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Boars Hill

Boars Hill maps

Historic maps of Boars Hill and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis.   View all Boars Hill maps

Boars Hill area books

Displaying 1 of 7 books about Boars Hill and the local area.   View all books for this area

Memories of Boars Hill

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Oxfordshire memories

Mr Hemmings Traditional Abingdon Morris Invite Whitethorn Morris to Their Day of Dance

Market Place 1890
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I remember this well - a glorious early Summer's day and lovely spots to play music, dance and drink beer with Mr Hemmings Traditional Abingdon Morris.

We started - I think - at a pub called "The Ox" and progressed through the day with dance spots in the Market Square and The Almshouses. Beer and a picnic surrounded by musical and dancing friends made this a lovely outing. I was there as the bandleader for Whitethorn Morris playing a 48 button Hohner piano accordian. The lovely women of Whitethorn Morris wore their well known kit of scarlet and blue dresses, blue mob caps and shiny black clogs.

This view marks one spot where we danced - the only difference being EXACTLY one hundred years! Who knows - maybe in the year 2090 someone may recall our happy dancing in Abingdon in 1990?

Cheers Steanes Langfords Simons And More

My mother's ancestors all seemed to live in Abingdon and the surrounding villages of Launton, Kiddlington, Bicester, Charlbury etc. and I am collecting photographic records of these families and their activities for a family tree.  Photos are a good way of recording events.  There are many text genealogical websites, but few, if any where one can get photos of one's ancestors activities.  Where people can give and recieve photos for research.  Villages I've visted when in England seemed to have changed little over time.

Magdalen College From River 1922
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This photograph is taken from the playing fields of Magdalen College School and shows the Botanical Gardens.

George Webb & Family

St Peter's in The East 1890
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Kate Maria Webb christened St Peters in the East 21 Sep 1860 (12 years of age), Abode - 85 High Street Oxford, Parents - George Webb & Elizabeth,
Trade - Gunmaker. (copy of parish registrar entry held by contributor)
George Webb & Elizabeth Sugar of 85 High Street later 36 Iffley Rd (1881 Census) died 16 Feb 1892 (89 Iffley Rd) - buried St Peters in the East (no headstones standing today) (copy of Death Cert held by contributor)
Family of George & Elizabeth - George Walter (m Amelia Lockwood), Annie Louisa (m Charles Carter), Francis Edward, Ellen Alice, Kate Maria (m John Lowe, emigrated NZ), Laura Nina (m Charles Stuart Cumberland)
Descendant of Annie Louisa is Olenka Thomas of IOW recently deceased in distressing circumstances, (commission for an independant review regarding social services re providing for Miss Thomas 2005)

Edmund Not Alban

St Edmund Hall 1890
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This photograph is of St Edmund Hall, affectionately known as 'Teddy Hall', which by common consent is the oldest seat of learning in the University of Oxford. Founded in the early 13th century by St Edmund of Abingdon, who lectured in the old church of St Peter in the East, which is now the college library. St Edmund later became Archbishop of Canterbury.
Scholars of St Edmund Hall are renowned for their prowess on the sports field, on the river and in the bar. Some of us can also do joined up riting.
Peter Britton (SEH 1973).

Music And Dancing at The 2009 Oxford Folk Festival

Cornmarket Street c1950
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One of the many items on the Oxford "tourist trail" is a weekend long folk festival which is supported by dozens of morris dancing sides from all over England. This year Whitethorn Morris appeared for the first time and brought a huge side of 12 dancers and almost as many musicians!

The dance events take place mainly in the pedestrianised streets of the city centre and the last "spot" on Sunday afternoon was a massed stand by all the performers in the courtyard of the former prison!  This was something of a surreal experience as the backdrop were rows of barred cell windows and the crowd of spectators sat on stone steps snapping away with cameras!

Whitethorn put on displays of dancing in half a dozen venues during the day but the one I remember most is standing in the middle of the Cornmarket playing my piano accordian with the Whitethorn Band surrounded by many Japanese tourists taking pictures!  

It was a really enjoyable... Read more

The 2010 Oxford Folk Festival

Balliol College 1922
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This view shows just one of the many venues for the 2010 Oxford Folk Festival, a weekend long festival of music, song and dancing including a grand parade through the city on Saturday morning. Thousands of residents and tourists looked on as hundreds of performers from all around the country provided the entertainment. I was there with my fellow dancers and musicians from Whitethorn Morris - a lively team of women clog dancers and their mixed band from Harrow.

Although it was early April, the sun shone brightly and crowds thronged the streets to watch as we provided jigs and polkas for the clog dancers. It was a lovely day to remember and I hope very much that the organisers of this annual event will continue.

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