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Witney Chess Club meets on
Monday evenings between 7.30 pm and 10.30 pm at
Ducklington Village Hall, Standlake Road,
Ducklington OX29 7UX. We are open throughout the
year apart from the summer months (usually July
and August) and over Christmas.
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The village pond with The Old School
House and St Bartholomew's Church
in the
background |
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The club has players of all
standards; we have four teams in Divisions 1, 2,
3 and 4 of the
Oxfordshire Chess League for those who want
to play competitive chess, but casual players
who just want to play social chess are equally
welcome.
As well as league matches, we
also hold various other events such as quiz
nights, junior tournaments, club dinners and
evenings (open to all clubs in Oxfordshire who
wish to attend) at which Grandmaster Peter Wells
holds simultaneous displays or gives talks.
Annual subscriptions are as
follows:
Full: £50.00
Senior/junior/concessions: £25.00.
Local History
The former village
schoolhouse was built in 1858. The modern
Ducklington Church of England Primary School is
across the village green from the original site.
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The Snake's Head Fritillaria |
Today, Ducklington is famous
for the rare Fritillary flower (of mainly the
Snake's Head variety), many of which grow in a
specially designated meadow just outside the
village. Before the Second World War, many
fritillaries had grown on fields all over the
Windrush Valley.
However, the national drive
for food production during the war meant that
most meadows were intensively ploughed, the
rivers dredged, and consequently the
fritillaries were lost. Only the current
fritillary field was left coincidentally
unploughed.
The flowers have survived
with help from both locals and farmers. Once a
year, the local community celebrates Fritillary
Sunday when the field, church and hall are
opened so that the public may walk amongst and
enjoy the flowers. The celebration has been
featured in Country Life magazine.
Local History
source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia
[link]
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