Explore reports, photographs and highlights from recent WLHS talks, visits and special events.
Our programme has covered everything from local buildings, families and industries to wider historical subjects, visiting speakers and special Society events.
Our final 2025/6 evening meeting on Wednesday 13th May started with the AGM and then featured sessions entitled ‘Topics from our Archive’. Members and…
Read about the eventOur talk on April 8th welcomed Sue Honoré (a very experienced researcher & long standing Oxford Family History Society member). Based on over 40…
Read about the eventOur talk on Wednesday 11th March welcomed Geoff Bayley, a graduate of Manchester University with a deep interest in 17th Century history . Geoff…
Read about the eventFor our latest 2026 talk on Wednesday 11th February we welcomed David How, Chairperson for the Witney Museum. Assisted by museum administrator Beverley Sherwood, David presented…
Read about the eventFor our first talk of 2026 on Wednesday 14th January we welcomed Gillian Cane, who presented in lively and witty style, her profiles of…
Read about the eventFor our Christmas season talk on Wednesday 10th December we welcomed Sean Callery, Blue Badge tourist guide, writer and raconteur. Sean showed how today’s…
Read about the eventOur November 2025 evening talk welcomed Juliet Heslewood, who presented a history of Fairford Church with particular emphasis on the developent and design of…
Read about the eventOur October 2025 evening talk welcomed Diane Purkiss, professor of English Literature at Oxford University , and fellow and tutor at Keble College. Diane’s…
Read about the eventOur first talk of the new season was held in Milton Village Hall on Wednesday 10th September. We welcomed Stephen Barker, who offered what…
Read about the eventThe Wychwoods Local History Society presented a special evening of entertainment with the renowned band Oxford Waits on June 11th 2025. The Oxford Waits…
Read about the eventAGM and presentation ‘From our Archive’ The Society’s AGM followed the format we introduced last year. The formal business was followed by ‘Glimpses into…
Read about the eventSpeaker: Laurence Waters Subject: Chipping Norton Branch Line Upwards of 70 members and guests enjoyed another successful and informative evening, once again featuring a topic of…
Read about the eventSpeaker: Paul Booth Subject: Archaeological developments in the Chipping Norton area. Paul’s talk featured the ‘new’ Romano-British settlement at Chipping Norton and examined its position…
Read about the eventSpeaker: Liz Woolley Subject: Child Labour in 19th Century Oxfordshire Liz is a freelance local historian. She lives in Oxford and has an MSc in…
Read about the eventSpeakers: Jonathan Maisey and Joe Duxbury Subject: Cotswold Quarries Part 2 Jonathan Maisey’s 2023 presentation with Joe Duxbury on the Windrush Quarries was particularly well-received…
Read about the eventSpeaker: Tim Healey Subject: A Victorian Christmas Tim Healey is a freelance writer and broadcaster who has presented many programs on BBC Radio 3 and Radio…
Read about the eventIn November the Wychwoods Local History Society are organising and participating in a number of events to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the Cospatrick…
Read about the eventSpeakers: John Bennett/Carol Anderson Subject: The Cospatrick 150th Anniversary Reflections The Society’s evening Talk on 13th November was themed around the Cospatrick story. Talks…
Read about the eventSpeaker: Julie Ann Godson: Subject: Our Boys 1914 – 1918Julie read history at the University of Oxford under Dr Rowena E Archer. She made so…
Read about the eventSeptember 11th 2024 The first in our 2024/5 season of talks was by Edward Caswell, who presented with great enthusiasm his work with the…
Read about the eventCommittee members enjoyed a successful afternoon at the fete in Milton on July 13th, where our stall attracted a steady stream of visitors. Once…
Read about the eventThe society was pleased to support the Ascott under Wychwood Family and Local History event at Tiddy Hall on June 22nd. We organised a…
Read about the eventThe Wychwoods Local History AGM took place in Milton Village Hall on May 8th 2024 Agenda (PDF) | Chairmans Report (PDF) After the AGM, our final talk…
Read about the eventSpeaker: Maurice East Subject: “Down in the Dumps” – How Oxford Helped Win World War Two Another fine evening was enjoyed by 40+ members…
Read about the eventSpeaker: Ingram Murray Subject: ‘Known unto God’: a great War Detective Story Around 50+ members and guests enjoyed the latest in our season of…
Read about the eventSpeaker: Deborah Hayter Subject: ‘Common right : private property and how enclosures shaped the Oxfordshire/Northamptonshire landscape’ There was a hectic period of enclosure by Parliamentary Act…
Read about the eventSpeaker: Trevor Jackson Subject: ‘Cemeteries of Oxford : more than a Century of History’ 26 members with 4 guests attended our first talk of…
Read about the eventSpeaker: Marie-Louise Kerr Subject: Romans of Oxfordshire: Roman settlements and their impact in the local area . A fine turnout of 60+ enjoyed our…
Read about the eventSpeaker: Tim HealeySubject: Drovers’ Roads in Oxfordshire and Beyond Tim’s talk described how in centuries past cattle drovers made epic treks from the far reaches of…
Read about the eventSpeaker: Simon WenhamSubject: ‘Morris’ Motopolis Our first evening talk of the 2023/4 season saw 45+ members and guests convening at Milton Village Hall, for a fine…
Read about the eventSaturday 17 June saw committee members supporting WLHS colleague Carol Anderson and the Ascott Martyrs Educational Trust’s family and local history day at Tiddy…
Read about the eventOur final talk of the 2022/3 season followed the society’s AGM, with 50+ members in attendance. AGM: Download Chairman’s report as PDF here and AGM Agenda as PDF…
Read about the eventThe society recently arranged a fascinating visit to the Oxfordshire Museums Resource Centre, a large purpose-built, tent-like structure near Standlake. Here a group of…
Read about the eventThe penultimate talk in our 2022/3 season attracted 55+ members and guests, another pleasing attendance for the society. Local Shipton resident Simon Randall gave…
Read about the eventThe Society was fortunate to have as speaker in March, Chris Pickford, archivist and historian, whose knowledge of all things bells is impressive. His…
Read about the eventOur season of monthly talks continued with the visit of Sue Smith, who has made in-depth studies at Oxford University, of wartime Conscientious Objectors. …
Read about the eventOur first talk of 2023 was by Trevor Jackson, former Commissioned Officer in the RAF, who gave us a full history of the inception…
Read about the eventMembers and guests gathered for our last talk of the year. This was a lively look at the history, philosophy and evolution of almshouses,…
Read about the eventFor our October talk, historian and writer Julie Ann Godson took us through some fascinating snapshots of lives and events in Oxfordshire through the…
Read about the eventThe society’s first evening talk for the 2022/3 season was by Medway Queen enthusiasts Mark and Pam Bathurst, who had travelled all the way…
Read about the eventOur April 13th talk in Milton Village Hall was given by Mark Davies: “Alice’s Adventures in Oxford – Lewis Carroll and the River Thames”.…
Read about the eventOur March 2022 evening talk was with Bertie Matthews who presented the history of FWP Matthews Mill in Shipton under Wychwood. The evening was…
Read about the eventOur February 9th 2022 evening talk was held in the village hall, with a lively attendance of 45+ members and guests. Our speaker, Stephen…
Read about the eventOn Wednesday January 12th at 7.30 we were pleased to welcome John Perkins, who presented insights into Roman Tackley. John is a historian of…
Read about the eventThe Society’s second talk of the 2021/22 season was again held in the Village Hall. There was a pleasing attendance with 30+ members and…
Read about the eventThe society’s final talk of the season was by Carol Anderson, who is a County Museums Officer in Oxfordshire’s County Council Cultural Service. Her…
Read about the eventOn April 15th 2021 the society hosted a talk by Brigadier David Innes, who spoke movingly and with vivid detail on the life and…
Read about the eventHere is a synopsis of the latest of our regular evening talks. In the winter of 1842, 16,500 soldiers and civilians fled Afghanistan with…
Read about the eventThe Society’s earlier annual programmes provide a fascinating record of the subjects, speakers and events that have occupied members since 1981.
See the current programme of Society talks, visits and events.
