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In this series we seek to rediscover film footage of Oxford’s past and make it available for public viewing. How has Oxford changed? How has it remained the same? What important events have happened at Oxford University? Each episode in the series makes use of archive films to explore when, where and how the films were taken, and what they can tell us about the history of the University, the city of Dreaming Spires and the surrounding Oxfordshire countryside. The series will include films ranging from the 1920s to the present day, featuring life in Oxford before and during World War Two, life as a student at the University, visiting dignitaries, the evolution of the city centre and much more.
The Oxford on Film series of videos is an output of the Dreaming Spools initiative. Dreaming Spools is a University of Oxford film archive project managed by Peter Robinson in the Educational Media Services team. The team are searching for lost film footage to bring old film footage out of the attics and into the archives and the wider local community. Many of the episodes are edited by local work experience students. More on the old Dreaming Spools blog: https://web.archive.org/web/20180226151245/http://blogs.it.ox.ac.uk/drea...
| # | Episode Title | Description | People | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | Encaenia - Now and Then | Archive footage of Oxford University's Encaenia ceremony | Peter Robinson | 12 Apr 2024 | |
| 17 | Creative Commons | Wartime Oxford - June 1943 and 1944 | Archive film of Oxford from June 1943 and June 1944 | Peter Robinson | 12 Apr 2024 |
| 16 | Creative Commons | High Street - Now and Then | Archive film footage of High Street, Oxford from 1937 and 1944. | Peter Robinson | 12 Apr 2024 |
| 15 | Creative Commons | Rules and Regulations | Archival film uncovers the quirky dos and don'ts that governed student life in the golden age of the 1920s and 30s. | Peter Robinson | 12 Apr 2024 |
| 14 | Creative Commons | Cycling Through Time | Archive footage of cycling through the busy streets of Oxford and Cowley in the 1920s, 40s, and 50s. | Peter Robinson | 12 Apr 2024 |
| 13 | Creative Commons | St Giles' Fair | The changing faces of St Giles' Fair. In this episode we look at St Giles' Fair which is held for two days in September in the heart of the city. | Peter Robinson, Charlie Beesley | 12 Apr 2024 |
| 12 | Recruiting March of the Oxfordshire Women's Land Army 1918 | This film was made in April 1918 as a recruitment tool by the government's Women's War department. | Peter Robinson | 08 Mar 2023 | |
| 11 | Oxford 1918 - Then and Now | In this episode we compare and contrast locations in and around Oxford from 1918, and the present day. | Peter Robinson | 08 Mar 2023 | |
| 10 | Oxford - Work, Rest and Play | In this episode we look at social history scenes from various archive films showing Oxford at work, rest and play. | Peter Robinson | 08 Mar 2023 | |
| 9 | Oxford at War in 1944 | In this 2nd episode, we collate rare colour Oxfordshire footage shot in 1944 by US airforce officers. Film clips concentrate on the social life in Oxford city centre, Wallingford, Dorchester, Abingdon and surrounding villages. | Peter Robinson | 07 May 2020 | |
| 8 | Creative Commons | May Morning, Oxford 1993 | Thousands gather on the High Street on May Morning, Oxford 1993. | Charles Beesley | 01 May 2020 |
| 7 | Varsity Trip: The Oxford and Cambridge Ski Trip | In 1949, filmmakers Guy L. Coté and Hugh Wyn Griffith directed the film ‘Sestrieres’ for the Oxford Ski Club, about their trip to the Italian ski resort, Sestriere. We compare this with film of a recent trip, highlighting obvious changes in student life! | Peter Robinson, Hannah Lucas | 15 Dec 2014 | |
| 6 | A Yank Abroad: Visiting (and re-visiting) the Oxfordshire countryside | Rare 16 mm film footage from the mid-1930s of american tourists touring the Oxfordshire countryside by bike, and also footage shot by US airforce crew in 1944 visting Wallingford and Aylesbury. | Peter Robinson, Hannah Lucas | 15 Dec 2014 | |
| 5 | Mesopotamia: An Oxford Archaeological Expedition | Film of the joint expedition to Kish, Mesopotamia, by Oxford University with the Field Museum of Natural History, of Chicago, Illinois, from 1920-29. The 16mm footage reveals the immense scale of the archaeological dig involving hundreds of people. | Peter Robinson, Hannah Lucas | 15 Dec 2014 | |
| 4 | Oxford At War: Footage from Mount Farm Airbase | World War Two arrives in Oxford in this episode, using never before seen Oxford footage from a US Flight Surgeon for the 14th Photo Reconnaissance Unit at Mount Farm Airbase, Dorchester. Includes colour and monochrome film from 1944. | Peter Robinson, Hannah Lucas | 03 Oct 2014 | |
| 3 | A Day on the River: The Oxford Steamers | Salter’s Steamers have operated since 1858, and we revisit them in the 1940s as an American U.S.A.F Unit make use of a break from their war service to enjoy a leisurely day on the Thames to Wallingford. Includes rare colour 16mm film from autumn 1944. | Peter Robinson, Hannah Lucas | 03 Oct 2014 | |
| 2 | Oxford: Then and Now | We compare and contrast locations in and around the city from the 1940s, and the present day. How have the places and people changed? How present is the Second World War in 1940s Oxford? After 70 years how different is Oxford? | Peter Robinson, Hannah Lucas | 01 Oct 2014 | |
| 1 | Attic to Archive - Welcome to the Dreaming Spools Project | In this episode we take you on a trip through time as we introduce a selection of the archive film footage that the Dreaming Spools project has discovered. | Peter Robinson, Hannah Lucas | 01 Oct 2014 |