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 […]

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 […]

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). […]

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 […]

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 […]