Saturday 5 February 2011

David Cameron visits Cogges Manor Farm to learn about exciting plans for its future

David Cameron visited Cogges on 21st January to learn more about how this Witney heritage attraction hopes to transform its fortunes for the future.

Cogges was run by Oxfordshire County Council as a museum of rural life from 1978 until the site closed to the public in August 2009. A new Charitable Trust hopes to take over the running of the site later this year and will revitalise Cogges, creating enterprise opportunities for local people whilst preserving the site as a community resource and viable visitor attraction.

The new vision for Cogges is based around the theme of food – past, present and future. The aim will be to return Cogges to being an active farmstead, run by a smallholder who will live on site. Through volunteering and training opportunities, courses and workshops, school learning activities and other visitor experiences, people will learn about food production past and present and share in the journey to a more sustainable life.


David Cameron, MP for Witney, said: ‘I am delighted to see that there is a viable plan for this wonderful West Oxfordshire asset. It is a beautiful and important site, and the Trust’s plans clearly present a huge opportunity for those of us lucky enough to live near it to play a part in its future’.

Anyone interested in getting involved with Cogges, through volunteering, setting up a Cogges branded enterprise or commercial partnership, should contact the Trust at: coggesheritagetrust@gmail.com

Monday 5 October 2009

Future of Cogges Farm still undecided

On 31 August Cogges Manor Farm Museum closed as a County Council run museum. During the past 30 years over a million visitors have enjoyed Cogges. Francesca Jones, who was the manager/curator at Cogges over the last few years, has helped to maintain the museum through diffcult recent times.

With support from the County Council a new Trust is being established to operate Cogges from 1 April 2010. A ‘Shadow Board’ is working with Council officers to manage that hand-over. Members of the Shadow Board used the opportunity of the August Bank Holiday weekend to meet visitors and to listen to their views. These are some of the comments they heard:

1. Open Café earlier
2. Local schools crying out for vocational days as part of the new 14 -18 diplomas
3. Bring back the horses!
4. Advent activity

5. Straw bale activity centre (i.e. climbing/slides etc) and adventure playground

6. Use the veggies in the garden/ offer gardening/ vegetable/ Victorian kitchen garden courses
7. Host community market/ Farmers Market

8. Make more of the shop
9. Have children’s parties
10. Animals all year round
11. Art gallery/craft centre would be good
12. Themed dinners in the Manor House

The Board’s vision sessions, where we discuss the future direction and services at Cogges, are now set for October and these and all previous ideas will be considered as part of the mix.

Please contact Janine Charles ( future@cogges.co.uk ) for further information

Thursday 2 July 2009

Relive the Dig for Victory campaign at Cogges


A campaign which saw British people growing their own vegetables to supplement food rations during World War Two is the subject of a weekend at Witney's Cogges Manor Farm Museum .

The Dig for Victory event at the Church Lane museum on Saturday, July 4 and Sunday, July 5 will chronicle the government programme which resulted in 1.4 million people keeping allotments during wartime.

Range of activities - Former Land Army girl Joan Clifford will give a talk on her experiences on the Saturday at the Oxfordshire County Council-run museum. She will be followed by music from the Wantage-based Pandemonium folk band from 2pm to 4pm.

The will be displays of the well-known Dig for Victory posters on both days, along with children's garden activity trails and the chance to purchase vegetable boxes from Foxbury Farm, Brize Norton. Visitors can admire the working farm museum's walled garden which is packed full of vegetables, herbs and flowers. People can also handle some of the farm's animals, feed lambs, milk cows and meet donkeys. There will be Victorian cooking demonstrations throughout the weekend and butter making on Sunday at 2pm.

What was the Dig for Victory campaign? - The Ministry of Agriculture launched the 'Dig for Victory' slogan one month on from the outbreak of the Second World War. People were encouraged to change their private gardens into mini-allotments. The move provided vegetables at a local level and helped the war effort by freeing up space for military equipment on the shipping convoys. By 1943, over a million tones of vegetables were being grown in gardens and allotments. Parklands and flowerbeds were also transformed into allotments. The Ministry of Agriculture circulated scores of posters encouraging people to grow their own produce.

Tuesday 16 June 2009

Capture picture perfect prizes for best snaps of Cogges

A photography competition has been launched to celebrate the 30-year anniversary of Witney's Cogges Manor Farm being a working Victorian farm museum. Pictures should be based around the theme of the photographer's favourite memory of the Oxfordshire County Council-run museum. The idea relates to a photographic display of images of Cogges in the Church Lane museum's Barley Barn, which has been on view for 30 years.

Entries to go on display - All photos will be shown to the public in a special exhibition in the museum's tearoom during the last week of August. They will then be kept in the county council's Oxfordshire County Photographic Archive.

Francesca Jones, Oxfordshire County Council's Manager for Cogges Manor Farm Museum , said: "There are lots of photogenic buildings, animals and scenes at Cogges that make for great pictures to be taken of. I am sure that the competition will receive many excellent entries which will prove a difficult job to judge." The responsibility for the running of Cogges will transfer to a charitable trust from April next year.

Prizes available - Pictures will be judged in three categories: under-10s, 11-16s and adult entries, with first, second and third prizes of book tokens to the value of £25, £15 and £10 donated by the Cogges Agricultural Heritage Museum Development Trust. Joan Brasnett from the county council's Museums Resource Centre will judge the entries on subject matter and composition. Photos should not include images of the public or children.

Prints should be 10" by 8" (200cm by 255cm). Entry forms are available from the museum or can be downloaded at www.cogges.org Entries should be posted to:

Photography Competition
Cogges Manor Farm Museum
Church Lane
Witney
Oxfordshire
OX28 3LA

Entrants should write their name and address on the back of all photos and enclose a stamped addressed envelope if they want their images returned. The closing date for entries is Friday, July 31.

Tuesday 9 June 2009

Travel down a country life memory lane at Cogges


Country life in the past will be the subject of special reminiscence sessions led by Oxfordshire County Council history experts at Witney's Cogges Manor Farm Museum on Monday, June 15.

Officers from Hands on Oxfordshire's Heritage will bring fascinating collections of historical artefacts to the county council-run museum for people to handle and look at. The items will include photographs of past village life across Oxfordshire and objects from history, including a policeman's hat, handcuffs, a church collection pouch and a beer tankard.

Relive fond memories - Francesca Jones, Oxfordshire County Council's Manager for Cogges Manor Farm Museum , said: "Country life, as with anywhere, has changed over the years but people still have fond memories of their experiences in the country. We're fortunate that the county council has a huge collection of artefacts from past times, some of which people can view and handle at Cogges on June 15."

No booking is required for the free sessions in the Visitor Centre at the Church Lane Museum , which take place at 2pm and 3pm. Anybody wanting more information should call 01993 772602 or go to http://www.cogges.org/

Carve out some wood knowledge at Cogges


Experts will demonstrate an ancient woodcarving method at Cogges Manor Farm Museum during a special weekend there dedicated to woodcraft. Members of the Oxfordshire Woodturning Club will show off their skills at the Oxfordshire County Council-run Victorian life museum on Saturday, June 13 and Sunday, June 14.

Visitors will be able to see hurdles being made by David Rees of the Woodland Project and learn more about woodturning from club members.

Interesting and informative - Francesca Jones, Oxfordshire County Council's Manager for Cogges Manor Farm Museum , said: "We are fortunate to have members of the Oxfordshire Woodturning Club coming to Cogges Manor Farm Museum . Their visit should be an interesting and informative experience for people who want to discover more about woodturning."
Woodturning differs from most other forms of woodworking as the wood is moving while a stationary tool is used to cut and mould it. Woodturning dates back around 3,300 years when the Egyptians first developed a two-person lathe. A pedal replaced hand-operated turning in the Middle Ages and lathes were motorised during the industrial revolution.

Thursday 28 May 2009

Poultry Weekend at Cogges Manor Farm Museum

Learn how to pamper your fowl at Cogges, 30th & 31st May, 11am – 5pm

Poultry experts will be on hand at Cogges Manor Farm Museum this weekend to offer advice on the best ways to keep your feathery friends in a healthy and happy condition.

Members of the Cotswold Pheasant and Poultry Club will display chickens and give tips on how best to look after fowl at the Oxfordshire County Council-run museum in Church Lane from 11am to 5pm on both days.

Have your poultry-related questions answered

The club is a group of fanciers involved in the breeding, exhibition and presentation of poultry, ducks, turkeys and pheasants. Its main aims are to promote pure poultry and pheasant breeds and to educate the general public by answering their fowl-related questions.

Regular activities include demonstrations of hand milking, butter making (on Sunday), Victorian cooking, animal handling and children’s trails.