Welcome to The Wychwood On-Line

This is the site for The Wychwood Magazine, serving the communities of
The Wychwoods in the Cotswolds since 1980!
The magazine is published every two months, by the community for the community and our friends, with 68 pages, packed with features, articles, news and short stories
about life in the Wychwoods.

Latest issue: August – September 2021

Editorial

“You should get out more!”  This phrase is often used in jest. It was only a few minutes ago that I was sent a selection of some of the worst puns that I have seen in a while.  So perhaps the sender should have heeded that advice, but this summer issue of The Wychwood is full of examples of writers who have gotten out more.  Weather permitting, this is the season when we can take advantage of the wonderful area in which we are privileged to live.

Readers may already be thinking that they are in store for a selection of hearty outdoor exercise articles.  Such articles are here, but not exclusively so.  You can revel in the excitement of teenager Finley Docherty as he urges the energetic to ‘have an adventure’ on a mountain bike.  Or, you can enjoy Mike Hartley’s unexpected article as he reminds himself of his first attempt at rowing, not altogether successfully.  But there are also articles about gardening, about a farm visit to the primary school and one about the joys of fly fishing, all outdoors, all gentle.

As we enjoy the outdoors, other articles remind readers to appreciate and protect the environment.  Local tree surgeons, Treetech, write about the health of trees, Mike Watson considers how the ducks in the Wild Garden are faring and information from a Witney-based pressure group informs us about the perils of ignoring the state of our local rivers.

So, read and enjoy the articles and then “get out more!”

Bob Forster, Editor

List of articles

• It’s that garden again
  It was back in the spring of 2017 that the Wychwood Magazine became aware of a highly unusual garden – not Kew or Hidcote but ...
• Welcome to David Barham
  Our new subscription secretary I moved to Milton two years ago with my wife and two young boys and since then we haven’t looked back! We ...
• We need to talk about farming
  On a recent visit by HRH The Prince of Wales to mark the official opening of the new FarmEd centre above Shipton, he stated: “What you ...
• The joy of fly fishing
  Some of you may recognise me as the chap standing on the grass at Beaconsfield Hall practising fly casting.  As has been pointed out to ...
• Archive item – Cissie Harris
  From The Wychwood 40 years ago: Ellen Steed was born in Shipton in the last year of the 19th century, the fourth of six children. Her ...
• Thank You
  Nothing, we are told, stays the same for long; change is everywhere, not least in the team that brings you The Wychwood Magazine.  Two of ...
• But how are you really?
  This is one of the most important questions you can ask someone right now. It has been an incredibly tough year for many in the ...
• The Lamb at Shipton
  The Lamb is under new management and it shows. The food is outstanding while the staff are unfailingly friendly. I have now been three times ...
• The Witney Fridge – Witney Food Revolution
  With climate change an ever-increasing concern for all of us, a local initiative addressing it is much appreciated. I discovered Witney Food Revolution in 2020, ...
• Wychwood Library update
  Summer Reading Challenge The Summer Reading Challenge is now in full swing! It’s not too late to join! Children can take part at Wychwood Library or ...
• A noisy Wychwood School: bleats, honks, pings and “fores”!
  It has been nice this term to see a little bit of normality return to school life with visitors into school to do outdoor activities.  ...
• All swings and roundabouts
  In April I wondered if we would get some rain to help the spuds along. In May I wondered if it would stop raining and ...
• Wychwood Photo Group
  The Wychwood Photo Group is now in its fifth year and continues to thrive.  The last year has been  challenging  but with the help of ...
• The cricket club emblem: the mystery solved (probably)!
  The origins of the club’s emblem, a bit like the Schleswig-Holstein question (you may need to Google that one), are lost in the mists of ...
• Bridewell Gardens Open Day
  Between 11a.m and 4p.m. on Sunday 12 September, the walled garden at Wilcote will welcome all visitors who are interested in seeing how this invaluable ...
• Scouting in the Wychwoods
  Our quest to uncover the history of scouting in the Wychwoods is now digging up some interesting nuggets from the past. Whilst no paper records ...
• Where have all the ducklings gone?
  The Wychwood Wild Garden provides a welcoming space of peace and tranquillity for all our visitors – and of course the opportunity for children to ...
• Bruern Abbey: past and present
  The Garden Fete Bruern Abbey 1911 Most residents of the Wychwoods are familiar with Bruern Abbey, located close to the Evenlode river and the London to ...
• My first rowing race (or four men in a boat)
  I was at college in Durham in 1970. Our college was one of the smallest in the university and always struggled to find a full ...
• Wychwood Forest Fair
  The Wychwood Forest Fair was founded in 1796 by three Methodists living in Finstock as a calmer counterpart to the annual Witney Feast. It was ...
• Every picture tells a story
  Arthur Gee in his cottage in Fifield early 1900s In our last issue we featured an archive item about the Townsends, an article that included the ...
• An O.A.P. looks at the Adult Education Centre Brochure (1981)
  Now, what could I do on a Monday,Instead of watching the ‘box’?I could occupy hours making Japanese Flowers,Or learn to repair old clocks.What could I ...
• Milton Parish Council report – watery matters!
  Two new initiatives will be taking place hopefully in Milton in the coming months. The first is the replacement of the flood level monitoring equipment ...
• Back to church!
  Whether you have felt unable to come to church because the churches have been closed or you feel unsafe to meet with others inside, or ...
• The colour of water
  Young children are perfectly sure of the colour of water: it is blue, and when they paint rivers or lakes, they seem to choose the ...
• Are our trees having their own health crisis?
  You have to go to Melbourne now to see an avenue of elms like this Our trees have flourished and are abundant with wildlife. However, within ...
• The thrill of mountain biking
  To many a bicycle is just a mode of transportation, a more healthy and ecofriendly option. But, for many others, like myself, it is freedom ...
• Wychwoods Tennis Club junior news
  This summer the LTA provided a grant to primary schools to introduce tennis to pupils, and by the end of the summer term Chris Hampton ...
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream
  It has been over a year since live theatre has been available to the residents of the Wychwoods and West Oxfordshire. Now The Wychwood Players feel ...
• Wychwood forebears: Rev. Donald English
  Many readers will remember the gentle voice of Donald English, the epitome of Christian reason and values, on Radio 4’s Thought for the Day around ...
• Wychwood Day Centre – never a dull moment
  The Wychwood Day Centre was set up over 20 years ago to meet weekly in the Beaconsfield Hall in Shipton. For the last 17 years ...
• Farewell dear friends
  Saying goodbye to members of our family is never easy and although they are not moving far, we will miss Mary and Malcolm Cochrane, who ...
• The boy king
  The queen died young, tragically young.  Her nine year old son, Prince Rupert, was crowned as the boy king.  The rebels saw their chance; one ...
• More Tea Vicar?
  I must admit that I am something of a prolific tea drinker; I get through at least 3 pints a day! It goes with the ...
• Milton scarecrow trail
  £373 raised for local charities August-September 2021

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