The Oxfordshire Museum
The changing countryside
Explore the changes to Oxfordshire’s countryside through reading and play.
What you can expect
Become more or less bang up to date with the Oxfordshire we see today.
You’ll learn more about its changing appearance, the role of agriculture and farming, how wildlife played a part, and the impact of the Second World War.
The gallery timeline begins shortly before the Second World War, in a quaint and traditional rural setting. Moving on to the war years and the need to greatly increase production, there is real change in the character of the countryside.
Post war you’ll see how industrial farming and over production, urban, housing and transport expansion all had an impact.
A video, inspired by the 1946 documentary, '24 square miles' explains more. Made by pioneering female documentary director, Kay Mander, the government commissioned 24 square miles as part of its examination of country planning after the war.
It was filmed in the countryside near Banbury, across an area of 24 square miles. Mander provided a compelling insight into rural life in Oxfordshire.
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