Sharron Jenkinson was brought up on the edge of Florence Park Estate in Cowley, Oxford and later became a history teacher. When studying, she researched the Welsh migration to Cowley. In the 1990s, Sharron’s husband, George, became a member, and later Chairman, of Oxford Welsh Male Voice Choir and Sharron became their archivist and events organiser. In 2018, to celebrate the choir’s 90th year, Sharron wrote ‘From the Valleys to the Spires – A history of Oxford Welsh Male Voice Choir.’

In this talk, Sharron tells the story of the Welsh migration to Oxford through the eyes of several of the choir’s early members. The choir began in the depression years when many Welsh men travelled to Oxford to seek work in Morris Motors and Pressed Steel. Their families followed, and the word spread that Cowley was a good place to work and settle. The quote in the title comes from a cartoon in the Oxford Mail in 1938 and sums up the importance of singing to the Welsh community.

The choir has continued to thrive and is an important part of Oxford’s rich cultural musical scene. The talk includes musical extracts which illustrate how the repertoire has developed over the years, although, notably, more is sung in Welsh now than in the 1930s!

Tickets cost £6 and are available to buy online (via Plinth) or at the Museum shop. Tickets for this event also include free entry to the Museum’s galleries.

Part of the Sounds of the City exhibition and events programme.

Further information
Complimentary tea and coffee will be available to enjoy during the talk. We recommend arriving before the start of the talk if you would like to grab a refreshment.

Sales from tickets help support our work to deliver fun and accessible family activities, community engagement projects, schools workshops, exhibitions and special events for Oxford’s people in our Museum spaces.

£6