Don and Sue Chapman settled in Eynsham in 1970 - Don as journalist and columnist for the Oxford Mail and Times; and Sue as photographer for the newspaper group. She took this photo of him in his element at Oxford Playhouse in October 2017.
They devoted the early years to renovating Millstone Cottage and producing a family. Don also founded Eynsham and District Liberal Democrats and launched their newsletter, As It Happens. His campaign about the toll-bridge led to quotes in the Wall Street Journal and coast to coast appearances on American television. He later chaired the committee which organised Eynsham's celebrations to mark the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977 and purchased the Bartholomew Room for the village
Don was also a founder member of the Eynsham Society and contributed enormously to its activities over many years.
After a long battle with ME he took early retirement in 1994; and a couple of years later at the request of the directors embarked on a history of the Oxford Playhouse. What he thought would be a two-year doddle turned into a 12-year marathon because all the archives from 1923 to 1956 had vanished: the past could be reclaimed only from old newspapers and magazines. The labour of love was finally completed in July 2006, with a doctorate from the University of Leicester.
Further studies have followed! Wearing the Trousers (2008) traces the development of the rational dress movement and the rise of the modern woman; while A Tenpenny Dip in Paradise is a collection of lighter articles, launched in 2022 at an event hosted by the Eynsham Society.
Don also shared scores of Eynsham-related articles from his newspaper days with readers of Eynsham Online. Read his first impressions of our village.