Ann Spokes Symonds
Ann Hazel Spokes Symonds (10 November 1925 – 27 December 2019) was a British author and former Lord Mayor of Oxford.[1]
Spokes was born in November 1925, the daughter of Peter Spencer Spokes and Lilla Clayton. Her father founded the Museum of Oxford in 1974.[2] She was a writer on the history of Oxford.
She entered St Anne's College, Oxford in 1944, where she read Philosophy, Politics and Economics,[3] obtaining her B.A. and Master of Arts.[4] She was a trustee of the Oxford Preservation Trust, having first become a trustee in 1959.[5] She served as Lord Mayor of Oxford in 1976/77 and also as the Chairman of Oxfordshire County Council between 1981 and 1983.[4][6] Spokes-Symonds chaired Age Concern England from 1983 to 1986.[7] She made a donation towards a statue of Alfred Russel Wallace which has been erected at the Natural History Museum.[8]
In 1980 she married the United Nations official and historian Richard Symonds (1918–2006)[9][10] and was henceforth known as Ann Spokes Symonds.
She died in December 2019 at the age of 94.[11][1]
Books
[edit]Spokes Symonds' books include:[12]
- The Origins of Oxford Street Names (with Nigel Morgan).
- The Changing Faces of Iffley.
- The Changing Faces of Wolvercote with Wytham and Godstow.
- Also-Rans: The Injustice of History.
- The Changing Faces of North Oxford; Books I & II.
- Storks, Black Bags & Gooseberry Bushes.
- The Changing Faces of Rose Hill.
- The Changing Faces of Summertown and Cutteslowe; Books I & II (with Christopher Nichols).
- Celebrating Age: An Anthology.
- Follow Me: A Dog's View of the Gospel Story (with Richard Symonds).
References
[edit]- ^ a b Chipperfield, John (9 January 2020). "OBITUARY: Former Lord Mayor Ann Spokes Symonds". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
- ^ This is Oxfordshire
- ^ "symonds". symonds. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
- ^ a b "Trustees – About Us – Oxford Preservation Trust". www.oxfordpreservation.org.uk. Archived from the original on 5 October 2015. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
- ^ "Oxford Preservation Trust website". Archived from the original on 5 October 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
- ^ "More about us". ocva. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
- ^ "Oxfordshire Community and Voluntary Action – about us". Oxfordshire Community and Voluntary Action. Archived from the original on 13 April 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
- ^ Wallace Fund website
- ^ The Telegraph
- ^ Obituary of Richard Symonds
- ^ "Tribute to Ann Spokes Symonds, 1925 – 2019". ann-spokessymonds.muchloved.com. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
- ^ "Books: Ann Spokes-Symonds". Amazon.co.uk. Amazon. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
External links
[edit]- 1925 births
- 2019 deaths
- Writers from Oxford
- Alumni of St Anne's College, Oxford
- Conservative Party (UK) parliamentary candidates
- Mayors of Oxford
- Historians of Oxfordshire
- 20th-century English writers
- 21st-century English writers
- Charters Symonds family
- Women mayors of places in England
- Women councillors in England
- Councillors in Oxfordshire