Page proofs!! Our forthcoming Vol.22 on W Oxon places from Chastleton to Enstone, due out next spring - medieval settlement to Team Enstone Formula One, via C18 landscaped parks, Roman Catholic recusancy, and much more. (Now just the minor task of proofreading and indexing 400 pages... 🙄)

A big thanks to the wonderful earthtrust.org.uk for so nobly arranging #eclipse parking around Wittenham Clumps - spectacular enough anyway, and seeing it all from next to a spectacular iron-age hillfort and nature reserve seemed oddly appropriate! (Plus it is the only hill for miles around..! 😂)

For international #cat day 2026, here's a shot of our occasional research assistant. The two of us are expecting page proofs of the next VCH Oxon volume (on the Chadlington/Enstone area of West Oxon) within a few weeks, so watch this space for (less frivolous!) updates 🐈‍⬛️

VCH Oxon XIX on the Wychwood Forest area (published 2019) is now available in digital form at www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/oxon/vol19 (thanks to @bho.bsky.social) - covering the forest itself and surrounding settlements. (Print version still available from boydellandbrewer.com + public libraries!)

Much enjoyed speaking about VCH Oxon's coverage of small towns and urban buildings at this weekend's Vernacular Architecture Group winter conference - part of a stimulating and wide-ranging programme, amidst some august company!

Many thanks to the 70-plus VCH supporters who came along to our annual VCH Oxon Xmas lecture and reception this week - and not _solely_ for the mulled wine and mince pies afterwards, we trust! (Though I'm sure that helped).

Art historian and gallery owner Philip Mould giving a superb lecture in support of VCH Oxon at Ditchley Park Fri 10 Oct, exploring the paintings of Winston Churchill and the difficulties of attribution. Warm thanks to Philip, all at Ditchley, and the 80-odd people who attended - a memorable event.

Find out more at www.history.ac.uk/research/vic...

Ticket price includes a drinks reception at Ditchley Park, one of Oxfordshire's finest C18 country houses, and not normally open to the public. Plus: you'll be helping the VCH Oxon project on its way to completion! Please repost to your friends and followers and anyone who may be interested...

The signature (bttm rt on his 1635 marriage settlement) of Peter Browne, heir to the Kiddington estate, who 10 yrs later was mortally wounded at Naseby - leaving his widow Mgt to oversee the estate while bringing up a young family. As Royalists and Catholics the family suffered doubly in the 1650s.

On sale now! Discovering Churchill, a lecture in support of VCH Oxfordshire by the art historian Philip Mould (of BBC Fake or Fortune fame), exploring the rediscovery of a lost painting by Winston Churchill - Friday 10 Oct 6pm in the splendid surroundings of Ditchley Park!

Hello Bluesky! Like many of you in recent months we're moving here from a different platform and need to rebuild our profile - so if you've any interest in @vchlondon.bsky.social and local history in its many guises, please follow us and repost!