June is the month of the Wolvercote and Wytham Festival. Our eighth Festival looks back at life during the Edwardian era - often portrayed as a romantic period of long hot summers, garden parties and big hats. But this was also a period of great change. This was a time when Britain's rigid class system was about to be shaken by the emergence of socialism, women's suffrage and the first world war. The period brought us music from Elgar as well as the Music Hall, the Art Nouveau movement and books from H.G Wells and Beatrix Potter. New technologies emerged to record music on wax cylinders and moving pictures on acetate film. Einstein and Freud were producing their famous work whilst Eglantine Jebb founded the Save the Children Fund. Marconi sent the first wireless signals across the Atlantic and the Wright brothers made their first flights. The Titanic set sail on it's fateful maiden voyage. Children played with hoops, teddy bears and hobby horses whilst the better off constructed with Meccano and took pictures with the Box Brownie camera.
If you are interested in more local history, some reflections of Edwardian life in Wolvercote have been made into a leaflet for the festival by Ann Spokes Symonds and is available for sale at the Post Box.
This year we are pleased to welcome Wytham village into the festival and we look forward to their events. Friends of All Saints are delighted to be invited to host the craft exhibition and there is great excitement about the ‘Ashes’ cricket challenge between Wolvercote and Wytham
The Festival spans two weekends with events in the midweek evenings. On the second Saturday, the Children’s Parade and Morris dancing lead from the Baptist Church Hall to the St Peter’s Church Fete, linking both parts of the village.
The events are free unless stated. It is not a fundraising event in itself, aiming only to cover costs, but if money is raised beyond what is needed to stage the events, then donations are made to local organisations.
We look forward to seeing you there and hope you enjoy it.
Wednesday, 2 June 2010
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