Uncover the Real Oxford

🧘 Practice mindfulness and notice new details with a Slow Looking family workshop!

This February Half Term, families are invited to explore the MOX galleries in a new way. These calming sessions are designed to help young visitors and their grownups slow down and engage more deeply with our museum objects. After a hands-on introduction to Slow Looking techniques, take what you have learnt into the galleries and discover details, meanings and feelings inspired by our displays.

💭 Mindful MOX: A Slow Looking Workshop
📅 Tuesday 17 February, 11am, 12pm, 1.30pm & 2.30pm
📍 Museum of Oxford, Oxford Town Hall
🎟️ £1.50 per child, includes gallery entry for 1 child + 1 adult
ℹ️ Suitable for ages 5-11

Book online at the #LinkInBio (booking fee applies) or at the museum shop!

#MuseumOfOxford #KidsActivities #Oxford #ThingsToDoWithKids #ThingsToDoInOxford #KidsInMuseums #FamilyFun #FebruaryHalfTerm #SlowLooking #Mindfulness

[Image description: a child looking attentively at an object on a table at the Museum of Oxford. Text reads: “Mindful MOX: A Slow Looking Workshop. Tuesday 17 February, 11.00, 12.00, 13.30, 14.30, £1.50 per child, ages 5-11]

🤔 Do you know the incredible story of Hardit Singh Malik, Oxford’s own flying ace?

Arriving in England aged 14 to attend school, Hardit later studied at Balliol College, Oxford, and played county cricket for Sussex. When he tried to join up to help in the war effort, he was only permitted to drive ambulances at the front – until a former teacher intervened to allow him to join the Royal Flying Corps. He became WW1’s first Indian pilot, and later an important diplomat.

This February half term, we are excited to welcome children’s author @rai_bali to MOX for a storytelling session uncovering stories you may not have heard before – from Hardit’s feats to rebel princesses to WWII muleteers! Learn about diverse contributions to British history and hear hidden voices come to life 📖

📚 Hidden voices of WW1
📅 Monday 16 February, 11am
📍 Museum of Oxford, Oxford Town Hall
🎟️ £5 per child, includes gallery entry for 1 child + 1 adult
ℹ️ Suitable for ages 8+

Book online at the #LinkInBio (booking fee applies) or at the museum shop!

#MuseumOfOxford #KidsActivities #Oxford #ThingsToDoWithKids #ThingsToDoInOxford #KidsInMuseums #FamilyFun #FebruaryHalfTerm

[Image description: the cover illustration for Bali Rai’s novel about Hardit Singh Malik, which depicts Hardit, wearing a Sikh turban, against the backdrop of a blue sky with planes flying by. Text reads: “Hidden Voices of WW1. Monday 16 February, 11.00-12.00, £5 per child, ages 8+"]

Did you know that the University of Oxford used to have two Members of Parliament?

Up until 1950, graduates of the University elected two MPs to stand in the House of Commons.

This meant that, if you graduated from Oxford (or Cambridge, which also had two University MPs), you had twice the number of votes in a General Election as everyone else. What’s more, only people who held MA degrees or Doctorates from the University could stand as the University MPs.

The University of Oxford has held significant economic, political and cultural sway since its foundation. 31 of the UK’s 58 Prime Ministers were educated at the University. In Oxford, the University elected its own city councillors until 1974. It also had its own private police force between 1887 and 2003.

Image: The Election in the Guildhall of Oxford, 14 March, 1688, by Egbert van Heemskerck. On display in Gallery 2 at the Museum.

#LocalHistory #MuseumOfOxford #Oxford #OxfordHistory

[Image description: A painting of a high-ceilinged, wood-panelled room, in which politicians are engaged in a lively and physical debate. One man, dressed in red and standing above the crowd, holds a sheaf of paper and addresses the room. A number of men, his supporters, stand around him, one of whom holds a stick and beats away the crowd below. The crowd below is a mass of bodies, some seated and witnessing the debate, others standing in a physical altercation. One man dabs at his forehead with a handkerchief.]

📢 Our next Lunchtime Talk is fast approaching! Learn about the remarkable story of Oxfordshire-born Charlie Hutchison: the only known Black British man to fight in the Spanish Civil War.

Born in Eynsham in the outskirts of Oxford, Charlie was raised in foster care and then an orphanage. As a young man, he became involved in politics and trade unions and fought against the British Union of Fascists at the 1936 Battle of Cable Street.

Later that year, Charlie enlisted as a volunteer in the Spanish Civil War on the side of the anti-fascist forces. During the Second World War, he served across Britain, the Middle East, and in mainland Europe with a unit delivering life-saving supplies to Nazi concentration camp survivors.

Charlie later started a family and lived the rest of his life in the south of England, rarely talking about his wartime experiences. It is only in recent years that information about his remarkable life has been rediscovered. MOX awarded a Peter McQuitty Bursary to local historian Dan Poole to carry out research on Charlie’s life, and we are excited to welcome Dan back to the museum to hear about his latest findings.

✊ Charlie Hutchison: Life of a Black British anti-fascist
📌 Wed 11 February, 1pm, Museum of Oxford

Tickets are available for £6 online via the #LinkInBio (booking fee applies) or at the Museum Shop. Tickets also include access to our Galleries.

#LunchtimeTalk #FirstWorldWar #WorldWarOne #History #MilitaryHistory #HistoryTalk #WhatsOnOxford #OxfordHistory #Oxford #OxfordshireHistory #Oxfordshire #LocalHistory #Lecture #Museums #MuseumOfOxford

[Image description: details of the title, date, time, and price of the talk. The background is a photo of Charlie Hutchison, smiling and holding a banner alongside other people as part of a march.]