Articles
Articles of Interest about Wheatley and environs
Website Revamp
The Wheatley Archive website has been restructured to present contents of the archive at the top level, with comprehensive search capability for general items, and a specific capability to search material about men who served in the First World War from the book ‘They were a Wall’ funded by the
Continue readingWheatley Archive – Origins
The Wheatley Village Archive started in 2003 as an initiative of the History Group within the Wheatley Society under the chairmanship of David Harverson, with the offer of a small room above the entrance to the Merry Bells village hall thanks to a generous subsidy by Wheatley Parish Council. The
Continue readingWHEATLEY ARCHIVES EXHIBITION
To be unveiled on Saturday 17th November open from 9.30am to 4.30pmA new presentation of the history of Wheatley, a village in OxfordshireWheatley’s extensive archives are well known to some, but less to others. This is about to change with a very ambitious digitisation of much of these superb records
Continue readingWHEATLEY VILLAGE ARCHIVE “OPENS ITS DOORS”
COME AND FIND OUT ABOUT THE NEW WAY OF PRESENTINGThe History of Wheatley Saturday 17th November at the Merry Bells 9.30am to 4.30pm The presentation and associated exhibition will highlight the latest developments at Wheatley Village Archive together with other aspects of the history of Wheatley. The developments include the
Continue readingWW1 Project nearing completion
The WW1 Project, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, started in 2014 and is now approaching completion. Here are a few images to illustrate some of the achievements.
Continue readingWheatley History – website revamp
The website team has developed a separate Archive sub-site WW1 Men to present material from the book ‘They Were a Wall’ produced as part of the WW1 Commemoration project. The existing site has been moved to a new advert-free platform with a more modern style and, in due course, will be
Continue readingFrom Temple Close to Templars Close
On Friday, 13 October 1307, France arrested its Knights Templar. A dawn swoop in January 1308 saw the English, Scots and Irish Templars taken in. The commander [Preceptor] at Temple Sandford was held in Oxford Castle, while his sergeants [servants] and lay-brothers continued running Templar lands under open arrest. Wheatley
Continue reading‘They Were a Wall’ – free download
The book ‘They Were a Wall – Wheatley in a World at War 1914-19’ is now available as a pdf file for free download – click ‘They Were a Wall’ book. If you’d like a printed copy for £4.99 plus postage please visit or email the Wheatley Village Archive – see
Continue reading‘A Country fit for Heroes to live in’ – Prime Minister Lloyd George, 1918
New homes rewarded the returning soldiers of 1919 when local authorities became major landlords, with subsidies and powers to compel land purchase. Wheatley’s housing stock rose by 30% (100 homes) in the 1920s, half of them the Wheatley Urban District Council black-and-white faced ‘Tudorbethans’ on the new London Rd [‘The
Continue readingThe Holton Park Archive
Kevin Heritage of Wheatley Park School has created an excellent website chronicling the history of the Holton Park Estate, now the site of Wheatley Park School. It covers eras from Roman and Saxon times to the present day, and contains many fascinating documents and images. Of particular interest are two videos, of
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