From Roman Britain to Early Anglo-Saxon England: archaeological evidence from Dorchester-on-Thames
2025-11-10 19:30 - 21:00 (Europe/London) | 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
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
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
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
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
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

Garden archaeology: 'not that kind of digging'
2026-06-08 19:30 - 21:00
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

Alice and the Dodo in Oxford
2026-07-13 19:30 - 21:00
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 08:00 - 17:00
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.

2026 Annual General Meeting
2026-09-14 19:30 - 21:00
The 28th Annual General Meeting of Radley History Club
This will be followed by a talk by Melanie King about the visits of Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough to English spas. Details of the talk
Doors open at 7 pm.
