Radley History Club

ZOOM talk: Pagans and Puritans: the story of May morning in Oxford
2021-04-12 19:30 - 21:00 (Europe/London)
Speaker: Tim Healey
The talk discusses the history of the Oxford tradition of gathering at 6 am to celebrate May 1st. Tim is a broadcaster, musician and writer.
Talk postponed from April 2020
Meeting report

ZOOM TALK: Living the Lexicon: James Murray and the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary
2021-03-08 19:30 - 21:00
Speaker: Simon Wenham
Simon describes the trials and tribulations behind the creation of this influential book by its editor, James Murray. 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.
Meeting report

ZOOM TALK: Kingerlee: the family and the building firm
2021-02-08 19:30 - 21:00
Speaker: Liz Woolley
Liz describes the history of this fifth generation Oxfordshire family business which celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2018. Liz is a local historian specialising in aspects of the history of Oxford and Oxfordshire with a particular interest in the city’s ‘town’ as opposed to ‘gown’. She is a regular visitor to the Club, having given us a talk each year for the past 11 years.
Meeting report

ZOOM TALK: "Unknown and yet well known": the final journey of the Unknown Warrior
2021-01-11 19:30 - 21:00
Speaker: Dick Richards
The 11th of November 2020 saw the first centenary of the burial of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey and the unveiling of the permanent Cenotaph in Whitehall. This talk tells the story of the Unknown Warrior from the conception of the idea; the selection; the journey to Westminster Abbey and the burial. In addition, we will learn something about the national remembrance monument that is the Cenotaph.
Dick Richards makes a return to Radley History Club a year after coming to talk to us about the history and legacy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC). For the past five years, Dick has been a ‘Champion’ and Volunteer with CWGC. He delivers talks to local community groups, history associations and schools, and escorts tours to the local CWGC cemetery at Botley in Oxford.
Meeting report

ZOOM TALK: Einstein and the refugee scholars of Oxford
2020-12-14 19:30 - 21:00
Speaker: Victoria Bentata
Victoria tells us about Albert Einstein and other academics who sought refuge in Oxford from Nazi tyranny. Victoria is an Oxford Green Badge Tour guide and member of the Oxford Guild of Tour Guides. She last spoke to us on Oxford and Medicine.
Meeting report

ZOOM TALK: Oxfordshire in the Second World War
2020-11-09 19:30 - 21:00
Speaker: Stephen Barker
Stephen looks at the ‘home front’ in the county and significant events in which its people were involved overseas. Stephen is a historian and heritage adviser, and another return speaker. His talk was first written to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry attack on Pegasus Bridge during D-Day in 1944.
Meeting report

ZOOM TALK: The Pre-Raphaelites in Oxfordshire – Artists in Wonderland
2020-10-12 19:30 - 21:00
Speaker: Mark Davies
Mark’s talk on the links of members of the Pre-Raphaelite group of Victorian artists with Oxford is illustrated with examples of their work. Mark has spoken to us before and is an Oxford local historian, author, and guide specialising in the history of non-University Oxford, with a particular focus on the city’s waterways.
Meeting report

ZOOM TALK: The Wilts and Berks Canal: Past, Present and Future
2020-09-21 19:30 - 20:45
Speaker: Martin Buckland
This historic canal linked the Kennet and Avon Canal near Trowbridge in Wiltshire with the River Thames near Abingdon. Martin’s talk tells us something of its history, its current status and the continued work of the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust to return the waterway to a ‘navigable state’.
Meeting report

Annual General Meeting - by ZOOM (updated 13 September)
2020-09-14 19:30 - 20:00 | Radley Village Hall, Gooseacre, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 3BLQF
23rd Annual General Meeting of Radley History Club
Apologies for the late change of plan – the meeting will now be by Zoom and not in Radley Village Hall. Members have been sent details of the link to join the Zoom meeting.

CANCELLED - "The Great Stink"! Engineers, Sewerage Systems and the Victorian Battle against Dirt
2020-07-13 19:30 - 21:00 | Radley Church, Church Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2JN
Speaker: Tom Crook
Tom is a lecturer on modern British history at Oxford Brookes University. His talk discusses the notorious ‘Great Stink’ of summer 1858 in London, its causes and the approach adopted to combat the problem of vast amounts of untreated human waste and industrial effluent entering the Thames.

CANCELLED - Spitfires over Oxfordshire and the D Day Landings
2020-06-08 19:30 - 21:00 | Radley Church, Church Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2JN
Speaker: Nic Vanderpeet
Nic is the Learning and Outreach Officer at the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum in Woodstock. The Spitfire, the famous British fighter aircraft of the Battle of Britain, later played an important role in the invasion of Normandy in June 1944. An important site for Spitfires in Oxfordshire was the repair unit at Witney Aerodrome

CANCELLED - Tour of Botley War Graves Cemetery
2020-05-19 18:30 - 20:00 | Botley War Graves Cemetery, North Hinksey Lane, Oxford, OX2 0LX
The tour will be led by Dick Richards as a follow-up to this talk to the Club on Monday 10th February.
Visit the cemetery’s page on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s website for a map of how to find the cemetery.

CANCELLED - The Oxford of Inspector Morse
2020-05-11 19:30 - 21:00 | Radley Church, Church Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2JN
Speaker: Alastair Lack
Alastair read history at University College Oxford. After a career working for the BBC World Service, he now lives in Oxford where he is a Green Badge Guide. The Inspector Morse novels by Colin Dexter and the popular television series based on them and starring John Thaw and Kevin Whately are set in Oxford and have an international following.

CANCELLED - Pagans & Puritans: The Story of May Morning in Oxford
2020-04-14 19:30 - 21:00 | Radley Church, Church Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2JN
Speaker: Tim Healey
Tim is a freelance writer, broadcaster and musician. His talk describes the history of the Oxford tradition of gathering at 6am to celebrate the first day of May by listening to a Latin hymn sung from the top of Magdalen College tower.
Note: the meeting is on a Tuesday evening as the second Monday in April falls on Easter Monday

Historic Towns Atlas of Oxford
2020-03-09 19:30 - 21:00 | Radley Church, Church Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2JN
Speaker: Nick Millea
Six volumes of the British Historic Towns Atlas series telling the fascinating history of Britain’s historic towns have already been published by the Historic Towns Trust. Volume VII, the Oxford atlas, is due to be published in autumn 2020. Nick is Map Librarian at the Bodleian Library and a trustee of the Historic Towns Trust.
Meeting report

The Road to Peace is Paved with Headstones: the History and Legacy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
2020-02-10 19:30 - 21:00 | Radley Church, Church Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2JN
Speaker: Dick Richards
Dick is a ‘Champion’ and volunteer with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which honours all those from the Commonwealth forces who died in the First and Second World Wars. His talk describes the Commission’s beginnings, the design of its cemeteries and memorials, and its presence in Oxfordshire and the surrounding area.
Meeting report

The Reluctant Exiles: Polish Resettlement Camps in Oxfordshire and the Cotswolds 1946-1970
2020-01-13 19:30 - 21:00 | Radley Church, Church Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2JN
Speaker: Hubert Zawadzki
Hubert, a former history teacher, who grew up after the Second World War in one of these camps talks about why they were set up and what life was like for their inhabitants. Dr Zawadzki is the joint author of A Concise History of Poland and has appeared on the BBC television series Who Do You Think You Are?
Meeting report

Christmas Dinner
2019-12-09 19:00 - 22:30 | Bowyer Arms, Radley, Foxborough Road, Radley, Abingdon, OX14 3AE
Pre-booked two-course meal for members and their guests from the pub’s festive menu

Book launch: 'Radley Manor and Village'
2019-11-30 11:00 - 16:00 | The Mansion, Radley College, Kennington Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2HR
RADLEY MANOR AND VILLAGE: a thousand year story
At the launch you will be able to buy the book (£15), view displays and enjoy refreshments provided by Radley Women’s Institute.
RADLEY MANOR AND VILLAGE: a thousand year story was researched and written as a collaboration between Radley History Club and Radley College’s archivist.
It tells the history of Radley’s manor and its relationship with the village from around the time of the Norman Conquest to the present day. It explores the changing role of the manor, the people who held it, how they lived and the power they exercised, as well as how the lives of ordinary villagers were affected by the manor.
Each chapter, divided mainly by time period, starts by describing relevant national events, enabling the reader to understand the local story as part of the bigger picture. The book also traces the themes which arise over the full thousand years, such as the impact of landownership. The changing fortunes of Radley’s landowners and tenants are described in depth – with some colourful characters adding drama to the story!
The 44 illustrations and maps, 17 in colour, help to guide the reader through the story. A glossary, footnotes, tables and family trees help ensure that terms and relationships are explained and that the story is rooted firmly in evidence.
The book should be of interest both to local people and those researching wider manorial history.
Price: £15 at the launch and then from Radley Village Shop
To order a copy, please contact Joyce Huddleston (publications@radleyhistoryclub.org.uk) for details of postage & packing costs and how to pay. Online ordering will be available from 30 November 2019.

Radley Large Wood: Monks, Deer, Riots, Canal and Bluebells
2019-11-11 19:30 - 21:00 | Radley Church, Church Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2JN
Speaker: Richard Dudding
For almost a thousand years, this ancient wood has been one of the most valued parts of the parish and has played a central role in some of its defining events. Richard’s talk gives a preview of new evidence found during research for the Club’s new book Radley Manor and Village published in November 2019.
Meeting report
