Campion Hall’s black room
A couple of weeks ago I was delighted to be invited into Campion Hall. They’d recently given a fresh lick of paint to their old senior common room, what in…
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Up the tower, down the tower and for a short while locked in the tower.
I’m attempting to climb all the towers in Oxford. The body being willing. And so, as the festival of Michaelmas approaches (29 September, traditionally one of the four quarter days…
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The medieval floor tiles of the Greyfriars
It’s easy to miss them as you glide up to the top floor of the new Westgate Centre. But glance to your right and there on the wall is a…
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The Whites of Appleton
I’ve long been curious to know more about the ‘Whites of Appleton’. It’s a name that keeps cropping up when you live in Oxford and while most residents will never…
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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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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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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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‘A treacle well – there’s no such thing.’
Next Thursday, October 19, is the feast day of St Frideswide, the patron saint of Oxford. And so I decide to cycle with my friend, Gina, to Binsey, a tiny…
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The Stone Saints Retirement Home
Antonia Hockton has been coming to New College in Oxford twice a year for the past 26 years. She arrives as the students leave, during the longer vacations. For this…
