Museum marks 60 years celebrating Oxfordshire's heritage

A museum that showcases the history of Oxfordshire and its people is celebrating its 60th birthday this week.

The Oxfordshire Museum in Woodstock displays treasures dating as far back as the Roman occupation of Britain all the way to artefacts to the 20th Century.

On Thursday, the museum that first opened in 1966 will celebrate its diamond jubilee with a special event tracing its own story over the past six decades.

Jemma Davey, the museum service manager, said 60 years of "serving our residents and looking after the county's heritage is a really special thing".

"Although we're based in Woodstock, we are here to tell the story of Oxfordshire's people and place, and we go all the way back through to the Jurassic era, all the way through to contemporary objects and art that are made in the county," she said.

"We are very much here for the county and here for our residents."

To mark the anniversary, Thursday's event will celebrate "the museum, past, present and future", Oxfordshire County Council, which runs the site, said.

It will see Davey give a talk about the history of the museum itself, using archives from its own collection.

A special film, which sees visitors, staff and volunteers all share their memories and hopes for the museum, will also be screened.

"I was really conscious that this is not just a story for kind of one person to tell," Davey said.

"This is a story of so many people who have visited us, supported us, bought things in our cafe, visited our collections throughout the years."

Thursday's free celebration begins at 13:30 BST, and places must be booked in advance.

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