Cogges Manor Farm is gathering memories from local residents for their Witney Remembers project.

If you have a previous connection with the manor house and farmstead museum at Cogges, and you’re happy to share your story, they're keen to hear from you.

Learning and community engagement manager Laura Dean said: “Our hope is that this project will give families, older people, community groups and schools the opportunity to input into the history of Cogges.

"It provides the possibility to uncover stories and connections to Cogges for more people to enjoy and discover.

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"The project will not only input into a collection of oral histories connected to Cogges and Witney, it will also work towards the development of an exhibition."

The last family to live and work at Cogges Manor Farm was the Mawle family which has left the strongest stamp on the house and farmyard.

Local farmer Joseph Mawle took over the tenancy in 1877 and the Mawle family eventually bought the freehold and continued to live there until 1975.

Joseph and his wife Elizabeth had seven children – Joseph, John Francis (known as Frank), Edward, Harry, Eliza, Margaret and Ralph.

Cogges has recently interviewed Eileen Mawle, daughter-in-law of Ted (son of Frank).

Now they would love to hear from local residents willing to share their stories of working for the Mawles, doing business with them or socialising with them.

They would also like to capture moments through time since 1974 when Oxfordshire County Council bought Cogges Manor Farm and converted the house and farmstead into a museum.

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It was sympathetically preserved by OCC for 30 years before Cogges Heritage Trust took over the management of Cogges as a charity and reopened Cogges Manor Farm to visitors in 2011.

If you have any stories you would like to share or if you have photos or images from the last 50-plus years (perhaps showing people visiting or working at Cogges, or pictures of the animals, machinery and events), please email Laura at: learning@cogges.org.uk

Thanks to National Lottery Heritage Funding, this project also creates an opening for some exciting new volunteer roles, including: Interviewers, Transcribers and Editors. Please email Victoria to find out more about how to get involved at: volunteering@cogges.org.uk

 

 

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