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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

On this day in 1890, a 12 year old William Morris, future founder of Morris Motors Ltd and the Nuffield Trust, was placed in Standard III at Cowley National School. According to this Cowley National School log book, this was in part because ‘He has attended school very irregularly’.

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Colin was worried he’d eaten too many ice creams over the summer so he decided to jump on the office scales. We've been using the scales to weigh our archive boxes and then mark them up with 'Heavy' or 'Very Heavy' stickers... Colin insisted we didn't publicise which sticker he needed.

Our Deputy Operations Manager, Colin the capybara sat on the office scales with 'Danger Heavy Box' and 'Very Heavy Box' stickers.

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

This coming weekend is Oxford's big Open Doors weekend 🎉 On Saturday (12th) from 11am-3pm come along to the Museum of Oxford to view some of the thousands of building plans of Oxford dating from the 1880s-1930s. Your house may even be one of them... Be there or be square (like a building plan).

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

We have recently welcomed Daniel Williams as our new History Service Manager. Daniel has joined us from Buckinghamshire Archives, where he has been County and Diocesan Archivist for the past 6 years. He is looking forward to working with the History Centre Team, local residents and organisations.

Daniel looking at records in the search room at Oxfordshire History Centre.

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Our Conservator and a volunteer have been doing paper repairs on this long map from Crowdy & Rose, solicitors of Faringdon The tears are repaired with Japanese tissues and wheat starch paste. Weights are then placed on each repair until the tissue has dried A grand total of 29 weights were needed!

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

It’s National Dog Day so obviously we're using it as an excuse to post a picture of a cute puppy... Of course it has to be a puppy from Oxfordshire in the olden days, so here we are, from 1935. Swoon away.

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

This year is the 200th anniversary of the Warneford Hospital, a mental health hospital in Oxford This new online exhibition about it's history, compiled by Oxfordshire Health Archives showcases some of their fascinating records held here at the History Centre sway.cloud.microsoft/EhoSAEX9Jd56...

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A celebration of 200 years of mental health provision at the Warneford Hospital in Oxfordshire

The Warneford Hospital has been providing mental health care to the people of Oxfordshire (and beyond) for 200 years 1826 - 2026, and is still in operation today

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Happy Friday!! 🎉 Popping down to your local chippy this evening? We love this photo taken in the 1920s of a delivery boy with his bicycle and basket containing fried fish from G.W. Townsend of Witney. #FishandChips #HappyFriday

A delivery boy stood next to his bicycle with a basket at the front containing fried fish for delivery from G.W. Townsend of Witney.

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Meet Colin the Capybara, our Deputy Operations Manager who can often be found watching over our search room. He keeps an eye out for anyone bringing in illegal pens, bags or food and drink 👀 Next time you visit us, look up and give him a wave!

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

If you're at a loose end over the summer, why not visit the 'Timeless Tales' folklore exhibition at the Oxfordshire Museum Look out for a couple of records from our collections including this 1687 petition of Joane Walker of Bicester stating she isn't a witch... On until 6th September and FREE!

The poster of the Timeless Tales exhibition at the Oxfordshire Museum in Woodstock which highlights it's opening dates of 18th July until 6th September and that the entry is free.

The 1687 petition of Joane Walker of Bicester insisting she isn't a witch.

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

It's box delivery day 🎉 Over 400 new archive boxes were delivered this morning and squirreled away by a big team-effort into nooks and crannies in our strongrooms and box store, all just in time before our first visitors arrived at 9:30am.

Boxes tucked into a small space next to some shelves in one of our strongrooms.

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

On this day in 1937 the foundation stone of St Luke’s, Cowley (our home!) was laid. St Luke’s church closed in 1993 due to declining congregations, but was offered to the County Council and converted into Oxfordshire Record Office in 2000. It later became Oxfordshire History Centre in 2011.

The foundation stone being laid at a ceremony in 1937 surrounded by dignitaries and a crows watching.

The inside of St Luke's when it was used as a church showing the pews and alter.

The inside of St Luke's today which is now our search room.

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

We herd that it’s Cow Appreciation Day... So we thought we'd share this delightful recipe book containing cures for cows from Ascott dated 1778-1813 Not sure how much the cows would have appreciated the Mercurial Ointment however, despite the inclusion of brandy...

The front page of the recipe book with the title 'A book of Valueable Receipt for Cows May 1778, R.Parrott, Astcott, Feb 8 1813'.

Two inside pages of the recipe book containing descriptions of remedies and their ingredients for treating illnesses and diseases in cows.

A recipe for Mercurial Ointment containing brandy, marshmallow ointment, tobacco ointment and mercury sublimate.

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

We have a fab new volunteer who has started on a repackaging project of Oxford Method slides. The Oxford Method was a revolutionary way of designing and building new hospitals which was pioneered in Oxford in the 1960s. She has already reorganised the slides for us, next task.. repackaging!

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Reposted by Oxfordshire History Centre

University of Oxford @ox.ac.uk · 25/06/2026

THEN vs NOW: Magdalen Street East looking towards the Taylorian 📚 📷 | @oxhistcentre.bsky.social

Side-by-side comparison of the corner of Magdalen Street East in Oxford. The top image, dated 1967, is a black-and-white photograph showing the neoclassical Taylor Institution building with quiet streets and little traffic. The bottom image, taken in 2025 from a similar viewpoint, shows the same building in colour, with trees, bicycles, pedestrians and modern vehicles around the busy junction. The building's distinctive columns and façade remain largely unchanged between the two images.

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

This hot weather calls for one thing… ice cream! Like these children in the suburbs of Oxford in August 1931 eating ice cream delivered by Howlett's van, we hope to be doing the same thing later today too.

Three boys eating ice cream next to Howletts' van which is parked in front of a house with an adult looking over the gate. Two other children are stood by the gate and a children's scooter has been abandoned on the road. A man in a white coat is also stood on the road with a tray.

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

Since it's now #WorldCup season, we had to share this lovely informal team portrait from 1980 of England’s legendary 1966 World Cup captain, Bobby Moore and his team when he was manager of Oxford City Football Club from 1980-1981 ⚽

Oxford City Football Club team portrait in the changing room with manager Bobby Moore

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

Yesterday we said goodbye to our Service Manager, Mark Priddey who has retired after 38 years at OHC. He joined as an Archivist in 1987 and his contribution to the service has been invaluable. His kindness, knowledge and expertise will be greatly missed Mark, we wish you a long and happy retirement

Mark Priddey in front of the search room shelves

A 'Happy Retirement' banner and balloons in Mark's office

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

On this day in 1864, the Maharajah’s Well at Stoke Row was officially opened The well was a gift paid for by an Indian prince, the Maharajah of Benares, after he was moved by a story about a drought in Ipsden The well, with its gilded elephant, took a year to build and was in use for over 70 years

A close up shot of the well's gilded elephant.

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

One of the more unusual crimes found in our Quarter Sessions collections... ‘Stealing Hair'... Human hair? Horse Hair? So many questions.

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

It's World Bee Day 🐝 This is Eliza (Queenie) Massey c.1890 who was a bee keeper and lacemaker in Juniper Hill. She was the inspiration for Flora Thompson's character 'Queenie' in Lark Rise to Candleford. In her stories Flora brought to life beekeeping folklore which she had remembered from Eliza.

A portrait photograph of Eliza (Queenie) Massey seated and holding a book.

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Curious about the history of your house? Maybe you want to know when it was built or who lived there in the past? Whether your house is modern or much older, there is plenty to find out with our helpful guide: www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/residents/mu...

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Want to learn more about the history of Thame? Come along to Oxfordshire Local History Association’s Study Day on Saturday 16th May 10am-4pm. Enjoy illustrated talks and guided walks exploring this thriving market town's rich history. Book your place here! olha.org.uk/events/study...

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

We hold a variety of Oxfordshire #BusinessArchives searchable on our online catalogue: heritagesearch.oxfordshire.gov.uk/collections/... One of these collections is the famous car manufacturer Morris Garages Ltd. We love these photos of the workshops based (near us!) in Oxford's Cowley c.1920-30s

The inside of a Morris Motors workshop including wheel mechanisms being lifted by a man operating a hoist.

The inside of a Morris Motors workshop showing car bodies and the workers facing the camera.

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

This is one reason why it’s best not to keep your records in a loft or outbuildings... bird poo. Your archivist will be grateful.

The cover of a folder of papers with bird droppings on it!

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

Our Conservator has recently hidden 12 ‘Tinytag’ data loggers in our strongrooms and inside boxes. They record temperature and relative humidity, data which is then used to inform changes to the environment to help protect the collections. Each Tinytag also needs a name! Any ideas? #ArchiveStorage

A small yellow Tinytag sitting on a box on a shelf in one of our strongrooms

A Tinytag hidden on a shelf in a rolling stack in our strongroom

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

It's April which means it's #Archive30! For today’s #SportArchives we love this football team photograph of women workers in Banbury from 1917 Female munitions factory workers during WW1 were encouraged to take part in sports to improve their health in the midst of long hours and hard work

Football team of ten women workers in Banbury

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

The clocks go forward this Sunday. One of the more unusual tasks for one of our archivists is adjusting the two on our tower. It involves climbing several flights of stairs and a ladder - fortunately, the others in our building require much less effort!

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

Spotted outside our conservation studio! Not one of our regulars… but to be fair to Mr/Ms Fox our website does say we have a café selling a small selection of hot and cold drinks. #EYAWildlife

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

A reminder that this vacancy is closing on Monday. Please forward to anyone who might be interested!

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

Was your ancestor a criminal?! We’ve recently added an Oxfordshire Quarter Sessions name index for 1687-1830 to Heritage Search (not including Oxford City). One of the Quarter Sessions' roles was to deal with criminal cases including theft and assault. heritagesearch.oxfordshire.gov.uk/indexes/qs

Screenshot of the new Oxfordshire Quarter Sessions name index

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

Just a little reminder that this exhibition starts today at the Westgate Library in Oxford

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Reposted by Oxfordshire History Centre

Royal Berkshire Archives @berksarchives.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

We have a mystery we hope someone can solve! 🕵 Does this building look familiar to you? We believe it could be somewhere in North Berkshire or maybe even Oxfordshire. Let us know in the comments if you recognise it!

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

This is Felicia Skene (1821-1899), a pioneer social worker who supported Oxford's homeless and women fleeing sex work. She became the first female visitor allowed into prisons in England and advocated for prisons to be places of reform instead of punishment. #IWD2026 #GiveToGain

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

We are hiring! 🎉 We are seeking to appoint to our History Service Manager role on a permanent basis following an upcoming retirement. For further details, please see the following link: careers.oxfordshire.gov.uk/jobs/job/His... Closing date: Monday 23rd March Interview date: Friday 1st May

careers.oxfordshire.gov.uk

History Service Manager | 23 March, 2026 | Jobs and careers with Oxfordshire County Council

Jobs and careers with Oxfordshire County Council - About Us Oxfordshire History Service is responsible for archive and local studies provision for the county of Oxfordshire. The service collects, pres...

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

This fascinating (and free!) exhibition commemorating the men from South Oxford who died in WW2 will be at the Westgate Library, Oxford from 12-30th March It builds on last year’s popular exhibition '24 Men of Grandpont and Cold Harbour 1939-45' by including new research on the men from New Hinksey

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

This is Robert Boyle (1627-1691), an Anglo-Irish chemist and one of the historical figures highlighted this year as part of LGBT+ History Month which is celebrating LGBT+ people in Science and Innovation. He lived and worked in Oxford for 13 years and was a founder of modern chemistry #LGBTplusHM

The plaque commemorating the residence of Robert Boyle at University College, Oxford

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

On this day in February 1793, a John Price and Hannah Fowler were married in a Quaker ceremony in Chipping Norton. The marriage certificate contains a whopping 68 signatures of persons witnessing the marriage!

The marriage certificate of John Price and Hannah Fowler

A zoomed in section of the marriage certificate which shows the names of the 68 witnesses

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

Today the 2026 Winter Olympics begins! ⛷️🏂 This team portrait of Oxford University Ice Hockey Club was taken at Oxford Ice Skating Rink, Botley Road c. 1930-1934. The ice rink opened in November 1930, but the building later became a cinema, war evacuee hostel and a Frank Cooper Ltd marmalade factory

Team group portrait of Oxford University Ice Hockey Club taken at Oxford Ice Skating Rink

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

Our 2026 stocktake is already a week in. Wonder what we're up to? So far we’ve had a box delivery, taken over the search room with various projects, completed Incident Plan and Collections Handling refresher training, tidied the strongrooms, re-boxed Estate collections and had many meetings! Phew!

New boxes piled high in the search room during our box delivery

Plans laid out in the conservation studio

Our search room desks taken over with various collections projects

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

It's #NationalHugDay This photo in the 9th Feb 1916 Oxford Journal Illustrated shows Private Scanes of Witney with the Canadian Force's pet bear 'Winnie'. She was named after her owner's hometown, Winnipeg and later lived at London Zoo where she became the inspiration for AA Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh

Private Scanes of Witney being hugged around the leg by 'Winnie' the black bear cub

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

A special exhibition has launched this week at the Museum of Oxford as part of a programme of events to commemorate 200 years of Warneford Hospital. This free exhibition explores how mental health care has evolved in Oxfordshire over two centuries. Find the project's website here: warneford200.co.uk

Poster for the exhibition providing details, including that it is held in the 'Old Cloakroom' at the Museum of Oxford and entrance is free. The exhibition runs until 21st March 2026.

Display cabinet at the exhibition including a copy of the Royal Charter of the 'Warneford Lunatic Asylum' dated 28th April 1849

An engraving of the 'Radcliffe Asylum' as it was known when it was opened in 1826 on Headington Hill

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 14/01/2026

Skaters on Pool Meadow, Chipping Norton 100 years ago in January 1926. Originally a medieval pond built to supply Chipping Norton castle with fresh fish, Pool Meadow later became a swimming pool and ice rink from the Victorian era until the late 1940s. That broom... snow sweeping or ice hockey?!

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

ANNUAL STOCKTAKING CLOSURE Oxfordshire History Centre will close to visitors at 4.30pm on Thursday 22nd January and will re-open at 9.30am on Tuesday 10th February. Our remote enquiry service will continue as usual during this fortnight.

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

It's National Balloon Ascension Day This balloon flight in 1984 from Christ Church Meadow marked the 200th anniversary of James Sadler's balloon ascent on 4th October 1784, a pastry chef in Oxford who became the second person in England to do a balloon ascent. Let's hope his doughs rose well too.

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

Happy New Year followers! Snowy St Luke’s this morning. We are open to visitors today but please take care when travelling.

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 18/12/2025

On #ArchiveAdventCalendar we're up to #ArchiveElves – and we’ve had a couple of seasonal assistants ‘helping’ us with document productions from the strongrooms this month..!

An elf collecting document request slips

An elf searching for a book in the strongroom

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

As part of Cowley Christmas Festival, 5 mini #Christmas trees are travelling around community spaces in Oxford's #Cowley. Here is Cowley Library delivering our one yesterday, and tomorrow it will move onto #Oxford City Farm. St James Church's carol service on Sunday will be their final destination!

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

Christmas and New Year Closure Dates! 🎄🎁 The History Centre will close at 4.30pm on Wednesday 24 December. We will re-open at 9.30am on Saturday 3 January.

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Oxfordshire History Centre @oxhistcentre.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

Instead of the usual snowy scenes and robins on #ChristmasCards, how about a cat dressed as a postman? Or beach scenes and donkey rides? And why not a cat framed by a lucky horseshoe?... ...some of our more unusual examples c. late 19th - early 20th century kept by the Herring family of Blackthorn

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