Author Archives: Joyce Huddleston

January 2025 meeting: Radley – the thousand year evolution of a manor

On 13 January, a packed church enjoyed a talk from Richard Dudding, the Club’s archivist, on the story of the manor of Radley from before the Norman Conquest to today. Over time the ‘hard power’ of the manor declined, but ‘soft power’ and social status continued to matter. At several points, new entrants (and their money) brought new energy. Richard divided the story into five periods.

Abingdon Abbey about 1000–1538: Radley was part of the Abbey’s large manor of Barton. Its importance to the Abbey was its long river frontage, its eel fisheries and the Abbey’s deer park.

The Crown 1538–1560: After the dissolution of the Abbey, some interesting names held the manor: Henry VIII, Edward VI, Sir Thomas Seymour (brother of the Lord Protector) and Princess Elizabeth (from 1558 Queen).

Stonhouse family 1560–1795: The newly created manor of Radley was sold to George Stonhouse (famous in the village for being a Clerk of the Green Cloth). The Stonhouses held the manor for over 200 years. An 18th century Stonhouse built what is now ‘The Mansion’ at Radley College, surrounding it with gardens and parkland.

Bowyer family 1795–1889: With no male heir, the manor passed to a relative by marriage, Admiral Sir George Bowyer (feted as a naval hero). His son was hopeless with money and fled to Italy with his family in 1815. His son, a philanthropist, racked up huge debts leading to the estate’s sale in 1889.

From about 1850: Two newcomers to Radley filled the vacuum. Radley College was founded in 1847 and, in 1850, a Scottish businessman William Dockar bought Wick Farm. At the 1889 sale, his daughter Josephine Dockar Drysdale (builder of Wick Hall) snapped up the land (selling some to Radley College).

Front cover of 'Radley Manor and Village: a thousand year story'

The talk drew on research for the Club’s book, Radley Manor and Village. Copies are available, price £15, from Radley Village Shop or direct from Joyce Huddleston (publications@radleyhistoryclub.org.uk).

November 2024 meeting: WW2 rationing and cooking for victory – a fair share for all

On 11 November (Armistice Day) Karen and her husband Bret, 1940s historians and re-enactors, gave a spirited and comprehensive talk complete with audio recordings from the period. The talk began by explaining the context of rationing prior to World War II: Britain saw the first widespread implementation of rationing in WW1 after there was a shortage of wheat and other commodities in 1916 when ships carrying supplies were targeted by the Germans.

People were encouraged to use every available piece of spare land for food production under the banner of ‘Dig for Victory’, even the grounds of the Tower of London were dug up! Cooking programmes on the radio attracted enormous numbers of listeners and recipe leaflets were distributed to citizens. The Women’s Institute (WI) played its part in helping to preserve fruit and veg after being supplied with mobile canning machines; it is estimated WI members canned 5 million pounds of jam and 2 million pounds of preserves. The food rationing system ended in 1954, marking a significant milestone in Britain’s return to normality.

At the end of the talk, we were invited to try some recipes from the period (see the photo below). If you want to find out more about the recipes and other homefront activities you can visit Karen and Bret’s website, Doing Their Bit: Life on the Home Front.

Display of WW2 food packaging and other memorabilia, plus examples of foods produced from WW2 receipes

October 2024 meeting: ‘A Man and his Shed’

The talk by RHC Club member, Martin Buckland, told the story of Cowley Concrete, a company based in Abingdon off the Radley Road. It was founded in the early 1920s in Cowley by ‘Bert’ Mullard and operated in Abingdon until the late 1970s after which the site was redeveloped as a housing estate called Radley Green.  Relocating to Abingdon allowed Cowley Concrete to take advantage of the area’s geology which is rich in gravel, a material heavily used in concrete production.

Cowley Concrete as a company produced many products from those that imitated stone, to those used in the construction of transport infrastructure, and to houses and even some art along the way. Cowley Concrete produced beams used in the Chiswick flyover and over the widened lines of the Underground near Kings Cross Station in London. The enormous concrete beams left the factory on long loaders which often proved a challenge for the drivers on the way to their destination with some of the small and bendy roads in the area at the time.

In terms of buildings around to Oxford, they built the earlier version of the Seacourt Tower in Botley, Research laboratories on South Parks Road in Oxford, the Cowley Centre and numerous social houses. Later in life, Bert Mullard became a member of Abingdon Town Council in 1945, later becoming Mayor of Abingdon 1951-53. In 1960 he was granted the status of Honorary Freeman of the borough of Abingdon. He turned later in life to Philanthropy and was a significant benefactor of Christ’s Hospital in Abingdon, a local charity dating from 1553.

Message from Martin: Martin Buckland thanks all those who spoke to him after the talk and added much useful information, particularly about themselves or their relatives who worked at Cowley Concrete. He would be most grateful if they could send their recollections to him at: martin.buckland@outlook.com. It all adds to the history of Abingdon people and employers maintained by the Abingdon Area Archaeology and History Society (AAAHS), and would be of great interest to the Knight family who provided much of the material for the talk. 

September 2024 meeting: Oral History Group presentation on ‘Radley during Covid’

Early in 2022, the Group started recording a series of interviews to capture memories about the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on people in Radley as a record for future generations. The talk presented the common themes uncovered and the insights gained from these recordings. It was important to do this work as soon as possible as memories and recollections fade quickly.

Of the people interviewed, few of them contracted COVID. Their lived experience varied; for some it worked out well but others had major problems.

On the positive side, online video conference platforms and the internet worked well as did working from home, which for many was the first time this had been an option. In terms of community, the church and village shop were a lifeline for many as was a local volunteer group (SERV) set up by residents.

On the negative side, lack of physical contact with loved ones and family members was a challenge many interviewees faced during the lockdowns. Many people spoke about opportunities that were missed. Some could be rescheduled, but for others, these were gone forever such as attending a funeral or a wedding or attending a year of university.

In general, the rules during the pandemic were adhered to, but there were mixed views regarding the severity of COVID, the government’s role and its trustworthiness. Despite this all the interviewees received vaccines and wore masks. There was a common concern about the knock-on effects of COVID on our nation’s health and impacts on people of delay in diagnosis and treatment. Overall, a very interesting talk and a valuable resource for future historians.

2024-2025 programme announced

Details of the Club’s programme of speaker meetings for 2024-2025 are now available in the Events Calendar on this website.

9 September 2024: Oral History Group presentation on ‘Radley during Covid’

14 October 2024: A Man and his Shed – Herbert George Mullard and the Cowley Concrete Company, 1895 to 1976

11 November 2024: Rationing and Cooking for Victory: a fair share for all

13 January 2025: Radley: the thousand-year evolution of a manor

10 February 2025: A walk along the Thames Path from Oxford to Pangbourne

10 March 2025: Metropolis versus the Meadow

14 April 2025: Putting Radley on the Map: from Gough to Google

12 May 2025: Early women professional gardeners, including the founders of Waterperry

9 June 2025: The Fitzharrys Manor Estate – from Medieval Knights to Atomic Spies

14 July 2025: What a Liberty! Memorable moments along Oxford’s ancient boundaries

8 September 2025: More than Three Men in a Boat: the rise and fall of pleasure boating on the Thames