The village has an active Historical Society which usually meets every two months on the second Tuesday in the Red Room of the Red Lion at 7.30pm. It regularly has an attendance of some 10 to 12 members who meet to discuss projects and to plan interesting activities. Some of these meetings are replaced with tours and events. Annual membership is £5 and the current Chairman is Jeff Wakefield who can be contacted by email on jeffaud21@btinternet.com . New members are always welcome.
NEW – The Society has created an historical walk around the village and produced a really interesting booklet which can be obtained from them (See thumbnail below).
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The society’s current programme of events for 2020 is as follows and new members are always welcome:-
Mar 10th – meeting in the Red Lion at 7.30pm
May 14th – general meeting in the Red Lion and prep. for visit on 19th
May 19th – Visit to Dorchester Abbey followed by afternoon tea
Jun 3rd – Conducted walk of SA village for the Banbury U3A Group
Jun 27th – Visit to Compton Verney followed by afternoon tea.
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December Post
In November the Society was proud to host a talk entitled “Dardanelles & WW1” given by David Hargreaves who gave us a stimulating talk last year about the researches which enabled him to write a week-by-week summary of the war over 220 weeks on the website www.centuryjournal.com, ending with the 100th anniversary of the Armistice last November. David is a charismatic speaker and this year’s sombre subject of the war in the Dardanelles and Gallipoli was brought to life to our large audience, several of whom had had relatives involved in the campaign. Thanks to everyone who helped to host the evening and particularly to Roger Cross who masterminded the visuals (and even the lighting) for the evening.
The next meeting of the society will be the AGM to be held in the Red Lion at 7.30 pm on 14th January 2020 where we will be consolidating next year’s programme. Items already in the programme include
19th May Visit to Dorchester Abbey followed by afternoon tea,
3rd June Conducted walk of SA village for the Banbury U3A Group.
We will be pleased to welcome any new members. Subs for 2020 will be taken on the night.
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Nov 16th – Return visit by David Hargreaves with a talk on the Dardanelles and WW1
DARDANELLES & WW1
Presentation in Church by David Hargreaves
November 16th @ 7.30pm
In 1915 the Allies, in the hope of removing Turkey from the war and opening supply
lines to Russia’s Black Sea ports, invaded the Dardanelles peninsula.
After an initial failed naval attempt, allied troops landed in Gallipoli, with large Australian and New Zealand contingents, where the campaign reached stalemate and became bogged down in trench warfare. After each side had suffered a quarter of a million casualties, the Allies evacuated the peninsula in Jan 1916. Winston Churchill, who was largely responsible for the campaign, was blamed for its failure and resigned.
RICHARD GEORGE THORPE, whose family lived for many years in Stratton Audley and who worked at the livery stables in Stratton Audley Hall, was killed in action at Gallipoli in August 1915.He is commemorated on the Helles Memorial at Canakkale, Turkey and on our WW1 memorial tablet.We are delighted to welcome David Hargreaves to give this presentation after his inspiring talk last year about the Armistice. The talk will take approximately 1 hour.There will be a charge of £5 to include a drink and light refreshments.
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The programme for 2020 is currently as follows, with meetings in the Red Lion starting at 7.30pm and presentations taking place in Church at 7.30pm.
Jan 14th – General meeting in the Red Lion with planning for future visits, talks/ presentations
Items under consideration for the future include potential visits to Dorchester Abbey, the Charles Rennie Mackintosh house in Northampton, Compton Verney, etc.
The Society is open to all and anyone is welcome to our meetings.
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Previous News – June Update
VILLAGE HISTORY WALK On July 7th we will be holding our first Village History Walk. This will be for Stratton Audley villagers to enable them to become more familiar with their own village. The walk itself is free and will commence at 2pm at The Pound (behind the Church on the Launton Road) and will follow a circular route. It will take approximately 1-hour, ending back at the Church for a display of historical information and the opportunity to purchase AFTERNOON TEA . For those who feel that the walk would be too much they can still come to the Church from 2.30 to view the display and to join the others for afternoon tea.
DO COME AND JOIN IN THIS EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT YOUR VILLAGE.
The 2nd walk will take place on July 14th and will be open to anyone from other villages or to anyone from this village who cannot make the 7th July date. The pattern will be exactly the same, with the walk again being free.
Forthcoming activities shown below with meetings of the Society commencing at 7.30pm in the Red Lion and talks commencing at 7.30 in Church
July 7th – Guided historical tour of Stratton Audley for villagers.
July 13th – Involvement with Shelswell History Festival
July 14th – Guided tour of Stratton for other Benefice villagers.
Sept 10th – Meeting at 7.30 in the Red Lion, inc. planning for Civil War talk
Sept 21st – Talk by Stephen Barker on the British Civil War 1642-51.
Nov 12th – Meeting at 7.30 in the Red Lion, inc. planning for WW1 talk.
Nov 16th – Return visit by David Hargreaves with a talk on the Dardanelles and WW1.
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May Update
Tour of Edgehill & Cropredy Bridge battlefields
The battlefield tours were a huge success and all those privileged to take part had an excellent day, in spite of the gale-force winds. The lunch at The Castle Inn, overlooking the Edgehill battlefield site, is recommended. Many of us will be making further visits to the wonderful display relating to the Civil War and battle of Edgehill at the Church at Radway and also to the Church at Cropredy.
SULGRAVE MANOR A private tour has been arranged to Sulgrave Manor, the ancestral home of George Washington for 2pm on June 12th. Entrance to the Manor, together with the tour will cost £8 per person and will be followed by a CREAM TEA costing £6.50.
Anyone interested in joining the tour should contact Dorothy Howarth (01869 277694) before June 5th.
VILLAGE HISTORY WALK The Society recently produced a Village Walk leaflet and every household should have received a copy. Well, we have now decided that in order to make this a more dynamic experience we will be holding two Village History Walks. The first on July 7th will be for Stratton Audley villagers to enable them to become more familiar with their own village. The walk itself is free and will commence at 2pm at The Pound (behind the Church on the Launton Road) and will follow a circular route. It will take approximately 1-hour, ending back at the Church for a display of historical information and the opportunity to purchase AFTERNOON TEA . For those who feel that the walk would be too much they can still come to the Church from 2.30 to view the display and to join the others for afternoon tea.
The 2nd walk will take place on July 14th and will be open to anyone from other villages or to anyone from this village who cannot make the 7th July date. The pattern will be exactly the same, with the walk again being free.
The society’s current programme of events for 2019 is as follows and new members are always welcome:-
Jun 12th – Visit to Sulgrave Manor followed by afternoon tea
July 7th – Guided historical tour of Stratton Audley for villagers.
July 13th – Involvement with Shelswell History Festival.
July 14th – Guided tour of Stratton for other Benefice villagers.
Sept 21st – Talk by Stephen Barker on the British Civil War 1642-51.
Nov 16th – Return visit by David Hargreaves with a talk on the Dardanelles and WW1.
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A visit has been arranged to Sulgrave Manor, the ancestral home of George Washington on June 12th. Anyone interested in joining the tour should contact Dorothy Howarth (01869 277694). Further details next month.
You will see below that there will be two historical guided tours of the village on July 7th and July 14th to tie in with the Benefice-wide Shelswell History Festival. Further details nearer the time.
EDGEHILL & CROPREDY BRIDGE TOUR OF THE BATTLEFIELDS
April 27th
The Society has arranged a tour of these Civil War battlefields by car, with lunch to be taken between the two tours. The numbers are strictly limited to the occupants of four cars and we are currently fully booked. However if anyone is interested please let Dorothy know on 277694 in case a place becomes available.
You will see below that there will be two historical guided tours of the village on July 7th and July 14th to tie in with the Benefice-wide Shelswell History Festival. Further details nearer the time.
The society’s current programme of events for 2019 is as follows and new members are always welcome:-
Apr 27th – Tour of Edgehill & Cropredy Bridge battlefields by Car – as shown above
May 14th – General meeting in the Red Lion
Jun 12th – Visit to Sulgrave Manor followed by afternoon tea
July 7th – Guided historical tour of Stratton and surrounding area for villagers.
July 13th – Involvement with Shelswell History Festival.
July 14th – Guided tour of Stratton for other Benefice villagers.
There will be more information on the May activities nearer the time.
Items under consideration for the future include a potential visit to Sulgrave Manor, involvement in next year’s Shelswell History Festival and conducted tours of Stratton. Watch this space.
The Society is open to all and anyone is welcome to our meetings.
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The Society was proud to host a talk entitled “We will remember them” within the week of the 100th anniversary of the WW1 Armistice. We were fortunate to have as our guest speaker David Hargreaves who for four years has been writing a week-by-week summary of the war and has now completed 220 weeks on the website www.centuryjournal.com. David is a charismatic speaker and the large audience was captured by his moving account. He was able to stay for some time after the talk and enthusiastically answered many questions put to him by the audience. The evening was rounded off with canapes and wine and thanks go to all those members who helped with the occasion.
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The next meeting of the society will be the AGM to be held in the Red Lion at 7.30 pm on 8th January 2019 where we will be consolidating next year’s programme. We will be pleased to welcome any new members.
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Previous news announcements:
We will Remember Them – 17th November 2018, Stratton Audley Church @ 7.30pm
For the 100th anniversary of the Armistice the Historical Society is planning a
presentation which will feature diary and letter extracts from individuals from all walks
of life, via the stories of people who were there during World War 1.
The presentation will mainly showcase the stories of five or six individuals.
This is based on the amazing project undertaken by our speaker, David Hargreaves, who, for the
past four years, has been writing Century Journal, a series of weekly essays about The Great War
as it was fought, experienced and understood, at home and abroad.
Each essay is related to a specific week exactly 100 years ago, mainly from the British point of view,
but also including individual stories from Russians, French and Germans. The project is ongoing
and, when he reaches the time of the Armistice on 11th November 1918, he will have produced
220 weekly essays which can be seen at
There will be a charge of £8 per person to include a glass of wine or soft drink,
canapes and nibbles.
Any profits from the evening will be donated to the Royal British Legion
11th Sept – General meeting and planning for future events, including the upcoming talk
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Saturday, Sept 15th at 7.30pm -Presentation by Julie Ann Godson on “1066 and its effect on Oxfordshire”.
£5 per person to include glass of wine or soft drink and nibbles. Tickets available from Dorothy Howarth (277694) or on the door.
The remaining programme for 2018 is as follows.
Nov 13th – General meeting in the Red Lion and planning for future events.
Nov 17th – Armistice Day Commemoration talk
Items under consideration for future talks, presentations and visits include inviting another speaker from Bletchley Park (with Enigma machine), a car tour of local Civil War battlefields, a potential visit to Sulgrave Manor, involvement in next year’s Shelswell History Festival and conducted tours of Stratton. Watch this space.
The Society is open to all and anyone is welcome to our meetings.
STRATTON AUDLEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Future meetings of the society are :-
13th Nov – General meeting and planning for the any future presentations
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Forthcoming events, where the meetings take place in the Red Lion and the presentations in the Church/Meeting Room, both at 7.30pm
11th Sept – General meeting and planning for future events, including the upcoming talk
15th Sept – Presentation by Julie Ann Godson on “1066 and its effect on Oxfordshire”
13th Nov – General meeting and planning for the any future presentations
New members are welcome and there will be further information next month.
Re scheduled date – “Scandal in High Society Oxfordshire”
Come and join us in Church to enjoy another talk by Julie Ann Godson on Saturday 28th, following her very enjoyable talk last year. Start time is 7.30pm
There will be a charge of £5 per person, to include a glass of wine or soft drink.
Future events:
We are continuing to work on the design and production of an illustrated village walk and discussing future visits to local historical locations.
May 8th – Regular meeting plus arrangements for visit to Rousham.
May 10th – Visit to Rousham House followed by separate Afternoon Tea
Sept 15th – Talk on “1066 and its effect on Oxfordshire”
There is the possibility that there may be 2/3 spaces available for the tour of Rousham House which will commence at 2pm on May 10th. Anyone interested in adding their name to the list should contact Dorothy on 01869 277694.
Previous Notes
The Society’s future programme of events for 2018 will include the following, at which new members are welcome –
April 28th – “Scandal in High Society Oxfordshire” see notice above,
May 8th – Regular meeting
Sept 15th – Talk on “1066 and its effect on Oxfordshire”
At the above meetings there will be discussion on the design and production of an illustrated village walk, potential visits to local historical locations and future talks.
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December News
Just a quick review of the production of Stratton History and Voices which was held in the Church in mid-November. What an excellent evening it was, with a very good audience enjoying, particularly, the well-known voices of Harry Rothery, Molly Stockley, Eric Goss and Robin Davies. It was great having Robin in the audience and able to update the information contained in the interviews relating to his 62-years of working at Elm Farm. Many, many thanks to Tim and Linda Mustill for producing such a well-designed video. A DVD of the Stratton Voices is available for £1 and anyone interested should contact Dorothy on 01869 277694.
The next meeting of the society will be the AGM to be held in the Red Lion at 7.30 pm on 9th January 2018 where we will be consolidating next year’s programme. We will be pleased to welcome any new members.
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STRATTON AUDLEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY LATEST NEWS
The future programme is as follows.
Nov 14th – General meeting in the Red Lion and planning for the event on Nov 18th
Nov 18th – “Stratton through the ages and Stratton Voices” a special two-part audio-visual presentation in the Church at 7.30pm
The history of Stratton covers the Roman influence, through the building of the original wooden castle, the effect of the plague, the Civil War, hunting and the development of the Church in the village.
Stratton Voices is a brand new presentation of recordings which were made 40 years ago, when Eric Goss (with Robin Davies), Molly Stockley and Harry Rothery were interviewed by Radio Oxford. They are remembering times in and around the village, sometimes going back to the 1920s and giving an amazing personal insight into their varying lives in a different world of bygone Stratton.
There will be a charge of £5 for adults, to include a glass of wine/soft drink, with no charge for under 16s.
Further information available from Dorothy Howarth on 277694.
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HISTORY FESTIVAL
Those of you who managed to get to the History Festival will know that it was a hugely enjoyable event with lots of interesting things to see and do. The Historical Society was mainly concerned with the “Villages” tent where each village’s display was quite unique with lots of different approaches to the idea of presenting their own history. I’m sure we all enjoyed seeing the stories of the other villages. Many thanks to all those who were able to help with manning our area during the 3-days and particularly to Geoff Howson who allowed his “wooden castle” to be displayed. It was one of the highlights of our section (See photos in news section)
The display will be set up on the table at the back of Church for the next few weeks with several old photographs which we hope people will be able to identify.
We are in the early stages of planning a presentation of Stratton Audley Voices for November. We will show a DVD of the history of the village created about 10-years ago along with a brand new film to accompany interviews from around 40-years ago. We will be able to enjoy the memories of several people who described their lives in the village at that time; Molly Stockley with her life as a ladies’ maid at the Hall, Harry Rothery and his work with horses, whilst Eric Goss with Robin Davies describe their work on Elm Farm. We would once again be grateful for any photographs which would support their words.
Future meetings of the society are :-
Tues, Sept 12th – Meeting in the Red Lion, 7.30pm, new members welcome
Tues, Nov 7th – Meeting in the Red Lion, 7.30pm to discuss future activities and to plan for Saturday’s event, new members welcome
Sat, Nov 11th – Stratton Audley Voices at 7.30pm in the Church.
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PREVIOUS NEWS
The Society will be visiting Stowe House/School on 25th July @ 6.30pm. There will be a guided tour costing £9.50 per person, with refreshments available at £4.50. Anyone wishing to join the tour should advise Dorothy (01869 277694) before 16th July. The group will meet at 6pm outside the Red Lion and travel onward by car.
We are in the early stages of planning a presentation of Stratton Audley Voices for November. We will show a DVD of the history of the village created about 10-years ago along with a brand new film to accompany interviews from around 40-years ago. We will be able to enjoy the memories of several people who described their lives in the village at that time; Molly Stockley with her life as a ladies’ maid at the Hall, Harry Rothery and his work with horses, whilst Eric Goss with Robin Davies describe their work on Elm Farm. We would once again be grateful for any photographs which would support their words.
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As far as the Open Gardens weekend is concerned we hope to have copies of “The History of Stratton Audley in 10 Objects” booklet available for sale during the weekend.
The next item on our agenda is the Shelswell History Festival on 7th-9th July (further details earlier in this magazine). Stratton Audley will be presenting a display of historical information, back to Saxon times, mainly through the “Lords of the Manor”. A number of these have been notable – and indeed infamous – characters. Several of the artifacts included in the “10 Objects” booklet will be on display, together with many historical plans and photographs.. If anyone has old photographs which would enhance our display we would be grateful to hear from them and will pay any copying costs.
The Society is proposing to visit Stowe House/School on 25th July @ 6.30pm. There will be a guided tour costing £9.50 per person, with refreshments available at £4.50. Anyone wishing to join the tour should advise Dorothy (01869 277694) before 16th July. The group will meet at 6pm outside the Red Lion and travel onward by car.
We are in the early stages of planning an Autumn Presentation of Stratton Audley Voices and DVD History. Further information next month.
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The society’s programme of events for 2017 will include –
WINSTON CHURCHILL’S TOYSHOP
Tuesday, March 7th at 7.30pm
GORDON ROGERS, a well-known enthusiastic amateur astronomer who lives in Long Crendon, will be delighting us with the story of how Winston Churchill created a department when he was Prime Minister which developed over 50 weapons for sabotaging German efforts behind the lines in occupied Europe and for more general purposes.
There will be a charge of £5 per person, to include a glass of wine or soft drink.
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April 4th 7.30pm “The Water Gypsy” a talk by Julie Ann Godson about how a Thames fisher girl became a countess.
Four weeks later there will be another talk which looks as though it will be very illuminating about a different period of history. It concerns the two contrasting worlds of the 18th-century river community and the aristocracy. At a time when social boundaries were rigid. one humble family deployed their talents and good looks and took control of an Anglo-Irish estate of breathtaking proportions and triumphed in the most unexpected way.
There will be a charge of £5 per person, to include a glass of wine or soft drink.
Potential visits to Stowe School, Bletchley Park and Witney Blanket Hall.
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Recent Past Talks
High Turn out for WIRELESS WAR SECRETS OF POUNDON & GODINGTON
November 12th at 7.30pm
John Beaumont’s talk about the listening and transmitting stations at Poundon and Godington, which were operative during the war, was extremely interesting and enlightening.
The SOE was the secret organization set up by Churchill at the start of the war to send agents into occupied Europe to sabotage and aid the local resistance movements. All the SOE national communication points were in this general area but the local populace knew nothing about them or about the contacts they had with agents in occupied countries which were directed from these locations. Further research into what happened at Poundon House and at the Government wireless station at Poundon during the “cold war” is being undertaken.
John is preparing a pamphlet on the special connection of the SOE with Poundon and Godington which will be available from the Historical Society when it has been printed. He has also left a collection of books about the SOE with the Historical Society and anyone is welcome to borrow one. At the moment they are being held by Dorothy Howarth (on 01869 277694) but we hope to have a more accessible site available in the near future.
Meanwhile thank you John for opening our eyes to these amazing “stories”.
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The Society has produced a booklet entitled Stratton Audley in Ten Objects which costs just £3 and can be purchased direct from the Society and from the bar in the Red Lion.
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STRATTON AUDLEY POP UP CARDS
We will once again be selling the cards in aid of Church funds, together with some brand new designs which will be suitable for Christmas and birthdays. These will be available at Gill and Sue Harper’s wonderful sale of gifts and interior design items at Hillview Farm in Poundon on the weekend of November 4th and 5th.
Times of opening are 10am-4pm and 6-9pm on the Friday and 10am-4pm on the Saturday. The entrance monies will be shared between the Church and Dementia Oxfordshire