Category Archives: Meeting report

April 2005 meeting; Early professional women gardeners

The speaker on 14 April was Katherine Bradley, who described how the path for women in professional gardening evolved significantly thanks to several pioneering figures. While traditionally seen as a domestic pursuit, individuals like Jane Loudon in the mid-19th century played a crucial role by writing and illustrating accessible gardening guides specifically for women, popularising the activity and laying the groundwork for greater involvement in gardening and horticulture.

Towards the late 19th and early 20th centuries, true professionalisation began. Fanny Wilkinson became Britain’s first professional female landscape gardener, notably designing public spaces for the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association, proving women could undertake large-scale, public horticultural work. Simultaneously, Gertrude Jekyll, an influential garden designer, writer, and artist, elevated garden design through her sophisticated planting schemes and collaborations, becoming a highly respected professional whose work demonstrated the artistic and technical possibilities for women in the field. 

Early horticultural colleges for women included the Glynde School for Lady Gardeners and Swanley Horticultural College. Recognising the need for formal training, Daisy, Countess of Warwick, used her influence and resources to establish horticultural colleges for women, such as Studley College after an earlier trial in Reading, providing structured pathways into professional careers. Building on this foundation, Beatrix Havergal, along with Avice Sanders, founded the renowned Waterperry Horticultural School for Women in 1932. Waterperry became famous for its rigorous, practical training, producing highly skilled female gardeners and establishing a benchmark for professional horticultural education for women. 

Collectively, these women – through popularisation, pioneering professional practice, influential design, patronage of education and dedicated training – challenged societal norms, broke down barriers and established credible pathways for women to pursue and succeed in professional gardening careers, fundamentally shaping the landscape for future generations.

March 2025 meeting: Motopolis versus the Meadow

The speaker on 10 March 2025 was Maurice East, who specialises in researching lesser-known stories about Oxford and leads walking tours around the city.

Oxford’s journey from a walled city in 1096 to a rapidly expanding urban center was gradual until the early 20th century. The establishment of the University in the medieval period shaped its character, but the city remained relatively calm until William Morris founded his motor factory in Cowley. This industrial development in the east created a distinct ‘Motopolis’, contrasting with the historic ‘Christminster’ in the west, and led to the expansion of residential areas like Blackbird Leys beyond the traditional boundaries. 

Post-World War I, Oxford’s transport system, reliant on horse-drawn trams and stagecoaches, was ill-equipped for the burgeoning car ownership. Recognising the need for urban planning, Lawrence Dale proposed a relief road in his 1944 book, Towards a Plan for Oxford City, suggesting a route along Broad Walk outside Christ Church College. 

Formal town planning gained momentum after World War II, with the 1953 City of Oxford plan acknowledging the potential benefits of a relief road to alleviate traffic congestion in the historic centre. However, the proposal to build this road through Christchurch Meadow sparked significant opposition from the University and the public, elevating it to a major point of contention, even reaching the government’s cabinet. 

Ultimately, Oxford adopted a ‘Balanced Transport Policy’ that prioritised sustainable transportation methods. This shift in focus led to the abandonment of the controversial Christchurch Meadow relief road plan, consigning it to history.

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

On 10th February, we welcomed Bill King – supported by his wife Flora – for a talk about the Oxford to Pangbourne section of the Thames Path. Over several years Bill and Flora walked some 150 miles of the Thames Path in stages from the river’s source in the Cotswolds to where the river becomes tidal at Teddington Lock in north-west London.

Bridges, locks and pubs are key elements of the walk and Bill showed photographs of many of them. Bill and Flora chose to begin their walk along the Oxford to Pangbourne stretch at King’s Lock north of Oxford, near to where Duke’s Cut connects the River Thames to the Oxford Canal. Their route took them through Oxford and then past Radley and Nuneham Courtenay to Abingdon, Culham, Sutton Courtenay, Clifton Hampden, Wittenham Clumps, Dorchester, Shillingford, Benson, Wallingford, Streatley and Goring, Whitchurch and into Pangbourne.

Between Oxford and Pangbourne the route of the Thames Path changes from one side of the river to the other a number of times. Apart from one short deviation, the Path runs alongside the riverbank all the way. Various signposts and waymarkers keep you posted on the direction and distance to key points on the route.

Bill and Flora took the opportunity to wander off the Path at different places to visit churchyards with the graves of famous people such as J.J.R. Tolkien, Kenneth Grahame, Eric Arthur Blair (aka George Orwell), Herbert Asquith and Lady Mallowan (aka Agatha Christie). They also spotted several Blue Plaques on the walls of buildings along the way.

Visit the National Trails website to learn more about the Thames Path.

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