OPHG Past Events & Productions
The Oxenhall Parish History Group (OPHG) has held many of these over the years to show the results of our research to local people.
With the help of grants we followed advice from experts and started recording the memories of the oldest residents in Oxenhall. We also collected current information about life in the parish at the turn of the Millennium. We then realised that a Centenary, historically significant locally, was coming in 2013. It was the Sale of the Onslow Estate which owned most of the parish which enabled many tenants to become owners of their homes. We researched and presented this as an Exhibition, repeating it twice in later years, and produced a comprehensive book about the parish and a video of contemporary life in 2012-2013
Now it is time to put the results of our work online for others, we hope, to enjoy - and possibly continue.
A Timeline of OPHG Past Events & Productions
1995
50th Anniversary of the ending of WWII
Two evenings of wartime memories from the older members of our community, later recorded in our Anthology published in 1999 - see below.
1999
Arts for Everyone Millennium Project - Wallhangings & Anthology
This saw the creation of Wallhangings depicting 75% of Oxenhall homes - later awarded 1st Prize in the Malvern Quilting Show. Also a collection of writings by and about the people of Oxenhall were combined in our Anthology. In addition we created two albums of photographs as a record of almost every Oxenhall family in their homes at the turn of the Millennium - not available online but kept safely in the OPHG archives.
The Iron Industry in Oxenhall
An M.A. Dissertation by a member our group, Evangeline Goulding.
2013
Centenary Exhibition | Then & Now - A Century of Change
Celebrating 100 years since the Sale of the Onslow Estate in 1913. After researching the reasons for the Sale and the history of all the properties in Oxenhall this Heritage Lottery-funded Exhibition lasted over five days. Individual properties and their owners were illustrated on large panels with files of further information into which visitors could delve into, which they did with great interest. Over 900 visitors came to this small parish - with a population fewer than 200! - and were able to appreciate its distinctive qualities. The individual property histories, a summary of research carried out by the OPHG into the Background to the Onslow Estate, and the informative Centenary Exhibition display panels and can be viewed below.
The Woodlands of Oxenhall
A comprehensive history of our beautiful northern part of the Forest of Dean formed part of the Exhibition.
Water in Oxenhall
The aquifer, brooks, streams, man-made lake and former canal all of which played significant roles in our local history also formed part of the Exhibition.
The book Oxenhall - A Century of Change and video Oxenhall In Four Seasons
Produced as part of the same project, the book described how the parish had evolved over the previous 100 years and more, with all 600 copies sold out. The book is no longer available to buy, but we have now made it available online as with the video - which illustrated contemporary life in Oxenhall during the year 2012-2013, and already we can see in 2026 how rapidly life is changing. Both are viewable via the buttons below.
2015
Exhibition Reprise (No.1)
By request, a scaled-down repeat of the 2013 Exhibition and this time held in Newent.
2023
Exhibition Reprise (No.2) & The Oxenhall Parish Survey
Again by popular request, a repeat of the 2013 Exhibition was staged in Oxenhall Parish Hall. This time visitor numbers brought the grand total over ten years to more than 1500. This time the exhibition included The Oxenhall Parish Survey. This recorded attendees’ contemporary knowledge and interest in the parish and included some attitudes to life in 2023, and can be viewed via the button below.
