A Thousand Years Of Faces In Oxfordshire

WINSTON CHURCHILL, Roger Bannister and Rosamund the Fair are just a few of the famous faces appearing in an exhibition to celebrate a thousand years of Oxfordshire history.
Oxfordshire County Council’s museum stores have been raided to uncover portraits from the county’s past, appearing on knives, spoons, biscuit tins, matchboxes as well as more conventional backgrounds.
The exhibition, called Who is Who? A Thousand Years of Oxfordshire Faces, will be on show at the county council’s Oxfordshire Museum, Woodstock, from September 22 to November 18.

Images on display range from popular fairground clowns and legendary characters to exquisitely painted female portraits of local families in velvet lined golden lockets.

A beautifully painted cricket bat used to advertise St. Giles brickworks, sits alongside a brass pipe-stopper in the form of a jockey’s bust, and some 1930s hat stands from Capes Department store in St. Ebbes.
The exhibition includes interactive activities for children and there will be a special programme of events for children during half-term, as well as talks and workshops for adults.

An interactive timeline will provide historical context and a touch screen will reveal how widespread portrait images were before the late 20th century media revolution.

Oxfordshire County Council curator Cherry Gray said: “The exhibition is a wonderful mix of art and artefacts, all of which have a strong link with Oxfordshire and reflect its past in terms of home life, work and play. There’s something in it for all the family.
“Many objects have a story to tell, like the uniform of Nurse Cornish who worked at the John Radcliffe Hospital during the First World War.
“The uniform evokes memories of the time when the hospital grounds were filled with marquees to cater for heavy wartime casualties, and how other civilian “armies” must have slaved in laundries, with nothing but soap and water to keep thousands of medical staff and patients in starched collars and bed linen.”

Museum opening hours: Tues-Sat10am to 5pm; Sun 2-5pm; closed Mondays. Free admission. Telephone: 01993 814104