A LOCAL historian and teacher from Oxford has died, aged 83.

Mary Hodges, of Trinity Street, was an expert on Oxfordshire history and also a campaigner for the St Ebbe’s New Development Residents’ Association (SENDRA).

From the early 1970s she worked as a teacher at Lady Spencer Churchill College of Education, which later became the Wheatley campus of Oxford Brookes University.

There she was made head of its school of education.

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Miss Hodges was an active contributor to Oxford University’s department of continuing education at Rewley House and she helped establish its first online advanced diploma in local history through her interest in the field.

After moving to St Ebbe’s in 1988, she joined SENDRA and quickly became its secretary.

As a member of the group she was vigorously involved in its various campaigns, including its opposition with other groups to the redevelopment of the Westgate centre 10 years ago.

The group also successfully protested against the proposed building of a large entertainment centre on the site of Oxford Ice Rink, with fellow members describing her performance at a public inquiry as “her triumph”.

Miss Hodges would later write a history of the residents’ association and that of the St Ebbe’s Church parish.

Mary Hodges was born on December 27, 1930, in Portsmouth, to parents Sidney, a naval architect, and Hetty.

She went to school in Cumberland and Newcastle, before moving to London to study for a history degree.

Miss Hodges then went into teaching at schools in the capital until the early 1960s, when she travelled to Uganda.

There she continued to teach and also wrote a series of textbooks, including East African History for the Certificate Year.

But she was to return to Britain again at the end of the decade, shortly before the rise of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in his 1971 military coup.

Miss Hodges then moved to Oxford and took a position teaching history at Lady Spencer-Churchill College of Education in Wheatley, which in 1988 was incorporated into Oxford Brookes University.

Her book on the history of the college was later published by its alumni association.

During her time living in Oxford, the church at Blackfriars was an important part of Miss Hodges’s life and she was treasurer of Blackfriars Overseas Aid Trust.

The group supports more than 20 humanitarian projects in developing countries.

Miss Hodges was also a passionate gardener and a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.

Antiquaries are those who study history, but focus specifically on ancient artefacts or items.

Miss Hodges died peacefully in the early hours of September 27 at the John Radcliffe Hospital.

A funeral took place on October 9 in Blackfriars, St Giles, and was attended by 160 people.

She is survived by her cousin Caroline Lemonidis, two nephews and one niece, as well as their children.

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