• John Towle and his paper house

    Take one look at the faded photograph of the charming villa above and you might think this a story about Oxford house prices. Far from it. It’s the tale of John Towle, the Victorian mill owner turned architect who created this unconventional dwelling – a house of cards I suppose one might say, for it is constructed almost entirely from paper. Not the ‘huff and puff and blow your house down’ kind of paper production of ‘The Three Little Pigs’. But a residence that stood strong and upright from when it went up in 1844 until it was finally demolished in 1996. That’s an amazing lifespan for any building. Never mind one made of paper.

    August 22, 2026
    Builders and buildings, Trade and Industry

  • Kazem Hakimi, fish and chip shop photographer.

    Kazem Hakimi has run the fish and chip shop at the far end of the Iffley Road for the past 38 years. It’s an old school takeaway. A narrow frontage in a parade of shops that include an estate agent, a cafe and a bike store. Fryers and warming cabinets, standing room only at the front, a small counter on which to wrap and serve, posters and fliers advertising local events pinned neatly on the wall. So far not so unusual. Except that Kazem is also a photographer and while you are waiting for your battered cod to crisp, he might well ask if you’d mind stepping round the back to have your picture taken. There you will find a makeshift studio open to the elements. Plain white wall, natural lighting, no fancy accessories. A few quick snaps. All done in the time it takes to cook a bag of chips

    August 15, 2026
    Street Life, Trade and Industry

  • Of Saints and Sanitary ware

    For it is rumoured that within one of its most prized stained glass windows, created by the Pre-Raphaelite artist Edward Burne-Jones and dedicated to St Frideswide the patron saint of Oxford, is secreted a modern lavatory. I want to see this for myself.

    August 8, 2026
    Coloured glass