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Our new programme of activities for autumn and winter 2024 is available in the July newsletter for Members and is listed in greater detail in our Events Calendar on this website. This includes coach outings, informal coffee mornings and the first lectures of our winter lecture series in October to December.

Day Visits by coach from Oxford for Members

For more information, see Visits.

Baddesley Clinton, Warwickshire – 8 August

An atmospheric moated medieval manor house given to the National Trust in 1980. The history of the house includes tales of how the priests’ holes sheltered Catholic priests in the 15^th century. 

The bridge over the moat leads via a gatehouse to a pretty courtyard and into the great hall. 

In the gardens there are medieval fishponds, a lakeside walk, a walled garden and an orchard.

Beaulieu Abbey, Gardens and Motor Museum – 24 September

The 800 year old Abbey was founded by King John in the 13th Century before being destroyed on the orders of King Henry VIII in 1538. It is now a conserved ruin in a peaceful setting which visitors can enjoy. 

The world famous motor museum contains 285 vehicles, and there is a veteran London open-topped bus and a monorail to take you around the grounds.

There is something to suit everyone in this day out!

Sheffield Park and Garden, East Sussex – 16 October

The garden is a horticultural work of art, formed through centuries of landscape design, with influences of Capability Brown and Humphrey Repton. The vast collection of trees and large shrubs are planted around 4 lakes to create vistas that enhance the feeling of grandeur. The garden was purchased in 1954 by the National Trust but the house passed into private ownership. It took many years to restore the grounds to their former glory.

Sheffield Wood has a mosaic of different habitats: conifer woods, broadleaf woods, coppice hornbeam, open rides and glades, all vital for wildlife.

Winter Lectures

In our winter series, between October and March, there will be 4 lectures at Magdalen College Auditorium, and 2 lectures available to members via Zoom. Non-members are welcome at our lectures at Magdalen Auditorium.  For more details, see Lectures. 

22 October at Magdalen Auditorium: Sharing stories of caring for our National Trust gardens and plant collections with Pam Smith, Senior National Consultant for Gardens and Parklands at the National Trust

NB  This is a change to the lecture published in our Newsletter.  Professor Whyte will now be talking to us in March.

19 November at Magdalen Auditorium: Histories of Childhood: uncovering new heritage narratives with historians of modern British history, Dr Gillian Lamb and Professor Siân Pooley

9 – 15 December via Zoom link: Saving Country Houses with speaker Ben Cowell, Director General of Historic Houses

Coffee mornings and a lunch

Our informal coffee mornings continue on the last Tuesday of most months from 10.30am to 11.45am at a Café in central Oxford. This is a chance for members and those interested in joining Oxford Centre to make friends and exchange experiences and news. See Events Calendar for details of venues. 

Winter lunch

In January 2024, over 30 members enjoyed lunch at Brown’s Restaurant in Oxford, a welcome chance to meet up after the Christmas and New Year Festivities were over. We plan to arrange another lunch in New Year 2025.

Summer visit to Worcester

It was a fine day for the Oxford Centre’s visit to Worcester on 18 June. Our time was divided between National Trust properties Greyfriars House and Garden and The Commandery with informative guided tours at both. Greyfriars is a medieval timbered merchant’s house, which was saved from demolition in the 1930s and lovingly restored, often with recycled materials, by siblings Elsie and Matley Moore, and handed to the Trust in 1966. The Commandery is most famous for being the Royalist Headquarters during the deciding battle of the English Civil War – the Battle of Worcester 1651 – and includes much memorabilia from this period. Built on the site of an early medieval chapel, The Commandery has also been a monastic hospital, family home, school for the blind, and the location of the Littlebury Printworks, before becoming today’s museum revealing significant stories of the city’s history. A very interesting day enjoyed by all!

The Last Walks?

The last two walks of the season were very different! Our visit to Nuffield Place in May was on a very wet day, with only four of us present. We were due to walk through the woods and along part of the Ridgeway path near Nuffield village, after a briefing about the history of Lady Nuffield’s restored garden. However, the House Manager, Steven, took pity on us and invited us to an indoor tour of the House in the dry, which we enjoyed very much. It was still raining when we had our very interesting guided garden tour with volunteer Gill from under umbrellas! We abandoned any idea of walking beyond the café across the road.

Our June walk was on White Horse Hill near Uffington, when we were much luckier with the weather, as after early rain it cleared and we had sunshine for exploring up the hill with National Trust Ranger Andy who told us fascinating facts about the history, geology, flora and fauna. We were able to go close to the white chalk lines of the horse on the hillside, finding out how they would be cleaned and rechalked at the end of June. At the highest point of Uffington Castle we could see 360 degrees to the horizon in seven counties!

Unfortunately, these were the last walks for our Walking Group, as we regret that Jonathan Anelay has stepped back as the Organiser and Leader after three years of very interesting and enjoyable walks at or near National Trust properties around Oxfordshire. Members of the Walking Group are very grateful to Jonathan for his detailed planning and expert leadership of the walks.  We are looking for a new Leader/Organiser for our walks! 

Our new programme of activities is available in the February newsletter for Members and is listed in greater detail in our Events Calendar on this website. This includes coach outings, informal coffee mornings, guided walks and the last lecture of our winter lecture series on 19 March, which follows our AGM.

Day Visit to Broadway Tower and Snowshill Manor – May 2024

Broadway Tower, the brainchild of Capability Brown, is a folly at the highest point in the Cotswolds with a viewing platform on the roof. From there, it’s a short coach ride to Snowshill Manor (NT), the unconventional home of eccentric Charles Wade, a treasure trove of quirky and curious objects. There’s also an Arts and Crafts garden laid out in a series of outdoor rooms.

Change to the Worcester Visit Itinerary: 18 June 2024

We had planned to include a visit to the Cathedral on this visit to Worcester. However, a special service is being held in Worcester Cathedral on 18 June, and the cathedral is shut to visitors. Sadly we have had to amend the visit to Worcester and miss out on the Cathedral – however we will see it, during the day, from the outside.

The Commandery

As a fascinating alternative we have been able to arrange a visit to the Worcester Commandery, a rather unique building which goes back to around1085. It was founded as an Almshouse and a Hospitality for Pilgrims by the Knights Hospitallers. There are some fascinating medieval paintings and a medieval banqueting hall, to view, from this period of usage, through to the reformation. Later it became a home to the Wylde Family, from the 1540’s and whilst in their hands the HQ for the Royalists in the Battle of Worcester 1651. It went through further changes in the last 200 years which were equally fascinating. You will be guided through the twists and turns of this building, hopefully avoiding the resident Ghost!

There is a small cafeteria where you will be able to get a bite to eat. From here we will walk through the medieval city of Worcester to Greyfriars House (NT), a 15th century timbered merchant’s house, saved from demolition in the 1930s, restored and handed to the Trust in 1966. Here you will have a further guided tour, and an opportunity for a National Trust afternoon tea.

Please note there are some old uneven stairs to climb and descend and uneven floors in the Commandery.

Our Lecture programme

Over the winter months we arrange monthly lectures, some at Magdalen College Auditorium, others via Zoom.

The final lecture of the 2023-24 season will be held in March at Magdalen Auditorium: a lecture by Dr Robert Saunders entitled The Asian Mystery: Benjamin Disraeli and the Poet in Politics. See Lectures page for further details.

Our new programme of activities is available in the November newsletter for Members and is listed in greater detail in our Events Calendar on this website. This includes a coach outing, a lunch at an Oxford restaurant, our winter lecture series, informal coffee mornings, and guided walks.

Visit by coach to Windsor

Our coach outing in February will include a pre-booked visit to Windsor Castle with St George’s Chapel, the burial place of the Queen Elizabeth II and Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and a number of royal weddings including Prince Harry and Prince Charles.

Winter Lecture Series

Our autumn 2023 lectures include a presentation by Patrick Begg, Outdoors and Natural Resources Director for the National Trust outlining how the Trust is facing the impact of climate change; a talk via Zoom by historian Professor Malcolm Airs describing the history and current challenges facing a typical English country estate, Nuneham Courtenay; and an illustrated talk by Anita Bools, NT Senior National Conservator for Paper and Photographs, revealing some of her favourite photos in NT Collections and explaining how they can be conserved.

Lectures January to March 2024 include A History of the National Trust with volunteer David Simmons, via Zoom to members’ homes; a talk by archaeologist Dr Stephen Wass describing The archaeology of Stowe Landscape Garden; and a lecture by Dr Robert Saunders entitled The Asian Mystery: Benjamin Disraeli and the Poet in Politics.

See Lectures page for further details, and Lectures Calendar for dates.

Coffee mornings and a lunch – and walks when the weather is better!

Our informal coffee mornings continue on the last Tuesday of most months from 10.30am to 11.45am at a Café in central Oxford. This is a chance for members and those interested in joining Oxford Centre to make friends and exchange experiences and news. See Events Calendar for details of venues.

Walks

Our walking group enjoys meeting up at a National Trust property within driving distance of Oxford for walks most months from March to October.  It’s another chance to chat to others in the group as well as see some lovely Oxfordshire countryside and take some good exercise! Walks arranged for varying abilities. See our Social Activities page for more.

Winter lunch

In January, over 30 members enjoyed lunch at Brown’s Restaurant in Oxford, a welcome chance to meet up after the Christmas and New Year Festivities were over.

Members are reminded that their annual subscription is due on 1 January 2024, and may be paid by Standing Order arranged with your bank, by Bank Transfer, or by cheque sent to the Treasurer. See our November Newsletter for further details.

At the AGM in March 2023, members voted to increase the annual subscription by £5 for those members who receive our 3 Newsletters each year as a printed and posted mailing, rather than by email. This will help to offset the increasing costs of printing and postage, and will come into effect from 1 January 2024. For members receiving communications by email the annual subscription is £10 (individual) or £15 (joint membership); for those opting to receive Newsletters by post the annual subscription is £15 (individual) or £20 (joint).

Our recent outings by coach from Oxford have included a day trip in September to the National Trust property Tyntesfield, a magnificent Victorian house remodelled in the Gothic Revival style.

In October we visited Batsford Arboretum to catch the autumn colours (it was a little early for changes in many leaves, but we had a sunny day!). Later that day we had a guided tour of Chastleton House, a Jacobean country house full of myths and memories, with a beautifully restored garden.

Our holiday in Chester

Thirty-seven of us ventured out on the holiday to Chester staying at the historic Queen at Chester Hotel where we enjoyed good food and comfortable rooms, mostly named after royalty (especially relatives of Queen Victoria) or well-known figures, such as Charles Dickens and Cecil Rhodes, who had stayed there in the past. One of our group even had the luxury of a four-poster bed!

Our visits took in a wide range of historic periods from the religious upheavals and persecutions of the 16th century (particularly highlighted at Baddesley Clinton, Speke Hall and Coughton Court) to the splendour of 17th-century Dunham Massey house and park, through to the Industrial Revolution with a visit to the cotton mill at Quarry Bank, and on to present-day Liverpool with a visit to Albert Dock and the glorious modern Roman Catholic Cathedral. Some of us also took time out to explore the many attractions of Chester including the Cathedral, the Rows, the city wall, and the zoo.

– Pam Lee

Our new programme of activities is available in the February newsletter for Members and is listed in greater detail in our Events Calendar on this website.

Planned outings to explore heritage sites include a visit to the Roman Baths and Bath in March; an outing in May to explore more Roman sites in the Cotswolds, at Cirencester’s Corinium Museum, and the Roman Villa at Chedworth; and a visit to Delapré Abbey and Parkland near Northampton in June.

We have also arranged a Guided Tour of Oxford Botanic Garden led by its Director, Professor Simon Hiscock and senior colleagues, towards the end of June; and a coach outing to enjoy a drive in the Cotswolds and a cream tea at Dobbies Garden Centre near Cirencester in late July: something for everyone’s taste, we hope!

Popular coffee mornings!

Towards the end of 2022 we started an informal coffee morning for Members on the last Tuesday of each month at the Weston Library café in Broad Street. These have grown in popularity, and we are continuing them into the summer months. Members can drop in for a chat over a cup of tea or coffee and meet friends, new and old, between 10.30 and 11.45am.

For the more energetic….

Our monthly guided walks continue, starting each time from a National Trust venue and exploring local countryside. Options of different length walks are offered, from two miles or less to around 5 miles. It’s often possible to combine the short walk with a visit to the NT property. See the Events Calendar for further details and dates.

AGM for members of Oxford Centre, followed by lecture

Our AGM will be held on Tuesday 21 March in the Auditorium at Magdalen College at 10.45am. Tea and coffee will be served in the foyer from 10.20am.

After the AGM at around 11am there will be the last lecture of the winter season: “Colonial Photographic Collections at the National Trust”. Rebekah Hodgkinson will describe her research into photographic archives and historical records to explore how the National Trust has been shaped by imperialism. This lecture is open to non-members.

Holidays for Members

In April a group of over 30 Members are visiting Plymouth by coach, staying in a city centre hotel. Visits are planned to Kingston Lacey, Buckland Abbey, Cotehele, Saltram and Killerton, all National Trust properties, many reminding us of the Tudor seafaring history of the area.

Plans are now in place for the holiday staying in Chester in October 2023, with visits on outward and return journeys, in this case Coughton Court and Wightwick Manor. During the stay in Chester we hope to see Dunham Massey, Speke Hall and Quarry Bank, as well as spending time in Liverpool at the Cathedrals and seeing parts of historic Chester.

Our new programme of activities is available in the November newsletter for Members and is listed in greater detail in our Events Calendar on this website.

As we approach Christmas, we have social events at which members can meet old friends and make new ones. There’s an Afternoon Tea Party on 22 November at the Cotswold Lodge Hotel with sandwiches, scones and cakes on offer (forget your diet that afternoon!). We’re also introducing monthly informal Coffee Mornings providing an opportunity for members to meet at the Weston Library café for a chat over a cup of tea or coffee from 10.30am on the last Tuesday of the month, starting on 29 November (no December meeting).

The 2022 programme ends on 13 December with a lecture at Magdalen College Auditorium, in which National Trust Conservator Hilary Jarvis describes how the Trust deals with the dangers of pest infestation in its collections.

Into the New Year….

We’re planning a group visit to Evita, performed by Oxford Operatic at Oxford Playhouse, on 26 January, with the option of a pre-theatre supper. And there’ll be informal Coffee Mornings at the Weston Café on 31 January, 28 February and 28 March.

We have organised a couple of lectures via Zoom in January and February for our Members to view in their own homes. The first will be a talk on Preserving Chastleton House, and the February lecture is on Oxford Botanic Garden at 400 with Professor Simon Hiscock, Director of the Botanic Garden.

A visit to the fascinating Roman Baths in Bath is sure to prove a popular outing by coach from Oxford on 14 March, with newly installed interpretative displays, film projections and soundscapes making this a unique experience.

The AGM of Oxford Centre will be held at Magdalen Auditorium on 21 March 2023, followed by a lecture entitled Colonial Photographic Collections at the National Trust.