Makers, Merchants & Market Days

The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker… what did your ancestors do, and what was their daily life like?

We’ll be celebrating the working lives, routines and traditions that have shaped our communities for generations as part of the Heritage Open Days ‘Everyday Histories’ from September 11^th-September 19^th

Join us for free family activities, guided walking tours of the Market Square, the chance to explore the Bishops Palace and an opportunity to join a family history surgery session and find out more about what your ancestors did.

For more than 800 years, the square has been the centre of everyday life in Witney ­- a place where traders sold their goods, craftspeople honed their skills, shoppers gathered and neighbours met. You’ll uncover the people and professions that kept the town thriving, from market sellers and shopkeepers to blanket-makers, brewers and more specialist trades such as the local watchmaker.

In Witney, we immediately think of Steve Fletcher, whose family have been crafting and repairing timepieces in the town for generations – Steve’s now very well known for demonstrating his skills on BBC TV’s popular Repair Shop programme, but he’s still a Witney lad through and through and we’ve interviewed him for our oral histories project. You can hear Steve’s story here.

By Denise Barkley, volunteer