Eynsham Museum and Heritage Centre

A showcase for Eynsham History & Heritage, based in the Bartholomew Room

Eynsham Museum & Heritage Centre (EMHC) is a long-term project to provide a museum in the village, to display the history of this special place, tell fascinating stories of past lives, nurture the pride of the community for its roots and provide an inspiration for future generations. We actively involve the community in our plans especially through contacts with the school and village groups.

The historic Market Hall building was refurbished by the Parish Council in 2021 and handed over to EMHC on a 25-year lease on 1 March 2023. We opened the Museum with 2 temporary exhibitions in August 2023 and July 2024. We hope to open a new permanent exhibition space in the upstairs room in late 2025.

We are a Registered Charity - Entry No. 1197006. We are entirely volunteer-run with no core funding and we rely on fundraising efforts, grants, donations from individuals and regular donations from our “Friends” organisation for our projects, changing exhibitions and running costs.

We are seeking grants and sponsorships to enable us to create an inspiring new exhibition space. We have been working hard on designs and costings to fit out the spaces for permanent and changing exhibits displaying aspects of Eynsham’s past as an important centre of culture, religion and learning. We are working with museum suppliers and lighting experts and preparing bids for funding to make it a reality.

In the interim we have seized on the opportunity to use the spaces for temporary exhibitions. Our very successful exhibition upstairs on “Eynsham’s Lost Railway,” featuring a delightful working model of the railway station in its landscape has now ended but the model remains as part of our new exhibition.

"RURAL EYNSHAM"...

explores Eynsham’s history and development as a rural community from the Middle Ages through to the 20th century and its impact on the present life of the village. Scroll down for a taster.

We look forward to welcoming you from Saturday 5th April 2025 until the autumn 2025, on Saturdays, Sundays and Monday Bank Holidays from 11am to 4 pm. We will publicise the actual closing date of the exhibition later in the summer.

Downstairs we have a photo exhibition of Eynsham in pictures past and present.

You can find a lot more of interest and information about our collections on our website including an "Object of the Month". Just go to eynshammuseum.org.uk or click on the link above.

Over 3000 visitors have visited the Museum from the local area, Oxford, all over the UK and even worldwide. They have been fascinated by the window into a less hectic past that the exhibitions offer and it has stimulated lots of memories and stories from visitors.

If you would like to help as a volunteer in the setting up / running of the Eynsham Museum pleas& email us.

Rural Eynsham: ‘Ensham’ Occupations in the 1851 Census

What was a Bark Hatcher, a Fancy Worker, a Slopmaker?! Can you guess?

Ensham had 317 Agricultural workers. Of these there were...

222 Ag Labs, 9 Field Women, 2 Hay trussers bundling hay, 4 Ploughboys, 7 Shepherds, 31 Farm Labourers, 3 Nurserymen, 1 Dairy Woman, 6 Landed Proprietors, 25 Farmers and more...

And 22 Professionals

1Baptist Minister, Henry Matthew, 1 Vicar, William Bricknell, 1 Schoolmaster & 5 School Mistresses, 1 Excise Officer, collecting taxes, 2 Governesses, 7 Nurses, 2 Land Surveyors, & 2 Surgeons.

There were about 80 different Crafts, Trades and Businesses including...

• 3 Bark Hatchers preparing tree bark for tanning leather
• 1 Candlemaker
• 2 boy Chimney Sweeps
• 2 Coopers making barrels
• 1 Fancy Worker doing ornamental needlework
• 110 people making Gloves
• 2 Milliners making hats & bonnets
• 10 Slopmakers sewing ready-made hard wearing clothing
• 8 Ropemakers (Eynsham still has some very long gardens that accomodated 'Ropewalks')
• 2 Miners( ?! )
• 1 Washerwoman

Also 116 Servants, including 5 at Ensham Hall, These included

1 Butler, 2 Footmen, 2 Lady's Maids, 39 Housekeepers & 59 House Servants

And not least, the 'Others'...

11 Annuitants with an inheritance or pension, 18 Errand boys/girls, 9 Pupils, 1 Sailor, 2 Hawkers or Pedlars, 17 Paupers forced into the Workhouse & 1 Parish Beadle keeping order!