Ann Spokes Symonds Explained

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.^[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]

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).

Notes and References

1. News: OBITUARY: Former Lord Mayor Ann Spokes Symonds . John . Chipperfield . . 9 January 2020 . 5 April 2020 .
2. http://www.thisisoxfordshire.co.uk/news/13319636.Why_a_bit_of_brick_is_an_iconic_symbol_of_Oxford___s_social_history/ This is Oxfordshire
3. Web site: symonds. symonds. 2015-10-12.
4. Web site: Trustees – About Us – Oxford Preservation Trust . www.oxfordpreservation.org.uk. 2015-10-12. https://web.archive.org/web/20151005075116/http://www.oxfordpreservation.org.uk/about/trustees.php. 2015-10-05. dead.
5. Web site: Oxford Preservation Trust website . 2015-08-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151005075116/http://www.oxfordpreservation.org.uk/about/trustees.php . 2015-10-05 . dead .
6. Web site: More about us . ocva . 2015-10-12. en.
7. Web site: Oxfordshire Community and Voluntary Action – about us . Oxfordshire Community and Voluntary Action . 2018-05-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170413011556/https://ocva.org.uk/about/ . 2017-04-13.
8. http://wallacefund.info/donors Wallace Fund website
9. https://web.archive.org/web/20060621103325/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060520/asp/opinion/story_6244244.asp The Telegraph
10. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/richard-symonds-409309.html Obituary of Richard Symonds
11. Web site: Tribute to Ann Spokes Symonds, 1925 – 2019 . ann-spokessymonds.muchloved.com . 5 April 2020 .
12. Web site: Books: Ann Spokes-Symonds . . . 5 April 2020 .