
convert William Leigh. The talk will explain why the building was never
completed and update you on the latest conservation work. |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
June 2026 |
Visit
TBA |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
July 2026 |
Visit
TBA |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
August 2026 |
No Meeting |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Monday |
21 September 2026 |
Minster Lovell Village and
The Chartists Stewart Smith |
Memorial Hall - 7:30pm |
| |
|
A Minster
Lovell boy tells the story of three villages in one and a Chartist
Experiment. |
|
|
|
|
|
| Monday |
19 October 2026 |
The whole armour of God' -
Woodbine Willie and Tubby Clayton Linda Parker |
Memorial Hall - 7:30pm |
| |
|
Army
chaplains on the First world war had a steep learning curve to adjust their
ministry to conditions of total war. The Revd Studdert Kennedy and the Revd
Phillip Clayton, otherwise known as Woodbine Willie and Tubby Clayton, became
two of the most famous army chaplains of the war and are remembered today,
over 100 years later. The talk describes their role and actions and attempts
to contrast their different careers, both in the war and post war years. |
|
|
|
|
|
| Monday |
16 November 2026 |
36th Annual General Meeting |
Memorial Hall - 7:30pm |
| |
|
New and old
members and guests welcome. |
|
| |
|
Followed by: The Oxford to
Fairford Railway Branch Line (1861 to 1970) Trevor Jackson |
|
| |
|
The scope of the talk covers the years of discussion, argument
and decisions leading up to the successful introduction of the Oxford to
Fairford Railway Branch Line. It also covers the building of the railway,
its development, operation and expansion through to how it met its demise,
falling foul of the increasing improvements of public transport and private
motor car ownership. |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
December 2026 |
No Meeting |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
