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

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
  1. Chipperfield, John (9 January 2020). "OBITUARY: Former Lord Mayor Ann Spokes Symonds". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  2. This is Oxfordshire
  3. "symonds". symonds. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  4. "Trustees – About Us – Oxford Preservation Trust". www.oxfordpreservation.org.uk. Archived from the original on 5 October 2015. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  5. "Oxford Preservation Trust website". Archived from the original on 5 October 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  6. "More about us". ocva. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  7. "Oxfordshire Community and Voluntary Action – about us". Oxfordshire Community and Voluntary Action. Archived from the original on 13 April 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  8. Wallace Fund website
  9. The Telegraph
  10. Obituary of Richard Symonds
  11. "Tribute to Ann Spokes Symonds, 1925 – 2019". ann-spokessymonds.muchloved.com. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  12. "Books: Ann Spokes-Symonds". Amazon.co.uk. Amazon. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
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