Abingdon Area Archaeology and History Society
Society Activities
AAAHS activities fall into five main areas:
The Meetings Programme (talks), which comprises ten meetings every year and includes lectures by speakers who are prominent in their field of expertise. Upcoming talks are listed below, and past talks can be found in the News page.
Abingdon Buildings and People (ABP) the History Section of the Abingdon Town Council website, which is written and managed by the AAAHS.
Archaeological Digs in the local area. These include Shrieve Cottages.
Local History Group meetings three times a year – The LHS is currently suspended.
Outings to local places which are of interest either historically or archaeologically or both.
Upcoming Events
MG Cars: Abingdon’s Legacy
17th September 2026: Join us as we hear from Richard Martin about the MG Cars Legacy in Abingdon.
The Life of John Smythe QC, MBE, OBE
15th October 2026: Join us as we hear from Eddy Smythe about the life of John Smythe.
Æthelstan the first King of Britain?
19th November 2026: Join us as we hear from Professor Sarah Foot about Æthelstan the possibly first King of Britain.
Medieval Pilgrimage: Its Dangers, Rewards and Scandals
17th December 2026: Join us as we hear from Clare Goodall about the dangers, rewards and scandals involved in medieval pilgrimages.
‘Arrentine’ Ware: How to manage (and not manage) a luxury product in the Roman world.
21st January 2027: Join us as we hear from Philip Kenrick about the luxurious ‘Arrentine’ Ware.
Caring for the Wonder Horse: Five Decades on White Horse Hill.
18th February 2027: Join us as we hear from David Miles about looking after the famous White Horse.
The Illustrated History of Garford.
18th March 2027: Join us as we hear from Mike Greig about the history of Garford.
The Palaeolithic Excavations at Lodge Hill, Abingdon.
15th April 2027: Join us as we hear from Tom Bruce of Oxford Archaeology about the Lodge Hill excavations.
Religious Lifestyles of Controversy: Monks and Friars in Medieval Abingdon and Oxford.
20th May 2027: Join us as we hear from George Lambrick about monks and friars in medieval Abingdon and Oxford.
Open Evening 2027
17th June 2027: Join us as we hear from AAAHS Members about their research.
Browse the details of past news and events on the News page.
Future Events
MG Cars: Abingdon’s Legacy
17th September 2026: Join us as we hear from Richard Martin about the MG Cars Legacy in Abingdon.
The Life of John Smythe QC, MBE, OBE
15th October 2026: Join us as we hear from Eddy Smythe about the life of John Smythe.
Æthelstan the first King of Britain?
19th November 2026: Join us as we hear from Professor Sarah Foot about Æthelstan the possibly first King of Britain.
Medieval Pilgrimage: Its Dangers, Rewards and Scandals
17th December 2026: Join us as we hear from Clare Goodall about the dangers, rewards and scandals involved in medieval pilgrimages.
Latest Gallery Image
WSHBaylissgrocersfloat1897#264
WSH Bayliss Grocers Float 1897 #264
Warmemorialunveiling#115
War Memorial Unveiling #115
HGRogers&Cobicycleshop#202
HG Rogers & Co Bicycle Shop #202
Abgdonfirebrigadewithnewpump1933#237
Abingdon Fire Brigade with new pump 1933 #237
Coxetershorsedrawnfurniturevanpre1930#286
Coxeters horse drawn furniture van pre 1930 #286
ESH+churchpre1912#167
East Saint Helen’s Church pre 1912 #167
Morlandscarfleet&yard#223
Morlands car fleet & yard #223
OckStfloodwithcarriages1894#274
Ock St flooded with carriages 1894 #274
Latest News
Malting and Brewing in Abingdon – Martin Buckland
On February 19th Martin Buckland gave us an extremely interesting talk on the former malting industry in Abingdon, which used to be of great...
Becoming Roman in Oxfordshire – Excavations at Marcham and Frilford
On Thursday 15 January, the Society welcomed Gary Lock, Emeritus Professor of Archaeology at the University of Oxford, to speak about the...
A Medieval Christmas – Tales and Tunes
Our December meeting offered a wonderfully festive change of pace, as storyteller and musician Clare Goodall treated members to an evening of...