Category Archives: Club event

Club visit to Radley Church

On Monday 8th August 2016, around 50 members and guests enjoyed an evening tour of St James the Great, Radley, on a pleasant summer’s evening, followed by refreshments in the vicarage garden. The Church is probably the oldest building in the village and Radley Vicarage is possibly the oldest building in the country to have been in continuous use as the home of a church’s incumbent.

After a short introduction to the Church building by Club chairman, Richard Dudding, people split into two groups for separate tours of the churchyard with Rita and Brian Ford or the interior of the Church with Felicity Henderson and Revd Pam McKellen (vicar of the benefice of Radley, Sunningwell and Kennington). The groups swapped tours before everyone moved to the front garden of the vicarage to listen to a short introduction to the vicarage exterior by Richard Dudding. Cheese and wine or an elderflower cup in the back garden of the vicarage rounded off the evening.

All the tour leaders had contributed chapters to Radley History Club’s forthcoming book, The Story of a Village Church St James the Great, Radley. The visit acted as a ‘taster’ for the book, which will go on sale, price £12.00, at an exhibition in the Church on 1–2 October.

Start of the tour with the church and the vicarage in the background
Start of the tour with the church and the vicarage in the background
Felicity Henderson talks about the interior of the Church
Felicity Henderson talks about the interior of the Church
Brian and Rita Ford lead the tour of the churchyard, pausing by the Cavalier's Tomb
Brian and Rita Ford lead the tour of the churchyard, pausing by the Cavalier’s Tomb
Richard Dudding tallks about the exterior of Radley Vicarage
Richard Dudding talks about the exterior of Radley Vicarage

Exhibition to celebrate the Club’s 10th anniversary

The Club celebrated its tenth anniversary with a major exhibition in Radley Village Hall on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th May 2007. The exhibition featured all aspects of village life through the ages – the wedding dress seen in the photo below was worn at a Radley wedding in May 1957. The happy couple still lived in Radley and celebrated their Golden Wedding a few weeks after the exhibition.

Photograph from the exhibition with the wedding dress in the centre

Farming was a major part of Radley’s history. The exhibition featured just a few of the many items of equipment from Brian Ford’s collection.

The exhibition made extensive use of material from the Club’s archives with displays on well-known Radley families, Radley Church, Radley Vicarage, Radley Primary School, Radley Station, local businesses, archaeology, sports clubs, village organisations, Radley entries in the National Monuments Record, thatched cottages, farming life, the River Thames and the Wild Rose pattern of china.

A slide show of photographs of Radley (mostly by Les Hemsworth and compiled by Stanley Baker) ran continuously throughout the course of the exhibition, attracting a ‘full house’ with standing room only at the back. 

The exhibition would not have been possible without the ideas, planning and tremendous amount of work by Brian and Rita Ford. Special thanks must also go to Brian and his family for the loan of the farming exhibits for the exhibition.

The effort and enthusiasm of the project committee and Club members were also vital for the exhibition’s success. As well as Brian and Rita Ford, the Club particularly wishes to thank John Homewood, Christine Wootton, Malcolm Grieve, Stanley Baker and Marian Orchard. And all the ladies who served refreshments!