OCNT
Our speaker is Jenny Mailin, who has researched 5 generations of ancestors who lived in British Raj India. Her talk covers the early introduction of the railways in India, and demonstrates how nowhere other than India has the railway been so indelibly connected with a nation. Jenny is an experienced and engaging speaker, who has […]
Ashdown House has been called “a house built for the love of a woman who never lived to see it”. That woman was Elizabeth of Bohemia, the Winter Queen, sister of King Charles I. In this talk historian Nicola Cornick explores the influences this remarkable woman had over this equally remarkable building and its history. […]
Local historian Liz Wooley is interested in the everyday lives of rural people across Oxfordshire during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Her illustrated talk tells the story of our county’s child workers, many of whom started work part-time at the age of six or seven and, until the compulsory school legislation of the 1870s, left […]
This trip includes a visit to Shakespeare’s birthplace – the house owned and lived in by his father John until his death in 1601, and retained by the Shakespeare family through to 1806. There will then be a walking tour, approx. 2 miles long, led by a Blue Badge Guide, along the ‘historic spine’ of […]
Annual General Meeting at 10.45am. Lecture at 11am. Author and ecologist Hugh Warwick has spent much of his life working on hedgehogs, but he also has a fascination for wider wildlife issues, in particular the fragmentation of our landscape and how that impacts on the ability of wildlife to thrive. Hedgerows, drystone walls, railways and […]
The Vyne is a red brick Tudor mansion built in the 16th century by William Sandys, Henry VIII’s Lord Chamberlain. The Chute family then lived there for 300 years. It retains many historic features including a pre-Reformation chapel, Tudor oak gallery with 16th century woodcarving and neo-Classical hall. The Estate’s tapestries will be back on […]
Two walks on the Sherborne Estate, preceded by an introduction to the estate from the Facilities Manager of the National Trust's Cotswolds Countryside Portfolio. Sherborne is a working estate with an abundance of wildlife. The morning walk will be around 2.5 miles, with a return to Sherborne village tea room for lunch. In the afternoon, […]
In 2019, Leonardslee Lakes & Gardens opened its doors after a closure of 10 years. Nearly lost forever, this magnificent Grade 1 listed garden has seen the largest garden restoration in England, possibly Europe. In April, highlights should include rhododendrons, azaleas, and camellias together with magnolias and bluebells. The different colours reflected in the lakes […]
Longer and shorter walks in the vicinity of Nuffield Place, former home of Lord Nuffield, founder of the Morris Motor Company, at a time when the bluebells should be out. Refreshment stops will be included as appropriate. Participants must arrange their own transport, although lifts may be available on enquiry. For information on joining one […]
Longer and shorter walks from Brill which will take in Boarstall Tower and Duck Decoy (NT), both of which we hope to visit. Boarstall Tower is a 14th-century moated gatehouse set in beautiful gardens, retaining its original fortified appearance. The Duck Decoy is one of the last remaining decoys in the country, a fascinating insight […]
Lacock Abbey was founded in 1232 as an Augustinian nunnery. It was converted in 1539 to a large country house, retaining the 13th century cloisters. The Great Hall is an early example of Gothic Revival architecture, and there is a well-preserved 16th century brew-house and bakehouse in the Tudor courtyard. There are wooded gardens with […]
It’s a real pleasure to offer a tour of the lovely gardens of Green Templeton College - the College with the Radcliffe Observatory as its centrepiece, next to the old Radcliffe Infirmary on the Woodstock Road. The tour will be conducted by the Head Gardener Michael Pirie, and will be followed by a full afternoon […]
We will have shorter and longer group walks on the wooded Hughenden Estate, much loved home of Victorian Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, set in an unspoiled Chiltern valley with views of ancient woods and rolling hills. Our walks are planned to take in some woodland to which the public is not generally given access. The […]
William Morris’s beautiful country home Kelmscott Manor reopens this year after a major 30- month, £6m conservation and refurbishment project (NB it is not National Trust). On display is an outstanding collection of possessions and works of Morris, as well as his family and associates. Tea, coffee and homemade biscuits will be served in the […]
It’s hoped that we can visit the Old Courthouse, Long Crendon (NT), a superb example of a 14th century courthouse with a wealth of local history. It was the second building acquired by the National Trust in 1900. Longer and shorter walks will be organised for our group of walkers, with suitable stops for refreshment... (click title for more)
Longer and shorter walks will be organised for our group from Chastleton House, near Moreton-in-Marsh. Chastleton is considered one of the finest, perfectly proportioned country houses of the early 17th century... (click title for more)
A great opportunity to discover the magnificence of this former royal residence, once home to the flamboyant King Henry VIII. You can marvel at the two distinct and contrasting Tudor and Baroque architectural styles and... (click title for more)
This rural estate managed by the National Trust lies on the West Oxfordshire border, comprising two very English villages and 11 traditionally farmed estates spanning 7,000 acres. We’ll arrive in time for... (click title for more)
Taking place at Magdalen College Auditorium, 11am. Non-members welcome! This introduction to paintings conservation at the National Trust will be given by Rebecca Hellen, Specialist Advisor for Paintings at the National Trust, who will describe the Trust’s new in-house studio... (click title for more)
With the days getting shorter, and autumn colours fading, what better time to visit this magnificent, recently restored stately home. Owned and developed by the wealthy Verney family from 1435... (click title for more)