St Frideswide’s grave slab
Featuring a carved face with concentric circles below, radiating from a central diamond, this slab dates to Anglo-Saxon times. It was found at Christ Church Cathedral during restorations in 1869. It is believed to be the grave marker of St Frideswide, who is the patron saint of Oxford. In her own time, St Frideswide was a princess was also abbess of the abbey on which Christ Church is built. You can find out more about Oxford’s patron saint on our Museum blog.
Model of a rickshaw
Mr J Khan moved from Wesa, Atuk in Pakistan to the UK in the 1940s. His son, Mr S Khan, began working as a youth worker and became a part-time taxi driver as soon as he could. He and Mr N Mohamed could see a need to offer work to people in their community. This led them to set up Royal Cars together. Starting the company wasn’t easy. Early on, their car was attacked and their phone lines were cut. Their perseverance has led to Royal Cars being Oxford’s biggest taxi company, proud of its multi-faith workforce. This beautifully decorated item reminds the Khan family of their roots in Pakistan.
Captain Scott’s marmalade
Locally made Frank Cooper’s marmalade and fruit preserves were part of Captain Falcon Scott’s rations for his doomed attempt to be the first person to reach the South Pole in 1910. None of the expedition party survived, but this tin was found in Antarctica and returned to Oxford. Private expeditions required large amounts of money and support. Often companies like Frank Cooper’s donated products free of charge.
The story of Frank Cooper’s marmalade begins with Sarah-Jane Cooper, who was Frank Cooper’s wife. In 1874, Sarah used a surplus of Seville oranges to make marmalade according to her own recipe and sold it out of the Cooper family’s grocery shop on the High Street. The marmalade was made at 83-84 High Street until 1903, until production was moved to purpose-built factory premises on Park End Street in 1903. There is now an Oxfordshire Blue Plaque over 84 High Street, recognising Sarah Cooper for her creation of Frank Coopers Marmalade.
Model of a 1933 Morris 10 car
William Morris, Lord Nuffield, founded the car industry in Oxford. He started as a bicycle-maker, but built his first car, the Bullnose Morris, in 1912. He moved his business to Cowley the following year, where he produced almost four hundred cars in 1913. This figure had risen to over 96,000 per year by 1934.
In the 1920s and ’30s thousands of people moved to Oxford to work in the booming car industry, particularly from former mining areas in South Wales, Yorkshire and Derbyshire. Many found homes in the newly-built Florence Park estate.
This model on display at the Museum is of a Morris 10 car. Released in 1933, The Morris 10 model would go through several variations, including the Morris 10/4, Morris 10/6 and Morris 10 Series M. It was replaced in 1948 by the Morris Oxford Series MO.
Cutteslowe Wall metal spikes
The notorious Cutteslowe Walls separated the Cutteslowe council estate from middle-class homes. Constructed in 1934 by the privately-owned Urban Housing Company, these intimidating, nine feet (2.7 metres) high walls were topped with revolving metal spikes. They formed a barrier between Carlton and Wolsey Roads, and between Wentworth and Aldrich Roads. Despite many protests and several attempts to remove the walls, they were not demolished until 1959, after the City Council bought the strips of land on which they had been erected.
The walls made travelling a practical nuisance; it was difficult for people to get from place to place. Maps were drawn up to show how much longer it took council estate residents to get to school, work and public transport. In 1937 a proposed access road through the private estate failed to gain approval. Some people from both sides wanted the walls removed, but in debates and court cases those living on the council estate were often referred to as “others” or “slum dwellers”.
The walls were finally demolished on 9 March, 1959.
Alice Liddell’s Red Cross medal
Mathematics lecturer Charles Dodgson (better known as Lewis Carroll) took young Alice Liddell and her sisters on outings and picnics along the River Thames in the 1850s and ’60s. The stories he told them became the childhood classics Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.
Having inspired the children’s books, Alice Liddell went on to lead an interesting life. She was awarded this Red Cross medal for her impressive voluntary efforts during the First World War. She supported many charitable causes, and was the first president of Emery Down and Bank Women’s Institute in Hampshire as well as her local Red Cross branch.
Civil War gorget
Found by Matt Armitage.
“I found this … in the River Thames at Godstow in north-west Oxford. I contacted the Royal Armoury at the Tower of London and sent them a drawing. They identified it as a piece of Civil War armour – a gorget, worn around the throat. They said that it was very rare and dated it to around 1643. They told me to look out for the dent where the manufacturer of the armour tested it by shooting it with a musket.”
During the English Civil War, Oxford became King Charles I’s adopted capital. A number of battles between the Royalists and Parliamentarians took place in and around the city during Civil War years, which explains how this gorget may have ended up in the River Thames. Eventually, Charles lost the battle over Oxford to Cromwell; the Parliamentarians won control of the city on their third attempt in 1646.
Oxford United shirt
Signed by former players at Oxford United Football Club, this is a replica of a shirt worn by players in the 1960s, when the club was still known as Headington United.
Headington F.C. was founded in 1893, making the club over 130 years old. The club took its current name in 1960, and began to compete in professional football for the first time in 1962 after winning the Southern Football League. The club celebrated its first major victory in 1986 when it won the Football League in the Milk Cup final. In 2024, after a 25 year absence from second tier English football, Oxford United were promoted to the Championship after winning in a 2-0 victory against Bolton Wanderers.
Penicillin culture vessel
This is one of the specially made culture vessels in which the fungus Penicillium Notatum was grown in Oxford. In 1940, Howard Florey and his team in Oxford carried out a crucial experiment on eight mice infected with lethal bacteria. The mice treated with penicillin survived. This life-saving antibiotic has saved countless numbers of people across the world, revolutionising how infections are treated.
Oxford is renowned as a city of innovation, with its citizens doing much to change the world. In 1784, pastry chef James Sadler was the first English person to fly a hot-air balloon. The charity Oxfam was founded in the city as the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief in response to famine in Greece during the Second World War. The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine used against COVID-19 was developed in 2020 by Oxford University and pharmaceutical company Astra-Zeneca.
Annabelinda two-piece suit
Annabelinda was an Oxford boutique and fashion label whose shop was on Gloucester Green from 1971 to 2012.
Annabelinda’s dresses were featured in glossy fashion magazines like Vogue, and were worn by actors and famous personalities including Judi Dench and Prunella Scales.
The detailing and quality of the hand-finishing make its bespoke designs highly sought after by vintage fashion fans today. This silk skirt and jacket, worn by Belinda O’Hanlon to the Oxford Film Society’s premier of Hugh Grant’s first film, Privileged, is a stunning example of Annabelinda’s fine work. It was made by hand, with piping around the edges and sculpting in patterns of lines. You can find out more about Annabelinda on our Museum blog.
