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…
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Annora, anchoress.
It is easy to miss Annora’s grave. For she is buried under a moss covered stone slab lying flat on the ground, close up against the south wall of the…
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Walking the walls
The Turf Tavern still retains its quaint charm, despite long being discovered as a tourist destination. Found down a narrow cobbled alleyway, it advertises itself as the oldest pub in…
