Category: Editorial

Our programme of photograph displays continues in the Wychwoods Library in Milton. We aim to change the theme regularly throughout the year. In doing so, we will be hoping to demonstrate the huge variety and breadth of subjects to be found in our archive.

The Library Display Programme

Here is a record of our 2023/24 programme so far:

Sept 22nd : Ellis Groves Slides
Oct 27th : Transport in the Wychwoods
Dec 8th : Christmas and Pantomimes
Jan 20th : Snow Scenes: “A Winter’s Tale in The Wychwoods”
Mar 9th: “Wriggly Tin” – Corrugated Iron in the Wychwoods
Apr 20th:“Back to School” in the Wychwoods

More subjects coming soon.

When to Visit

Details of the Milton under Wychwood Library opening times are here

Your Thoughts?

We would welcome your feedback and comments – and especially would like to hear from you if you recognise individuals in our photo displays, or have any stories or memories relating to any particular image

Here is an article written to accompany an exhibition of photographs currently on show in the Wychwoods Library in Milton, depicting local examples of corrugated iron.

Corrugated iron, sometimes affectionately referred to as “wriggly tin”, once ruled the world as a cladding material for many kinds of building: housing, factories, workshops, schools, churches, chapels, barns, and all types of farm buildings. Its ease of use, durability, and speed of construction were all factors in its success all over the globe.

It is not surprising to find that there were many interesting examples of buildings in corrugated iron across the Wychwoods, though most have now disappeared.

Our Wychwoods Library exhibition celebrates some fascinating examples of this versatile building material in use.

When to Visit

Details of the Wychwoods Library in Milton opening times are here

Among the many photographs scanned by the Society photo scanning group, was a picture of a village outing, for which no information was (or could be) supplied at the time of the scan.

We noticed that there is a similar image which Burford Tolsey Museum and Archive posted on Facebook, but also with no information about its subject matter!

We felt it should be identifiable from that distinctive bit of architecture in the background, but we could not relate it to anything local that we knew.

However, with the aid of Google Lens we were able to identify the location of this photo as ….. Windsor Castle!

Here is another photo which shows the lodge and the distinctive brick wall also visible in the photograph. 

So, we know that our photo was taken just beside Datchet Gate Lodge, close to Windsor and Eton Riverside railway station. The lodge was built circa 1820-30, and is grade II listed.

Our investigations showed that outings to Windsor Castle were popular in the Edwardian period. There were also the annual Royal Windsor flower shows, started in 1892, which meant that some parts of the castle grounds were opened up, and which may have been a cause of many outings.

Though we still have no details of this group, or indeed have not researched into any of the names, it is to be hoped that one day we will know more. However, the use of AI and image recognition technology is likely to be of growing help to us in the near future.

To complement our latest photo-sampler exhibition in the The Wychwoods Library in Milton, here we revisit a few recent and historic weather events courtesy of WLHS members and other contributors locally.

Shipton in the Snow

From around 2am on Dec 10th 2017, around 6 inches of snow had fallen with temperatures around freezing. Trees heavily loaded with snow brought powerlines down resulting in no electricity for most of the village and some neighbouring areas.

More of Hamish’s Shipton images are here .

Revelations in the Snow

In Jim Pearse’s article ( here), he explains the abandoned benefits of the old ridge and furrow system. The width of modern machinery – drills, sprayers and combines – causes difficulties on ridge and furrowed land. They hit the ridges too hard and miss the furrows. Jim tells us this is the main reason for the modern levelling of these fields.

But ridge and furrow has an advantage on grassland since, after prolonged heavy rain, a flat field will be waterlogged whilst furrows channel away all the excess water allowing the ridges to dry more rapidly. We witness the effects in recent years, and this year included, of prolonged rain on fields locally.

Another Discovery

Here [ Link ] was another contribution from local resident Ian Sanders. Again, the arrival of a dusting of snow can reveal hitherto invisible lines in the landscape.

On Sunday 24th January 2021 the snow came, transforming the landscape, and revealed a watercourse running across the field to the left of the Evenlode as you look northwards from the bridge.

Ian tells us that if we compare this to the 1830 map of the area, we see that the river did not run straight to the bridge as now, but meandered across this field in very much the same pattern as the watercourse that shows up in this snowy scene. 

If this watercourse is in fact the old course of the river, then it confirms the accuracy of the 1830 map.

Weather Related Features – The Wychwood Magazine

Readers of The Wychwood magazine are regularly updated by the weather reports of local meteorological expert John Miskin. Examples of his reports can be found here, and here.

In his 2018 article “Let’s Talk About the Weather” , John mentions particularly the winter of 1981/2. This winter features also in a couple of the images in our January 2024 library display.

John tells us that 1981/2 was particularly hit by snow, when over 40cm of snow fell in December and January. It was on the night of the 12/13th January 1982 that he recorded the lowest temperature of -20.7°C (-5.2°F). In fact, it is possible that the temperature could have been as low as -22°C in the frost hollow 450 metres on the Ascott Road heading away from Shipton.

The maximum temperature on the 13th was only -9.8°C (14.3°F) after a particularly heavy snowfall and under clear skies.

Here are some images of winter 1982 in and around Shipton from John’s collection

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.. and finally, for now…

The society was pleased to take up the invitation from the management of Tall Trees care home to give a local history talk for their Coffee Day on August 30th.

Society secretary John Bennett took up the offer. He prepared an informative but light-touch journey through the history of five individual Shipton landmarks, to an audience of residents and family visitors.

His presentation was well received, with plenty of interactive questions and comments from the group. At least one audience member was eager to claim connections with the Reade family of Shipton Court, and others took pleasure in recognising faces from images in John’s carefully-selected set of photographs. There was certainly no shortage of instant and positive feedback!

It was a delight to meet Lil Harmer and staff, whose commitment to the day was clear in the provision of a fine spread of cakes, fruit and copious cups of tea – creating a friendly and sociable occasion for all.

Margaret was born in London in 1933. She gained a first class degree in Botany at Kings College, London and then did postgraduate research into plant biochemistry leading to a PhD in 1962.

She had a keen interest in social justice and current affairs and in 1957 she joined the Liberal party and became chair of the Dulwich Young Liberals. It was through this political interest that she met Frank Ware, whom she married in 1959.

Margaret and Frank rented in London for a couple of years, where Margaret taught, first in a grammar school and then in a technical college, but then they moved to Oxfordshire – first to Milton-under-Wychwood and then to Shipton-under-Wychwood – where Frank stood as a Liberal candidate at the 1964 general election. Margaret gave up work to support his political ambitions, and, when these were cut short, she continued to support him while he pursued an increasingly stressful and demanding career in tax and finance.

In 1965 Margaret gave birth to twins, Fiona and Alison. When they reached the age of eight, she began a 17-year voluntary career in local government – first on Shipton-under-Wychwood Parish Council, and then as an independent councillor on West Oxfordshire District Council, where she became chairman of the Recreation committee, vice-chairman of a Planning sub-committee and also served for one year as vice-chair of the entire council. For ten years she was also a governor of Burford School, which her daughters attended.

Margaret co-founded the Wychwoods Playgroup with a group of local mothers and she was instrumental in raising funds for and ensuring the building of a swimming pool at the Wychwoods primary school.

In 1981 Margaret co-founded the Wychwoods Local History Society, and subsequently edited its journal. She and Frank organised many field walks over several years, which many members of the local villages took part in. Notable finds were prehistoric flint arrowheads, medieval pottery and even fragments from a WW2 crashed aircraft.

Margaret was a member of the Shipton WI and enjoyed performing on stage in some of their pantomimes in the 90’s and early 2000’s. In one performance of a Spice Girls skit, she was Scary Spice dressed in tight fitting leopard skin leggings, and her mother, who was nearing 100 herself at the time, was not amused when shown the costume beforehand, saying, in a horrified tone, ‘You’re not going to go on stage wearing that, are you?’

Between them, Margaret and Frank also contributed significantly to the fundraising efforts for the building of the New Beaconsfield Village Hall.

Margaret and Frank shared a lifelong interest in archaeology and beginning in 1976 she was the District Council’s representative on the Oxford Archaeology Unit’s governing body. In 1992, they both began studying archaeology at Oxford University Department for Continuing Education, eventually being awarded the Oxford Diploma in Archaeology. From 1996 to 2005 Margaret served as chair of the trustees of Oxford Archaeology Unit, which by this time had become one of the three leading professional archaeological businesses in the country with a growing international reputation.

After the death of Margaret’s mother in 2005, Margaret and Frank moved to Leominster to begin a new chapter in their lives, and again got involved with the local community, joining the U3A and many interest groups.

In 2015 she became seriously ill and spent the next nine months on kidney dialysis three times a week. Remarkably, she recovered sufficiently to not need the dialysis and even to regain most of her former physical strength.

Margaret and Frank celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in February 2019.Then Frank had a stroke in the April and passed away after only a couple of days in hospital.

On 24th June 2023 – four days before her actual birthday – Margaret threw a 90th birthday party for all her friends in Leominster. She had a heart attack on Sunday morning, 2nd July, and was admitted to hospital. She died just six days after her 90th birthday. She is survived by her two daughters, Fiona and Alison, and by four grandchildren, William, Stuart, Becky and Silvia.

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Read Margaret’s artice on the society’s first 21 years here