Radley History Club

CHANGE OF DATE Early women professional gardeners, including the founders of Waterperry
2025-04-14 19:30 - 20:45 (Europe/London) | Radley Church, Church Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2JN
Speaker: Katherine Bradley
Katherine describes the lives and work of some of the pioneering women gardeners who had a major impact on garden design, with particular reference to notable local examples. Katherine is particularly interested in 19th and 20th century women’s history linked to Oxfordshire.
Visitors are very welcome to attend our meetings (suggested donation £3).
Doors open at 7 pm.
The building work at Radley Church will not now be starting until after Easter and so the meeting will be held in Radley Church as usual.

CHANGE OF VENUE Putting Radley on the Map: from Gough to Google
2025-05-12 19:30 - 20:45 | Church Room, Radley, Church Road, Radley, OX14 2JN
Speaker: John Leighfield
John’s illustrated talk looks at developments in mapping over the centuries, ending with the transformation brought about by the technological revolution of recent years. John is a director of GetMapping and a former chairman of RM plc. John’s talk is given in aid of Helen & Douglas House hospice in Oxford.
Visitors are very welcome to attend our meetings (suggested donation £3).
Doors open at 7 pm.
Due to building work at Radley Church, the meeting will be held in the Church Room next to the Church (see map). Please use the car park serving the Church and the primary school.
Church Room, Radley

CHANGE OF VENUE The Fitzharrys Manor Estate – from Medieval Knights to Atomic Spies
2025-06-09 19:30 - 20:45 | Church Room, Radley, Church Road, Radley, OX14 2JN
Speaker: Mike Evans
Mike presents the history of this part of north Abingdon from the time of Abingdon Abbey to its links with Klaus Fuchs and other atomic spies in the post-war period when the houses were built there for the families of scientists working at the Atomic Energy Research Establishment at Harwell. Mike lives in Abingdon and is a former head of archives at Historic England.
Visitors are very welcome to attend our meetings (suggested donation £3).
Doors open at 7 pm.
Due to building work at Radley Church, the meeting will be held in the Church Room next to the Church (see map). Please use the car park serving the Church and the primary school.
Church Room, Radley

CHANGE OF VENUE What a Liberty! Memorable moments along Oxford’s ancient boundaries
2025-07-14 19:30 - 20:45 | Church Room, Radley, Church Road, Radley, OX14 2JN
Speaker: Mark Davies
Mark presents dramatic and amusing incidents from five centuries of ceremonial circuits by Oxford’s mayors of the city’s boundaries which were mainly defined by its waterways. Although serious in intent, numerous pub stops often resulted in ‘high jinks’ and ‘irresponsible jollity’. Mark is an Oxford local historian, author, public speaker, guide, and publisher with a particular focus on the city’s waterways.
Visitors are very welcome to attend our meetings (suggested donation £3).
Doors open at 7 pm.
Due to building work at Radley Church, the meeting will be held in the Church Room next to the Church (see map). Please use the car park serving the Church and the primary school.

CHANGE OF VENUE: More than Three Men in a Boat: the rise and fall of pleasure boating on the Thames
2025-09-08 19:30 - 20:45 | Church Room, Radley, Church Road, Radley, OX14 2JN
Speaker: Simon Wenham
Simon looks at the changes in the use of the river Thames above London over the past 150 years and why its popularity for recreational boating grew dramatically and then declined. Simon is a member of the part-time tutor panel of Oxford University’s Continuing Education Department, where he teaches courses on the Victorian period.
Visitors are very welcome to attend our meetings (suggested donation £3).
Doors open at 7 pm.
The talk will follow the short Annual General Meeting. If you’re coming just for the talk, please arrive before 7.30 when the AGM starts.
Due to the ongoing building work at Radley Church, the meeting will be held in the Church Room next to the Church (see map). Please use the car park serving the Church and the primary school.

CHANGE OF VENUE: 'Some may question its flavour, but none its potency': a history of brewing in Oxford
2025-10-13 19:30 - 21:00 | Church Room, Radley, Church Road, Radley, OX14 2JN
Speaker: Liz Woolley
Over the centuries, brewing in Oxford became big business. Liz’s talk examines how and why Oxford’s brewing trade flourished. Liz is a local historian specialising in aspects of Oxford and Oxfordshire, with a particular interest in the city’s ‘town’ as opposed to ‘gown’.
Visitors are very welcome to attend our meetings (suggested donation £3).
Doors open at 7 pm
Due to delayed building work at Radley Church, the meeting will be held in the Church Room next to the Church (see map). Please use the car park serving the Church and the primary school.
Church Room, Radley

From Roman Britain to Early Anglo-Saxon England: archaeological evidence from Dorchester-on-Thames
2025-11-10 19:30 - 21:00 | Radley Church, Church Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2JN
Speaker: Paul Booth
Paul describes the 2007-2018 excavation project at nearby Dorchester and discusses the significance of its findings. Paul Booth is a former senior project manager at Oxford Archaeology and was one of the directors of the joint Oxford University Institute of Archaeology/Oxford Archaeology excavation project at Dorchester-on-Thames from 2008 to 2018.
Visitors are very welcome to attend our meetings (suggested donation £3).
Doors open at 7 pm
Note: Club meetings are returning to Radley Church with effect from this meeting.

Wick Hall: the story of a house and a family
2026-01-12 19:30 - 21:00 | Radley Church, Church Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2JN
Speaker: Richard Dudding
Richard’s talk draws on his research for his new book about Wick Hall and the Dockar Drysdale family, which at one time owned almost all the land and cottages in Radley. More about the book and how to buy a copy
Richard is the archivist for both Wick Hall and for the Radley History Club. He has written about several aspects of the village’s history, including manor, church, land and buildings (all three books published by Radley History Club).
Visitors are very welcome to attend our meetings (suggested donation £3).
Doors open at 7 pm

Everyday life and accidental death in 16th century Oxfordshire and Berkshire
2026-02-09 19:30 - 21:00 | Radley Church, Church Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2JN
Speaker: Steven Gunn
In his talk, Steven looks at everyday life in these two counties in Tudor times using examples of fatal accidents people had at home, work and play. Steven Gunn is a Fellow of Merton College, Oxford, and Professor of Early Modern History at Oxford University. His talk draws on findings from an Economic and Social Research Council project, Everyday Life and Fatal History in Sixteenth-Century England. He is co-author of the book, An Accidental History of Tudor England, published in June 2025.
Visitors are very welcome to attend our meetings (suggested donation £3).
Doors open at 7 pm

'Always Ready, Always Willing': Fires and firefighting in the city of Oxford from 879 to 1974
2026-03-09 19:30 - 21:00 | Radley Church, Church Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2JN
Speaker: John Lowe
John tells the story of how major fires and efforts to tackle them over more than ten centuries affected Oxford, including the tragic fire that led to the formation of the Oxford Volunteer Fire Brigade in 1870. John Lowe served as a firefighter in the Oxford City and Oxfordshire brigades for more than 30 years. John’s fee for the talk will be donated to the Fire Fighters Charity.
Visitors are very welcome to attend our meetings (suggested donation £3).
Doors open at 7 pm

My Polish father’s experiences in WW2 from Gulag to Normandy and Scotland
2026-04-13 19:30 - 21:00 | Radley Church, Church Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2JN
Speaker: Hubert Zawadzki
Hubert’s parents came to Britain with the Polish Armed Forces during WW2. Hubert describes his father’s time in a forced labour camp, his service with the Polish Army during the Battle of Normandy in 1944 and his return to Scotland where Hubert was born. Dr Zawadzki, a former history teacher at Abingdon School and a member of Wolfson College Oxford, is the joint author of A Concise History of Poland and has appeared on BBC programmes involving Poland.
Visitors are very welcome to attend our meetings (suggested donation £3).
Doors open at 7 pm

Tracks to trenches
2026-05-11 19:30 - 21:00 | Radley Church, Church Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2JN
Speaker: Mike Hurst
Mike describes the range of railway activities in southern England and France during WW1, including the transport and care of the wounded back to Blighty with examples from south Oxfordshire and west Berkshire. Mike is a committed railway enthusiast and volunteer for local heritage railways.
Visitors are very welcome to attend our meetings (suggested donation £3).
Doors open at 7 pm

CHANGE OF VENUE: Garden archaeology: 'not that kind of digging'
2026-06-08 19:30 - 21:00 | Church Room, Radley, Church Road, Radley, OX14 2JN
Speaker: Stephen Wass
Stephen explains how recent discoveries in historic gardens using archaeological techniques have allowed a better understanding of their construction and development. Stephen Wass is a freelance consultant specialising in historic gardens and a member of the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists.
Visitors are very welcome to attend our meetings (suggested donation £3).
Doors open at 7 pm – before and after the talk there will a chance to view photographs from the Club Archive of Radley Church and its envions by the Oxford photographer Heny Taunt.
Due to building work in Radley Church, the meeting will be held in the adjacant Church Room (see map).
Church Room, Radley

Alice and the Dodo in Oxford
2026-07-13 19:30 - 21:00 | Radley Church, Church Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2JN
Speaker: Victoria Bentata
Victoria links people and places in Oxford to the happenings and thinly disguised characters such as the Dodo in Lewis Carroll’s famous book, Alice in Wonderland. Victoria lives in Radley and is an Oxford Green Badge Tour guide and member of the Oxford Guild of Tour Guides.
Visitors are very welcome to attend our meetings (suggested donation £3).
Doors open at 7 pm

Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough: taking the waters in Bath, Scarborough and Windsor Great Park
2026-09-14 19:30 - 20:45 | Radley Church, Church Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2JN
Speaker: Melanie King
Melanie shares some of the Duchess of Marlborough’s adventures in the 18th century while visiting various famous English spas. Melanie lives in Oxfordshire and is a freelance writer specialising in historical non-fiction. Her talk draws on her research for her 2021 book, The Secret History of English Spas.
Visitors are very welcome to attend our meetings (suggested donation £3).
Doors open at 7 pm.
The talk will follow the short Annual General Meeting. If you’re coming just for the talk, please arrive before 7.30 when the AGM starts.

Tithe Barns (including local barns)
2026-10-12 19:30 - 20:45 | Radley Church, Church Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2JN
Speaker: Joseph Rogers
Tithe barns are historic buildings dotted across the British and European landscape. Joseph explains what is and isn’t a tithe barn, describes their history, architectural features and contemporary uses, and present examples of local tithe barns. Joseph’s research for his book, Tithe Barns, involved travelling to over 100 historic barns across the UK.
Visitors are very welcome to attend our meetings (suggested donation £3).
Doors open at 7 pm

Rogues of the Road: Tales of Oxfordshire Highwaymen
2026-11-09 19:30 - 20:45 | Radley Church, Church Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2JN
Speaker: Mike White
Mike reveals the dark tales of some of Oxfordshire’s most notorious highwaymen, sharing stories about both famous and lesser-known highwaymen who terrorised the county over a period of some 400 years. His talk draws on his research for his 2025 book, Rogues of the Road: Tales of Oxfordshire Highwaymen. Mike retired recently from a long career in IT at Oxford University.
Visitors are very welcome to attend our meetings (suggested donation £3).
Doors open at 7 pm

Malting and Brewing in Abingdon
2027-01-11 19:30 - 20:45 | Radley Church, Church Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2JN
Speaker: Martin Buckland
Beer production in all its stages was once a major part of the town. RHC member Martin describes the malting process, the sites once occupied by maltings in Abingdon, and the use of first the river and then the railway to transport the malt to London and other brewing centres. He then discusses the history of the Morland Brewery ending in closure by Greene King in 2000.
Visitors are very welcome to attend our meetings (suggested donation £3).
Doors open at 7 pm

Dream Palaces: A history of the Ultimate Picture Palace and early cinema in Oxford
2027-02-08 19:30 - 20:45 | Radley Church, Church Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2JN
Speaker: Liz Woolley
Liz talks about a fascinating aspect of Oxford’s social history. She describes the growth and popularity of cinema in the city following the opening off the Cowley Road in 1911 of Oxford’s oldest independent cinema, the Oxford Picture Palace (now the Ultimate Picture Palace). No fewer than ten new cinemas opening in the next 27 years. Today the number of cinemas in Oxford can be counted on the fingers of one hand.
Visitors are very welcome to attend our meetings (suggested donation £3).
Doors open at 7 pm

The Naming of Oxfordshire Pubs
2027-03-08 19:30 - 20:45 | Radley Church, Church Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2JN
Speaker: Andrew Long
Pub names in this country are a centuries-old tapestry of local history, heraldry, folklore, and humour, reflecting the social, political and cultural shifts of the time. The names were historically used to identify drinking places at a time when much of the population was illiterate. Andrew talks about how pubs have been named in the past, illustrated with examples from Oxfordshire.
Visitors are very welcome to attend our meetings (suggested donation £3).
Doors open at 7 pm

The Archaeology of Abingdon
2027-04-12 19:30 - 20:45 | Radley Church, Church Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2JN
Speaker: Roger Thomas
Roger describes the extraordinary range of archaeological discoveries in the town and its immediate surroundings (including Radley). These range from Neanderthal handaxes and prehistoric burial mounds to its Iron Age ‘oppidum’, Roman villa, Anglo-Saxon cemetery and the site of Abingdon’s great medieval abbey.
Roger is a professional archaeologist and was involved in many of the discoveries described in his talk. His book, England’s Oldest Town? The Archaeology of Abingdon, was published in 2026.
Visitors are very welcome to attend our meetings (suggested donation £3).
Doors open at 7 pm

A Tale of Twin Cities
2027-05-10 19:30 - 20:45 | Radley Church, Church Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2JN
Speaker: Jan Marshall
The system of twinned towns in the UK dates to the end of the Second World War. Jan Marshall explains how town twinning came about and explores the links between Oxford and its seven twin cities – Leiden (Netherlands), Bonn (Germany), León (Nicaragua). Grenoble (France), Padua (Italy), Wrocław (Poland) and Ramallah (Palestine).
Visitors are very welcome to attend our meetings (suggested donation £3).
Doors open at 7 pm

The Peculiar History of Fishponds and Fishing in Oxfordshire and Around: an archaeological perspective
2027-06-14 19:30 - 20:45 | Radley Church, Church Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2JN
Speaker: Stephen Wass
Stephen, a freelance archaeologist, describes the different purposes of fishponds (they weren’t just for fish) in the Oxfordshire landscape over the centuries starting in Roman times, through the mediaeval period and their introduction in the 17th century as important decorative features in the water gardens of large manor houses.
Visitors are very welcome to attend our meetings (suggested donation £3).
Doors open at 7 pm

The Miracle of Bletchley Park
2027-07-12 19:30 - 20:45 | Radley Church, Church Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2JN
Speaker: Gillian Cane
Bletchley Park, a country house and estate near Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire, became a vital centre of Allied codebreaking during the Second World War. Gillian outlines its development and talks about some of the talented and eccentric people (men and women) who worked there and explains why she considers it to be a ‘miracle’.
Visitors are very welcome to attend our meetings (suggested donation £3).
Doors open at 7 pm

Radley History Club Archive
2027-09-13 19:45 - 20:45 | Radley Church, Church Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2JN
Speaker: Richard Dudding
Radley History Club’s Archive has over five thousand items, telling us about life in the village over the last 500 years or so. The Archive preserves these for posterity and provides a resource for use today. Richard’s talk tells you how they are all kept and used, and highlights some items of particular interest.
Visitors are very welcome to attend our meetings (suggested donation £3).
Doors open at 7 pm.
The talk will follow the short Annual General Meeting. If you’re coming just for the talk, please arrive before 7.30 when the AGM starts.
