Our latest exhibition , installed from this weekend in the Wychwoods Library in Milton, features historic photographs of women over the years in the Wychwoods.
International Women’s Day
As we mark International Women’s Day on March 8th, it feels fitting to look back at some of the remarkable women who shaped life in the Wychwoods throughout the 20th century.
Their stories are captured in photographs here and in our archives and journals. Wychwoods women also feature strongly in our oral history recordings. Their stories also reveal a community held together by resilience, creativity, and quiet determination.
Wychwoods Women During Wartime
During the interwar years and later in the 1930s and 1940s, local women stepped into roles that transformed both their own lives and the fabric of village society. Some served in the Women’s Land Army, keeping farms productive while men were away.
Others joined the ATS or worked in munitions, cycled miles to volunteer as nurses, or kept households running under the strain of rationing and uncertainty. Their contributions were often unsung, yet they were essential to the survival and spirit of the community.
Women’s Groups and Activities in the Wychwoods
In the decades before and after, women were to be the backbone of village life. The Women’s Institute flourished across the Wychwood parishes, offering not only companionship but also a platform for learning, leadership, and local action.
Photographs from Edwardian times through to the 1970s show groups of women in surprising roles , not only organising fêtes, preserving local crafts and making their voices heard on rural issues, but flying aircraft, working the land and assuming pivotal roles throughout the century.
These images remind us that history is not only shaped by grand events but by the steady, committed efforts of ordinary people. Inspired by International Women’s Day, our exhibition of images celebrates the Wychwood women who helped build and sustain our community.
at Rissington, ‘did their bit’ in World War 2
Wychwoods Women: Oral Histories
Our Audio Files/Oral Histories archive contains many interviews made in the 1980s and 1990s, with women who recall Wychwoods life over eight decades between 1900 and the 1980s. Here are a few samples:
Rose Burson Audio
Rose was one of the interviewees for the Wychwoods Local History Society publication “That’s How It Was”. More about this is here [Opens in new tab]
[ Each of the following links opens in a new tab ]
Dorothy “Dor” Thomson: More Memories
In this set of reminiscences, Dor Thomson recalls many details and anecdotes from her life as child and growing up at Shipton Court. The 2004 WLHS Journal No 19 contains many excerpts from these memoirs, as well as a summary of her life during and after her time at Shipton Court.
Wychwoods Library Opening Hours
Monday : 2 – 7pm
Tuesday : Closed
Wednesday : 9.30am – 1pm and 2 – 5pm
Thursday : Closed
Friday : 2 – 7pm
Saturday : 9.30am – 1pm
Sunday : Closed
