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: April – May 2022

Editorial

Is it all bad news?  First there was Covid, then Storm Eunice and now war.  Each of these has impacted upon us in one way or another.  Life can feel very negative.  So what we need is some good news, if only to distract us for a while before tackling the so-called big issues; and here it is.

Spring, at last.  As the Beatles sang: ‘Here comes the sun.’  The other piece of good news is in your hands.  Yes, welcome to the latest issue of The Wychwood.  Whether you regard this as a distraction or an attraction, only you can decide, but there’s no doubt that it can bring a reassuring smile to the face of every reader.

Right from the word ‘go’, your magazine brightens the view with Robin Parson’s introduction to some of our favourite bird songs in an article illustrated with some eye-catching photos.  Our writers are looking ahead to the forthcoming summer – Peter Wilkinson fills us in with the beauties of Blenheim, Graham Nelson looks ahead to a new cricket season and there’s a lovely four mile walk to explore the delights of the Wychwoods.

But there is also much that will appeal to the armchair reader.  Alan Vickers opens a treasure chest of historic photos reflecting our communities and Lorna Ray opens our eyes to the joy of knitting. It is not just bad news! 

Bob Forster, Editor

List of articles

• Singing in the Wychwoods
  No this article is not about the choirs of the Wychwoods but the natural choristers of the animal world, birds, of which Darwin said, “on ...
• Important notice for our subscribers
  Subscription payment and renewals At the beginning of April our team of magazine distributors would normally collect annual subscriptions.  However, this year we are deferring collection ...
• Shipton under Wychwood Cricket Club
  Oh for the crack of willow upon leather! By coincidence, and the requirements of the editor’s deadline, I’m writing this ten years to the day after ...
• Sheila Davies 1925-2022
  My mother, Sheila Davies, died peacefully in her sleep at The Old Prebendal House care home, Shipton on January 6, 2022. Sheila was born in Stockport ...
• Wychwood Jubilee celebrations
  Milton under Wychwood Milton will hold a Queen’s Platinum Celebration 2.00-5.00pm Friday 3rd and Saturday 4th June. Two days of celebrations are coming together to mark ...
• Looking outside Blenheim palace
  Two men were looking at the diminutive river trickling through a small valley. ‘What can we do about this marshy little river? It looks ridiculous ...
• Bruern farm diversifies
  Bruern farm is set to open a new café as part of its commitment to the community. The farm opened a shop last summer, selling ...
• Milton Parish Council report
  from little acorns …. A 3.5 hectare wetland meadow on Milton’s southern outskirts is to be enhanced by tree planting and the creation of shallow ponds.  ...
• Shipton PC news
  Come and join us for the Annual Parish Meeting. This year it will be held on April 21st at 7.30pm in the New Beaconsfield Hall. As ...
• Gardening plugs
  Spring is here so we expect sunshine and showers, and to be wary of the frosts, even into May. For the most part we have ...
• A breath of fresh air
  Bridewell Gardens, outside Finstock, provides a mental health recovery service for West Oxfordshire, supporting people who have experienced severe and enduring mental illness. Bridewell is ...
• Ascott Pre-school looks ahead
  This year we are hoping for a return to many of our regular fundraising events which we have been unable to hold over the last ...
• Wychwood School gets fired up
  If you are a Twitter user, I think you would enjoy following the school and also the Foundation Stage accounts. It is a chance to ...
• Oggie Arathoon 1926-2022
  Preserver of Shipton Court Oggie, who has recently died, was a Shipton character for more than 70 years. Her background and life in Shipton was described ...
• One of Fifield’s favourite sons
  In the October/November 2021 issue of The Wychwood we looked back at the life of Les Wilcox, one of Fifield’s favourite sons.  Sadly, not long ...
• Swinbrook House, past and present
  The present Swinbrook House, sited well above the village on the road to Shipton, was said to be built on the site of a ‘Fine ...
• A Magic Lantern Splutters Back into Life
  “Would you like to look at a box of old black and white transparencies?”  This was the offer made to me by Peter Rathbone a ...
• Burford Festival 9th- 19th June 2022
  After a Covid-enforced break of three years the Burford Festival is back and will be running from the 9th -19th June 2022. We have a ...
• Burford School: the power of the team
  At Burford we have been working with students and parents to affirm the cultural values of the school. Surveys have been done with students, parents, ...
• The Wychwood Quiz 2022
  Test your knowledge of the Wychwoods with this quiz (answers below):  Tiddy Hall in Ascott under Wychwood was originally built by Reginald John Elliott Tiddy, but ...
• Wychwoods Ukrainian appeal
  Like probably everyone else, my husband Ian and I are seriously upset about Ukraine. We both felt so helpless, so we decided doing something practical ...
• St Mary’s Church repairs update
  As reported in the October – November 2021 issue, whilst the nave roof of Shipton Church has been repaired, we continue to need to raise ...
• Milton under Wychwood Summer Fete
  Saturday 2nd July 2022 2.00-5.00pm This year’s fete is coming together with more local organisations signing up to make this a great day out. With a ...
• Did you know that … ?
  The Beaconsfield Hall in Shipton was originally on the opposite side of the main road – its original nameplate is set into the gateway of ...
• Donate … The Movie
  If you were out and about in Ascott on Sunday September 19th 2021, you may well have encountered an oversized kidney being pulled along on ...
• Fifield news
  Looking forward, the calendar of events in Fifield during the first six months of 2022 has begun to take shape.  There will be a Garage ...
• Growing up in Milton under Wychwood
  In our last issue, Hilary Allen (nee Pritchard) described her local upbringing; here is the other half, literally, of her story, as told by Robert ...
• Wychwood Library bulletin
  Just a reminder that our opening times are Mondays 2.00pm -7.00pm, Wednesdays 9.30am – 1.00pm and 2.00pm – 5.00pm, Fridays 2.00pm – 7.00pm and Saturdays ...
• The Wychwood pantomime
  Well worth the wait Covid has affected everyone in the last two years and, like similar groups, the Wychwood Players were unable to mount any stage ...
• A memorable teacher
  Every reader of The Wychwood has memories of school days, days that were, reputedly, the happiest days of our lives. These memories revolve around friends, ...
• A treasure trove for ‘foodies’
  A digital platform that allows customers to shop online from local independent food retailers has launched in Chipping Norton and surrounding villages. The Local Trove ...
• A wander in the Wychwoods
  “You should get out more,” as it is said, so here is an ideal local walk of around four and a half miles that takes ...
• The joy of knitting
  In the nineteenth century, knitting was prescribed to women as a cure for nervousness and hysteria. Many new knitters find this sort of hard to ...
• Milton craft cafe
  Milton under Wychwood Community Craft Café was borne from an idea of having a regular meeting place for residents of the local area that could ...
• Spring’s newness
  Following the great winds at the end of February we had some lovely spring weather, perfect for walking the dogs. Trees begging to put forth ...

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