This blog will explore the stories of objects and themes in the collection, give you behind-the-scenes insights into what staff and volunteers get up to, and delve into the lesser-known parts of the city’s history.
Alewives In Oxford: A History Of Female Brewing
🕑 11 min read In 1577, there was one alehouse for every 142 inhabitants per town. This novel business structure meant that women were able to participate in the industry. They became brewers, known as Alewives.
The St Brice’s Day Massacre
🕑 12 min read Mass grave of murdered vikings sheds light on King Aethelred’s doomed reign
The influence of Oxford nightlife
🕑 7 min read Inclusivity, culture and power
Ghost signs
🕑 4 min read Tracing Oxford’s history in its buildings
Oxford asserts its civic identity in 1191
🕑 8 min read England’s oldest surviving municipal seal
Plant Oxford: from Bullnose to BMW
🕑 4 min read Morris' manufacturing legacy continues
Hewitt Huggard: WW1 solider and student
🕑 4 min read Connections to the past from volunteer Olivia
Dreaming spires
🕑 6 min read Oxford’s architectural styles through time
Is it worth the risk?
🕑 9 min read A brief overview of the history of vaccination in Oxford
A royal flush
🕑 3 min read The smellier side of the Stuarts in Oxford
Charlie Hutchison: Oxford’s anti-fascist hero & liberator of Belsen
🕑 14 min read The only known Black British man to have fought against fascism in the Spanish Civil War
Why is May Day so important in Oxford?
🕑 9 min read The origins of the folk traditions of May Day