Free Triton
You might catch a glimpse of his imposing figure from the window of your carriage as you chug past Oxford on the Cherwell Valley Line from Banbury to Didcot. Walking…
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Tambours, Grilles and Unicorns
When I was researching Oxford tokens for a previous ‘Sausage’ post, I came across a coin that had been struck in the mid 17th century with the sign of a…
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Bathing in Paradise
On Thursday 2nd May 1922, The Illustrated Oxford Journal reported the opening of new public baths in Paradise Square, St Ebbe’s. ‘The baths should fulfil a long felt need in…
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The Destroy Keble Society
I find it hard to understand why the architecture of Keble College has aroused such animosity. I pass it regularly on my route to the University Parks, and I love…
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At the Sign of the Three Blackbirds
Imagine if you could design your own currency. Decide on an image to represent you, pop in your initials, a date and a pretty border, make the die, and then…
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Sarah Cooper and her jars of sunshine
One of the regular activities that perks me up as I claw my way through dull grey January is marmalade making. A couple of weeks into the New Year, crates…
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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…
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The Ghost Signs of Oxford
Contributing photographer John Milnes has been out on his bicycle collecting pictures of Oxford’s ghost signs. Here he explains his fascination with these spectres from a bygone age. I’ve been…
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John Pusey, Captain of the Tower
On a cold Thursday evening I find myself climbing the vertical ladder that leads up into the belfry of St Giles Church, a tower that has stood sentry over those…
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Making the post – Oxford’s Victorian letterboxes
You see them all over Oxford. A Victorian invention, standing solidly on the city’s pavements and street corners, or sunk into ancient walls, elegant in design, cheerily welcoming in their…
