Last year Neil Packenham-Walsh, Charlbury resident and keen metal detectorist, received permission from the Thomas Gifford Trust to survey The Playing Close. Over many months Neil systematically searched the area, turning up many fascinating items. For centuries the Playing Close has been used for fairs, fetes, religious gatherings, animal markets and town meetings so inevitably …
The museum has applied for accreditation which, if granted, will enable the museum to apply for grants to improve and develop the collection. As part of this, volunteers have been receiving training in conserving objects in the museum. Many items that come to use have been stored in attics or cupboards and need cleaning or …
The Playing Close has been at the centre of Charlbury life for hundreds of years. But it wasn’t always the tranquil, green space that it is today. In the past it rang with the sounds of sawing and hammering, of sheep and horses brought to market there, and smelt strongly of dung and smoke. People …
After 75 years as part of the Charlbury Society, the Museum has now become a charity in its own right. We are now registered with the Charity Commission as a CIO (Charitable Incorporated Organisation), run by a committee of volunteer Trustees. The Trustees are supported by other volunteers working behind the scenes and by a …
On Sunday 25th August 2025, as part of the Charlbury Arts Festival, the museum organised a walk and talk event exploring the history of the Playing Close. A pleasing number of people came to hear how the Close and surrounding houses have changed over the centuries. As early as 1447 this area was used …
Christopher Bartlett, and his wife Violetta, were famous honey producers who lived and worked in Charlbury. Before the first world war, at the age of 20, he already had over 2,000 hives. He married Violetta in 1901 in Witney and they moved to Sandford Mount in 1919. His whole family were involved in the business …
The revival in 1924 of the tradition of Beating the Bounds of the parish, not held for thirteen years, attracted a large number of people eager to take part. Men, women and children gathered in their best clothes for a happy day out. Yet very soon tragedy struck. As a punt loaded with children and …
At Charlbury Museum on Saturday 28th October 2023, the Cotswold Line Promotion Group (CLPG) presented to the museum a nameplate from a former Great Western Railway High Speed Train. The nameplate was provided by the CLPG in 2003 both to celebrate the life of Sir Peter Parker, the former Chairman of the British Railways Board, …
Earlier this year, the museum was very fortunate to be given a beautiful antique clock made here in Charlbury by James Street (1799-1836). The longcase clock with its decorative painted dial, signed Street, Charlbury, is a splendid addition to the collection. It has spent its whole life in Oxfordshire and was given as a wedding …
We have a new sign! Created by local stone carver, Ben Williams, it is carved in York stone and features a beautifully carved gauntlet, an appropriate image from Charlbury’s historic gloving trade. The sign was commissioned by the museum in memory of Jennifer Bartlett (1935-2020). Jennifer was born in the town and had a long …