Our members visit Dorchester on Thames

On Saturday 19 September 26 society members gathered at the village hall in Dorchester on Thames, Oxfordshire, for our second members’ day in recent years. 

Photo: Open Spaces Society.

We were treated to a fascinating talk by Professor Malcolm Airs, who has lived in Dorchester for about 50 years and is a mine of information about the history of the village and its surroundings.  He told us about the iron age fort, and subsequent fortified town on Dyke Hills, and the Roman and Anglo Saxon settlements here.  He explained the history of the former cathedral, abbey, and parish church, and more recent history, including the story behind the registration of the first Scheduled Ancient Monument in England.  You can find a link to his enlightening videos, in which he explains the buildings of Dorchester, here.  

He was followed by Becky Waller and Louise Aukland, who led the campaign to save the local paths and green spaces from inclosure by a new landowner in 2016.  With the support of the society they applied to register the Dyke Hills and Day’s Lock Meadow as village greens, and to record the paths to their full widths.  After a strenuous and courageous campaign they were delighted when the landowner sold the land to Keith Ives who generously registered the greens voluntarily, and dedicated the greater width of the paths, moving and removing the obnoxious fencing so that the public could once again enjoy this splendid area. 

After lunch many members joined Becky on a walk across the village greens, and up to Wittenham Clumps, to admire the 700 BCE hill fort there, and the view to the Chiltern escarpment, over the Thames valley, and away to the North Wessex Downs. 

Photo: Open Spaces Society

Finally, we returned to the village hall for a welcome cup of tea. 

Thank you to the members who joined us; it was a pleasure to have the opportunity to get to know each other, and to chat informally about many local campaigns.