The Charlbury Society

Fostering an understanding of the history of Charlbury and Oxfordshire

Welcome

Formed in 1949, the Charlbury Society grew out of the first Charlbury Historical Exhibition and offers a programme of talks about local history and the environment, arranges outings and supports the Charlbury Museum.

A large and appreciative audience at our April 2024 meeting.

Robin Lane Fox, the distinguished gardening columnist, treated us to a presentation rich with information about Oxford college gardens,

focusing on his passion as Garden Fellow of New College.

Notice of an additional talk
6 JUNE 2024
3.30 pm

Tragedy, Bravery and Mystery: Beating the Bounds 1924

This is a tale of tragedy, since three children drowned in the Evenlode. Of bravery, since heroic efforts at rescue led to the award of two medals for gallantry. And mystery – since it is difficult to understand why the final group of boundary walkers took the punt upstream from where others had crossed safely, and with such catastrophic consequences. Using eye-witness accounts, testimony at the inquest, and contemporary photographs, Rob Stepney will piece together the events of that fateful day.

We also hope to have the first public showing of a short film made with

Rob Jackson and Alan Snelling.

The talk will be preceded by the AGM of The Charlbury Society

Annual Lecture Series 2023-2024

We have a hybrid pattern for our lectures. Those in October, November, March, April and May take place in the Memorial Hall.

Talks in December, January and February are held via Zoom. The links will be sent by email to members prior to the evening.

Talks are held at 8.00 pm on the first Thursday of the month.

(with the exception of 9 May)

Quick Guide to this Season's Lectures

5 October 2023

FarmEd: who, what, why?

with Founder, Ian Wilkinson, and Jonty Brunyee, Head of Sustainable Farming & Food

Memorial Hall

4 January 2024

Go West:

the story of the A40

with Sean Callery. We'll hear how the A40 links Egypt, France, Poland and Spain with Oxfordshire - with many surprises along the way.

Zoom

4 April 2024

Oxford gardens

Legendary garden writer, Robin Lane Fox, will bring his love and vast experience of gardening to this talk on gardens in Oxford and their history.

Memorial Hall

9 November 2023

Drovers' Roads

with Tim Healey, who will illustrate how drovers were responsible for carving an extraordinary network through Britain.

Memorial Hall

1 February 2024

Recycling in West Oxfordshire

with Dr Lydia Arciszewska who will explain how the collection is sorted, where it goes and what happens to the wrong stuff in the wrong bin.

Zoom

9 May 2024
please note date

Gloving in Oxfordshire

with Carol Anderson who will explore the development of glove-making, a major industry in Charlbury which, by the late 19th-century employed thousands across West Oxfordshire.

Memorial Hall

7 December 2023

Felicia Skene of Oxford

with LizWoolley, who will introduce one of Oxford's social reformers and the first woman to be appointed as a prison visitor.

Zoom

7 March 2024

Adventures in Chocolate

with Melanie King, who will share some of the lesser-known myths, legends and strange adventures of chocolate.

Memorial Hall

6 June 2024

Centenary Commemoration

Afternoon Meeting

with Rob Stepney, who will

recount the tragedy that

occurred during

the Beating the Bounds of

Charlbury in May 1924.

The meeting will be preceded by the Charlbury Society AGM.

Memorial Hall

Our Speakers

We are most fortunate this season to have an exceptional list of speakers: historians, writers, and broadcasters, who are specialists in their fields. All of them are based in Oxfordshire and some have previously delivered lectures to the Charlbury Society. We are delighted to welcome them all this season.

Ian Wilkinson is the founder of our local FarmEd, who will give the first talk of the season on his work promoting regenerative agriculture, farming with nature and addressing the climate crisis. www.farm-ed.co.uk

November's talk will be given by Tim Healey, a freelance writer, broadcaster, musician and popular speaker. www.timhealey.co.uk

In December, Liz Woolley, a local historian, writer broadcaster and tour guide will make a return visit to the Society. www.lizwoolley.co.uk

Sean Callery, who is a popular author, guide and speaker, will join us in January, followed in February by Dr Lidia Arciszewska, the WODC Cabinet member for the environment and District Councillor for Freeland and Hanborough.

The March talk will be given by historian, traveller and writer, Melanie King. www.melaniekingbooks.com

Robin Lane Fox will join us in April to talk on a history of gardens in Oxford. Robin is a classicist, historian, actor and the gardening columnist for Financial Times.

The year will end with local historian and researcher, Carol Anderson's talk on gloving in Oxfordshire - the most important of occupations in 19th century Charlbury, as we shall hear.

Membership

Membership of the Society is open to all at £8.50 per person and runs from October to May.

Guests to individual talks are also welcome for £3.00 fee.

Please contact treas.charlsoc@gmail.com

Oxford Guided Walk

In October 2023, we organised and subsidised an Oxford guided walk for our members with a specialist who shared the places where J.R.R.Tolkien and C.S. Lewis lived and worked. It was an enthralling and fact-filled tour and members have asked for similar walks in the future. We plan to arrange another in Spring 2024, so please keep an eye on on the website.