Radley History Club

Annual General Meeting
2022-09-12 19:30 - 19:45 (Europe/London) | Radley Church, Church Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2JN
The 24th Annual General Meeting of Radley History Club
This will be followed by a talk from Sarah Somerville on working as a guide in a historic house in the 21st century. Details of the talk

The Great Stink! Engineers, sewerage systems and the Victorian battle against dirt
2022-07-11 19:30 - 21:00 | Radley Church, Church Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2JN
Speaker: Tom Crook
The talk discusses the notorious ‘Great Stink’ of summer 1858 in London, its causes and the approach adopted to combat the problem. Tom is a Senior Lecturer in Modern British History at Oxford Brookes University.
Non-members welcome – a donation of £2.50 towards the meeting costs would be appreciated

NEW DATE: The Land of the White Eagle: The Story of Poland
2022-06-13 19:30 - 21:00 | Radley Church, Church Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2JN
Speaker: Hubert Zawadzki
The talk describes the turbulent and complex history of Poland from its medieval origins to the present day. 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.
This is the talk originally scheduled for October 2021.
Non-members welcome – a donation of £2.50 towards the meeting costs would be appreciated
Programme change: The talk by Liz Woolley, From Axtell to Zacharias: the men who built Oxford, originally advertised for 13 June will now take place on 14 November 2022.

Members' interests
2022-05-09 19:30 - 21:00 | Radley Church, Church Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2JN
A chance for members to tell us about a person, place, event or object of interest to them which they’ve researched and wish to share their findings with us.
Non-members welcome – a donation of £2.50 towards the meeting costs would be appreciated

‘Professors of Rowing’: The early Oxford-Cambridge Boat Races
2022-04-11 19:30 - 21:00, 2021-07-24 19:30 - 21:00 | Radley Church, Church Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2JN
Speaker: Mark Davies
The talk details the early history of this famous and competitive event, highlighting the unusual alliance of Town & Gown in the crucial role played by the Thames’ watermen and boatbuilders in equipping and training the early Oxford crews. Mark is a local author and guide specialising in the history of non-university Oxford, with a particular focus on the city’s waterways.
Non-members welcome – a donation of £2.50 towards the meeting costs would be appreciated

Poor Law in the 18th Century: the crisis in the parishes
2022-03-14 19:30 - 21:00 | Radley Church, Church Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2JN
Speaker: Deborah Hayter
The talk discusses the reasons for the increasing struggle by many parishes during the 18th century to pay the poor rate to growing numbers of poor people, and the variety of schemes they adopted to try to ‘balance the books’. Deborah is a tutor at Oxford University’s Department for Continuing Education, specialising in rural and landscape history.
Non-members welcome – a donation of £2.50 towards the meeting costs would be appreciated

Oxford Preservation Trust – opening doors all year round
2022-02-14 19:30 - 21:00 | Radley Church, Church Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2JN
Speaker: Stephen Dawson
Stephen is the Operations and Development Manager of the Oxford Preservation Trust. In addition to organising the annual Oxford Open Doors weekend, the Trust is responsible for the management of various heritage sites and the protection of buildings and items of architectural significance in and around Oxford – work that never stops.
Non-members welcome – a donation of £2.50 towards the meeting costs would be appreciated

Romans of Oxfordshire: Roman settlement and impact in the local area
2022-01-10 19:30 - 21:00 | Radley Church, Church Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2JN
Speaker: Marie-Louise Kerr
The talk covers the Roman invasion of Britain, life before and after the Romans arrived, and examples of Roman remains, archaeological finds, and sites of Roman occupation in Oxfordshire. Marie-Louise is an experienced museum curator caring for a wide variety of collections, and describes herself as ‘a curator without a museum’.
Non-members welcome – a donation of £2.50 towards the meeting costs would be appreciated

The Harcourt Arboretum: one of Oxfordshire’s brightest botanical jewels
2021-11-08 19:30 - 21:00 | Radley Church, Church Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2JN
Speaker: Timothy Walker
The Harcourt Arboretum at Nuneham Courtenay was founded in 1835 by the Harcourt family and annexed to the University of Oxford Botanic Garden in 1963. The talk looks at the 180-year history of the site and some of the highlights of the 130-acre Arboretum. Timothy is a former director of the Oxford Botanic Garden & Harcourt Arboretum.
Non-members welcome – a donation of £2.50 towards the meeting costs would be appreciated

CANCELLED: The Land of the White Eagle: The Story of Poland NEW DATE: 13 June 2022
2021-10-11 19:30 - 21:00 | Radley Church, Church Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2JN
Speaker: Hubert Zawadzki
The talk describes the turbulent and complex history of Poland from its medieval origins to the present day. 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.
Non-members welcome – a donation of £2.50 towards the meeting costs would be appreciated

Radley in the 1930s and 40s - impressions from oral history
2021-09-13 19:30 - 21:00 | Radley Church, Church Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2JN
A presentation from the Club’s Oral History Group drawing on information from the ‘Radley Remembered’ series of interviews in the Club’s oral history recordings
Non-members welcome – a donation of £2.50 towards the meeting costs would be appreciated. The talk will follow the AGM, which will start at 7.30 pm. Please arrive for the talk at 7.30 pm to allow us to move swiftly from the AGM to the talk.

Annual General Meeting
2021-09-13 19:30 - 19:45 | Radley Church, Church Road, Radley, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 2JN
23rd Annual General Meeting of Radley History Club
The meeting paperwork will be sent to members by email ahead of the AGM.

Club visit to Botley War Graves Cemetery: 2nd group
2021-07-26 18:00 - 19:00 | Botley War Graves Cemetery, North Hinksey Lane, Oxford, OX2 0LX
Covid restrictions permitting, Dick Richards will lead a tour for Club members of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission site at North Hinksey which contains some 740 burials from both wars.
The tour will last about an hour and is for Club members only.
Please meet at 5.50 pm at the Chapel.

Club visit to Botley War Graves Cemetery: 1st group
2021-07-26 15:00 - 16:00 | Botley War Graves Cemetery, North Hinksey Lane, Oxford, OX2 0LX
Covid restrictions permitting, Dick Richards will lead a tour for Club members of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission site at North Hinksey which contains some 740 burials from both wars.
The tour will last about an hour and is for Club members only.
Please meet at 2.50 pm at the Chapel.

CANCELLED: The Great Stink! Engineers, sewerage systems and the Victorian battle against dirt
2021-06-15 19:30 - 21:00 | Oxfordshire
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.

ZOOM talk: Spitfires over Oxfordshire
2021-06-14 19:30 - 21:00 | Oxfordshire
Speaker: Nic Vanderpeet
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. Nic is a learning and outreach officer for the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum in Woodstock.
Talk postponed from June 2020
Meeting report

ZOOM talk: The Oxford of Inspector Morse
2021-05-10 19:30 - 21:00 | Oxfordshire
Speaker: Alastair Lack
The Inspector Morse novels, by Colin Dexter and the popular television series based on them are set in Oxford. Alastair read history at University College Oxford. He then had a career at the BBC, mainly working for the World Service. He is a Green Badge Guide and member of the Oxford Guild of Tour Guides.
Talk postponed from May 2020
Meeting report

ZOOM talk: Pagans and Puritans: the story of May morning in Oxford
2021-04-12 19:30 - 21:00 | Oxfordshire
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 | Oxfordshire
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 | Oxfordshire
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 | Oxfordshire
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 | Oxfordshire
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 | Oxfordshire
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 | Oxfordshire
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 | Oxfordshire
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

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.
