When not researching the past, Andy has worked as a head teacher, actor and storyteller and has just retired as a bookseller with Waterstones. He has always had a passion for history and hopes his talks will inspire others to delve deeper into his subjects.
Dr Julia Phillips is Hons Senior Research Associate and lecturer at the University of Bristol. She received her PhD for her research examining how witches and witchcraft were featured in newspapers in Victorian Britain. Her work has been published in books, academic journals, and popular magazines, and she is a regular presenter at conferences and […]
Stephen’s interest lies in promoting people’s understanding of their military heritage, specialising in work relating to the First World War and British Civil Wars. He is a writer, makes over fifty presentations per year to a range of different audiences in the South Midlands area and operates a number of British Civil Wars tours.
Tim Healey is a popular Oxford-based freelance writer, broadcaster, and historian who speaks on local history, folklore, and Victorian and 17th-century life. He presents to local history societies, U3A groups, and libraries using visual PowerPoint presentations and often appears in period costume as part of the 17th-century band, The Oxford Waits.
Liz Woolley is a local historian specialising in aspects of the history of Oxford and Oxfordshire. She is particularly interested in the history of the city’s “town” – as opposed to “gown” – and in the everyday lives of rural people across the county, chiefly during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Douglas Butler is an author and speaker known for his presentations and historical research on maritime history, specifically the Mutiny on the Bounty. Butler is a frequent guest speaker for local history and community groups. His work typically focuses on re-examining the 1789 uprising on the HMS Bounty, often exploring the complex relationship between Captain William Bligh […]
Bill King is a prominent UK-based military history speaker specialising in World War II, particularly British resistance organisations and special forces. He frequently presents to historical societies, the National Trust, and on television, focusing on topics such as Churchill’s “secret army,” the River Thames in wartime, and D-Day, often covering regions including Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, and […]
Mark Davies speaks on a variety of historical and literary themes to organisations all over Oxfordshire (and beyond – Ireland in 2017 and 2023, for instance, and Assam in India in 2018) . He also leads walks through less-visited parts of Oxford for a range of local and international organisations and at annual events such as […]
Our final 2026/7 evening meeting will start with the AGM and then feature sessions entitled ‘Topics from our Archive’. Members and visitors will also have a chance to look at selections from the extensive range of archive photos currently being catalogued at the WLHS study centre in Groves Yard.