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.
Sewage, Cholera and moving Parliament to Oxford
🕑 7 min read In 18th century Britain, many towns underwent rapid expansion, which resulted in widespread public concern around the appearance of urban surroundings. In Oxford, one such issue was the draining systems and sewage disposal, which before the late 18th century, mainly involved collection from domestic cesspits and drainage via open gutters, often in the middle of the streets.
Lady Ann Fanshawe and the Royalist Court at Oxford
🕑 12 min read Royalists, Recipes and Real Hardship
Alewives In Oxford: A History Of Female Brewing
🕑 11 min read The Importance of Ale
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
Behind the Scenes with the Heritage Trainee
🕑 7 min read Find out what the Heritage Trainee, Sif, has been up to over the past 6 months
Felicia Skene: prison reformer and friend of the poor
🕑 5 min read Campaigning for compassion in Victorian Oxford
‘Lectures for Ladies’
🕑 5 min read The First Women at the University of Oxford
A day in the life: fun facts about installing objects
🕑 3 min read MOX intern Lauren tells us her top 5 fun facts about object installation