The Oxhill News

This months News

Contents

The mid 1930s saw two major national celebrations – George V’s Jubilee in 1935, and, (following the brief reign of Edward VIII), the Coronation of George VI in 1937.  The village celebrated both in style, each with meals for everyone, sports and games in the afternoon, and a social evening.  Commemorative trees were planted, for the Jubilee a copper beech, for the Coronation a red chestnut.  The story goes that at the Jubilee planting ceremony, the Vicar, Mr Brayne, who was known to be a little inept at public speaking, became rather lost for words, and kept repeating “I hope this tree will grow and grow……..and grow……..and grow……, until a voice from the crowd called out “I think it’s grown enough, Vicar!” and everyone burst out in laughter and applause.

The village’s Jubilee celebrations cost £20.6s.6½d; those for the Coronation cost £21.15s.7½d.  (It does perhaps help to remember that the average agricultural weekly wage was then £1.12s.0d.).  The Jubilee costs were largely met from village subscription.  The Coronation ones were met from an amalgamation of obsolete village funds.  The Cricket Club, which had existed in the 1920s and well into the1930s, no longer operated by 1936; nor did the Wake, the small fair which had traditionally been held on August 10th, the feast day of St Lawrence.  The village Reading Room was also redundant.  It had earlier been housed in the semi-derelict cottages that pre-dated Peacock Cottages by the pub, but by this time it was in part of what is now Meadow Cottage, Gilks Lane.  No longer used, the books and effects were to be sold off.  The three funds were amalgamated into The Village Trust Fund, which covered the cost of the celebrations.  However it was then, disconcertingly, discovered that the cost of the new church flag and flagpole which had been purchased for the occasion had been overlooked, and that the Fund held not quite enough to meet this.  A Whist Drive was quickly arranged to take care of the sum outstanding, and all ended happily

This site is maintained by villagers of Oxhill for the benefit of the community and those interested in the history, news and activities that make the village such a pleasant place to live.

Last modified: March 17, 2009