Slides and Commentary: Milton and Shipton

These slideshows, recently discovered in the archive, depict historic photographs of the Wychwood villages with commentary. They were compiled by the late John Rawlins to mark the Millennium.

Many members of the History Society before 2000 developed an in-depth and unique knowledge of the history of the Wychwoods. The Society also had access to older members of the community whose memories stretched back to the early 20th century.

Consequently, these slideshows contain valuable insights that are not always documented in the Society’s other publications. They are a significant addition to the WLHS records and will be of interest to many people in today’s Wychwoods communities, both old and young.

About the videos

The presentations focus on the history of Milton and Shipton as told through photographs dating from the late 19th century to the end of the 20th century. Sadly, Ascott and the other villages are not covered, and the presentations do not appear to be complete.

Each presentation follows a geographical path through the villages, but does not cover the whole of each village.

We present these videos here in their raw form, digitised from the original tapes. There is still work to do to clean them and improve the quality, but they retain considerable historical value in their current form.

Video 1: Milton-under-Wychwood

The Milton video begins on Shipton Road, travelling from the service station to the Square, before continuing from the Square towards the beginning of the High Street and including the Village Green.

There is no coverage of the High Street, Church Road, Jubilee Lane or Frog Lane. There are, however, some interesting snippets, including the assertion that the Co-op in Milton was formerly the Wesleyan Chapel and later became the Parish Room.

Videos 2 and 3: Shipton-under-Wychwood

Similarly, the Shipton videos cover the High Street as far as the Crown, together with the Green and Church Street.