The Wallingford Historical & Archaeological Society - TWHAS

13/06/2026

NEXT TALK
July 8 (Weds) – Charles Boundy: “Before the Conquest – Wessex versus the Vikings – the wider picture”
Charles has a legal background, including a period as a Legal Director for a major publishing group. He is author of ‘Ice to Athelstan – The Emergence of England’ (pub. Nov 24) and ‘Conquest to Charter – The Resilience of England 940 to 1272’ (due out June 2026). Charles has been giving talks about the various periods covered, including (by zoom) to the national U3A audience which have built up a considerable following.
Charles’s talk will fill in some of the gaps between the reigns of King Alfred and Edward the Confessor, including Viking inroads, the role of Wessex as the ‘Last Kingdom’, and the Vikings in Dublin, York and Normandy through to the Danish Conquest under Sweyn and C**t. It will be an overview of events that were later to lead to the Norman Conquest of 1066.

24/05/2026

June 10 (Weds) – Joe Trevorrow: “Drawings in the Jungle - the wonders of Makunaimá Cave"
Deep in the Pakaraima Mountains of Guyana there are stories of caves full of mysterious drawings unknown to only the indigenous Patamona of the Village of Kopinang. In 2025 an expedition led by Patamona guides investigated these stories. What the expedition found was one of the most significant archaeological sites in Guyana and something no one expected.

04/05/2026

19/04/2026

May 13 (Weds) - – Ben Ford (Senior Project Manager, Oxford Archaeology): “Reflections on recent archaeological discoveries in Oxford”

Over the last 15 years Ben has principally focused on excavations in Oxford; his project at the Westgate won British Archaeology's 2016 Project of the Year.

Recent excavations by Oxford Archaeology at Oriel and Hertford Colleges in central Oxford will be discussed, showing how their results shed new light on the form of the earliest Anglo-Saxon burh defences. The main focus of the talk will be on very recent excavations at Old Buildings Quad, Hertford College, with evidence about Catte Street as a centre of medieval book production.

22/03/2026

April 8 (Weds) - Judy Dewey (Wallingford Museum Curator): “Agatha Christie 1890-1976: a Fiftieth Anniversary retrospective”
Agatha Christie was a very private person, but even 50 years after her death she is still inspiring film-makers, writers and readers with her plots, many of which began life at Winterbrook House on the boundary of Wallingford and Cholsey. Should Agatha Christie, ‘Queen of Crime’, now rightly be joining the ranks of royalty who have dominated Wallingford’s past? What potential does she still hold for us, and what is it that makes her so intriguing as our most renowned 20th century ‘local’?
Whether you love or avoid Agatha’s work, this talk will hopefully give you something to think about, now and for the future!

05/03/2026

March 11 (Weds) - Andy Hood: “On-going excavations at Winterbrook and New Barn Farm by Foundations Archaeology, with an update on the Cholsey Roman villa report”
Our speaker, Andy Hood has over 20 years experience in commercial archaeology, when he began working for Foundations Archaeology in 2000, whilst studying for an archaeology degree. Since 2005, he has managed numerous archaeological projects, including watching briefs, evaluations and excavations.
He will describe the ongoing excavations in Winterbrook (ie. south Wallingford) and at New Barn Farm gravel quarry (adjacent Wallingford bypass).
Andy was the project leader for Foundations Archaeology whilst working on a housing development in Cholsey in 2017, and he will update on the discovery of a Roman villa there.

01/02/2026

11 Feb (Weds) - Jonathan Stamp: "The Summer of '43"​
Jonathan Stamp, who lives in Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, has a keen interest in Roman history and has for long been fascinated by the local presence of Romans.
His Talk will give the historical/political background to his hypothesis that the recently discovered Brightwell-cum-Sotwell Roman road was first used very early on in the Roman invasion, even in very first year of the Roman invasion in 43AD.
Come and hear the evidence, and decide for yourself!" It promises to be a very interesting evening.

28/12/2025

TWHAS Talk - Weds, 8pm, 14th Jan 2026 - Ed Caswell: "Bronze Age Oxfordshire - Was it the Wild West of its Day?"
Visitors very welcome (£5)

28/12/2025

TWHAS Talk - Weds, 8pm, 11th Feb 2026 - Jonathan Stamp: "The Summer of '43"​
Jonathan Stamp, who lives in Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, has a keen interest in Roman history and has for long been fascinated by the local presence of Romans.
His Talk will give the historical/political background to his hypothesis that the recently discovered Brightwell-cum-Sotwell Roman road was first used very early on in the Roman invasion, even in very first year of the Roman invasion in 43AD.
Come and hear the evidence, and decide for yourself!" It promises to be a very interesting evening.
Visitors very welcome (£5)

11/10/2025

TWHAS Talk - at St Mary's Church, Wallingford. 8.00pm Weds 12th Nov
Visitors very welcome (£5)
Richard Oram: 'County archaeology roundup'
Richard is Lead Archaeologist at Oxfordshire County Council. He will be a contributor to the TWHAS forthcoming Wallingford test pits publication.
This talk will provide an update on recent archaeological discoveries from fieldwork undertaken as part of the planning process across the county and aim to provide some background to add context to this new information.