Uncovering the history of an ancient village
Eynsham Museum and Heritage Centre (EMHC) was established in 2021. Our aims are: to showcase some of the wonderful objects that bring to life Eynsham’s long and distinguished history; nurture pride in the community for its roots; and provide inspiration for future generations.
In March 2023, Eynsham Parish Council granted EMHC a lease on the Bartholomew Room in the Market Square. In autumn 2023, we held our first exhibition, Eynsham’s Lost Railway, which was so popular that it needed an extended run.
Our next exhibition, Rural Eynsham, ran from 13 July to 27 October 2024, and was very well-received by villagers and visitors to Eynsham alike. Alongside this, our popular photographic exhibition, Eynsham Past and Present, gave a fascinating glimpse into the changing face of the village.
We reopened both exhibitions on 5 April 2025, and they will run until the end of October 2025. Opening hours are weekends and bank holidays from 11am to 4pm.
In the meantime, we are working our way towards our permanent exhibition in the upstairs gallery. Along with our own collection of historical artefacts, we are hoping to borrow Eynsham-related objects from other museums and from the Museum Resources Centre in Standlake.
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News
June 2025
Since reopening, we have been pleased to welcome a steady stream of visitors to our Rural Eynsham exhibition and Eynsham Past and Present photographic display. We have also been thrilled by the success of our recent fundraising events (see News archive), which raised £1350 for the museum. Thank you everyone involved in organising them and to those who supported them.
Recently, a boy named Jack Colyer found the ‘cartwheel’ penny coin below on land belonging to Steve and Posy Parrinder. It is a King George III coin, dated 1797. Sometime – probably in the late 19th or early 20th century – four holes were drilled into it, perhaps to make a distinctive button. The coin will eventually be displayed in the museum.
Barbara Bibb has kindly donated to the museum a late 19th-century painting by the artist G. Lovell. It appears to show Eynsham’s wharf stream and a narrowboat being pulled by a horse, with Wytham Hill in the backround.
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** For previous news items, please go to the News archive. **
Object of the month
For more about Object of the Month, click on the next link (date heading).
- June 2025This half groat is a silver coin from the York mint. It was donated to the Eynsham History Group many years ago by the Oakley family. The… Read more: June 2025
