Hester Chapone

Today is International Women’s Day, and we are celebrating the women who form parts of the stories of our three male explorers. This year we are celebrating Hester Chapone, writer, critic and bluestocking. Hester Chapone was the sister of John Mulso, Gilbert White’s lifelong friend, Gilbert & John met at

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Frank Oates; A life spent pushing boundaries

On the anniversary of Frank Oates’ death Dr. J. Grant Repshire explains why Frank Oates deserves to be remembered.  On the 5th February 1875, 143 years ago, a life spent pushing boundaries set by the limitations of naturally poor health finally caught up with Frank Oates. Having just completed the

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group visits

10 reasons to bring your Group to Gilbert White’s…

Are you a group organiser or belong to a society that does outings? Then here are 10 reasons to bring your group to Gilbert White’s! 1. Great Packages to choose from! We have a range of different packages to suit your group’s needs. From our basic peak package and winter

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Christmas in Selborne in the 18th century.

David Standing tells us about Christmas in Selborne in the 18th century. Gilbert White gave his first Christmas sermon at Selborne in 1751, instructing on the devout observance of the feast, and referring to the puritanical way of ignoring it ‘ traces of commonwealth Puritanism still lingered’ Toward the end

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volunteer at Gilbert whites

Ten volunteering opportunities at Gilbert White’s!

Want to Volunteer at Gilbert White’s here’s ten things you could do, and the list goes on and on! Why not see what else there is by coming along to our Chocolate Biscuit Clubs where you can meet with other volunteers and learn how you can develop your skills and

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Gilbert White & Shakespeare

This blog was written in 2017.  Next week Gilbert White’s garden will play host to chapter house theatre company’s production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. White doesn’t often refer to plays or fiction in his writings, but was well read, in letter three of The Natural History of Selborne

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Gilbert White & The French Revolution

Gilbert White lived through important political times and one of the biggest world events towards the end of his life was the French Revolution, of which events although seem far removed from Selborne were to catapult Britain into a long war with France. On Saturday 15th we are celebrating with

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Jane Austen and Gilbert White

The quiet village of Selborne home to Gilbert White seems quite removed from the famous village of Chawton during the time of Jane Austen, however the lives of these two literary figures were not so disconnected, their lives overlapped by eighteen years and their homes were only four miles from

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10 facts about Lawrence Oates

10 facts about Lawrence Oates St. Patrick’s Day is a very special day for us at Gilbert White & The Oates Collections… 1. It’s his birthday and death day.  Lawrence Edward Grace Oates was born on the 17th March 1880, to William and Caroline Oates at their home Gestingthorpe Hall

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frank oates

Ten Things you might not know about Frank Oates

We celebrate three explorers here at Gilbert White & The Oates Collections, but the most elusive is Frank Oates (1840-1875). Here are ten things you might not know about Frank Oates, who died on the 5th February 1875. 1) One of the first Europeans to reach Victoria Falls The first

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