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Explore - Murder & Mayhem

Longwall Street, Oxford, looking south

The Site of Holywell Gallows, aka Gownsman's Gallows

19 September 2022

Junction of Longwall Street and Holywell Street, Oxford

The gallows that once stood on this site saw the brutal executions of the 1589 Catholic martyrs among others.

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The St. Thomas area of Oxford, circa 1947

A religious cult is hounded out of Oxford

20 April 2022

St. Thomas Street, Oxford

In 1825, many men in Oxford fell under the spell of a fanatical evangelist whose preaching urged them to leave their wives.

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Merton Street Oxford

Door knocker-stealing craze of the 1830s

29 March 2022

Merton Street, Oxford

In the 1830s, university authorities were locked in an ongoing battle of wits with students intent on stealing college door knockers!

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Eynsham Railway Station, 1959

The Eynsham Railway Station Robbery of 1927

13 February 2022

Old Station Way, Eynsham

In December 1927 an attempt to steal the safe from Eynsham Railway Station resulted in a harrowing ordeal for station porter Frederick Castle.

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Oxford Railway Station circa 1969

The Oxford Rail Disaster of 1853

20 January 2022

Oxford Railway Station, Rewley Road

On the 8th January 1853, a series of misunderstandings led to one of the most deadly rail disasters in Oxford's history.

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Charlbury Anti-Vaccination Protest Poster, 1897

Charlbury Anti-Vaccination Riots of 1897

6 January 2022

Church Street, Charlbury

In 1897, riotous scenes in Charlbury made headlines nationwide as the small town found itself at the centre of the debate around compulsory smallpox vaccinations.

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The River Evenlode

Beating the Bounds Tragedy at Charlbury

29 December 2021

River Evenlode, Charlbury

A quaint custom ended in disaster in 1924 when a capsized boat on the River Evenlode resulted in the drowning of three children.

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