Archive
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'Lenient' death crash sentence angers family
A dustcart driver who crushed a cyclist to death, has avoided jail - angering his victim's family and friends. Trevor Ashworth, 31, was fined £500 and banned from driving for eight months today after being found guilty of careless driving. Oxford
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Suspended jail term for death crash driver
A builder has been convicted of causing the death of a former Banbury man in a car crash while driving on the wrong side of a country road in France. James Lee, 33, collided head-on with Erik Williams's car in Brittany on March 1 last year. Lee received
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Black strikes a chord with fans
Hundreds of people turned out to see Pixies' frontman Black Francis - formerly Frank Black - play an impromptu gig in Oxford tonight. About 300 people gathered under the Bridge of Sighs in New College Lane to listen to the musician play a series of
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Body in flat 'for weeks'
A housing association says it will call in the police more quickly in future after the body of an Oxford woman lay undiscovered for weeks. An inquest today recorded an open verdict on Valerie Speke, 48, of Falcon Way, Blackbird Leys. The inquest heard
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Train boss vows services will improve
First Great Western chief executive Andrew Haines has promised improvements are on track. Mr Haines said he expected infrastructure improvements, such as converting lines used for freight into passenger routes, an additional platform at Oxford and the
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Police uncover £30,000 drug factory
A cannabis factory with £30,000 worth of plants was raided by police today after being spotted by a member of the public. About 200 cannabis plants - some had recently been harvested, it is believed - were discovered when police broke into the rented
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Mower thieves raid freezer
BURGLARS stole a lawnmower and frozen food in a raid on a home in Faringdon. Between 6pm on Monday and 8.30am on Tuesday a lawnmower was stolen from a garden shed and frozen food was taken from a freezer in the garage in Folly View Road. Det Con
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Lord Lieutenant to retire
HUGO Brunner is retiring in August after 12 years as Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire. Mr Brunner, 72, has served as the Queen's representative in the county since 1996, attending practically every royal visit and hundreds of ceremonial events, church
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Driver fined over cyclist’s death
A driver whose dustcart killed a student has been found guilty of careless driving and fined £500. Trevor Ashworth was also banned from driving for eight months after a judge effectively branded him an incompetent driver. Tsz Fok, a 22-year-old Worcester
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Deal ends rail strike threat
Rail firm First Great Western and the RMT union have resolved a dispute over staffing levels and industrial relations which almost led to a strike last month. The union said that after negotiations, 40 extra guards will be taken on by FGW and managers
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Exam results cost county council a star
Failing to improve schools has seen Oxfordshire County Council downgraded for its performance. The serious lack of progress in the county's state schools was spelled out by the Audit Commission as it stripped County Hall of one of its highly-prized
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Protester marches in for debate
Parliament Square peace protester Brian Haw took his campaign on the road by walking 60 miles from London to Oxford. Mr Haw, who began a peace camp outside the Houses of Parliament in 2001, reached the city last night to address the Oxford Union.
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'Addicts use boats as drugs dens'
Boats close to Jericho's crumbling boatyard have been turned into drug dens, say local residents. And they have asked developers for permission to take over the derelict site and run it as a boatyard, to boost the area and prevent it becoming rundown
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Lord Lieutenant bows out
Hugo Brunner is retiring in August after 12 years as Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire. Mr Brunner, 72, has served as the Queen's representative in the county since 1996, attending practically every royal visit and hundreds of ceremonial events, church
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Police target underage drinkers
More alcohol has been seized from under 18s in west Oxfordshire. A zero tolerance drive by police, which started with Operation Judicious in October, saw 77 cans of cider and lager, four bottles of spirits and 19 alcopops confiscated during December
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RUGBY UNION: Maudsley won't tinker
Matt Maudsley is in no rush to change his Oxford Harlequins side for tomorrow's South West 1 trip to Cleve despite increasing competition for places. Quins have scrum half Kenny Sewell, Oxford University No 8 Anthony Jackson and newly-signed wing/centre
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RUGBY UNION: Hawks recall trio
Henley Hawks make three changes for tomorrow's National 2 clash with Westcombe Park at Dry Leas. Scrum half James Gaunt, centre Angelo Flammia and tight-head prop Steve Robinson all come in. Nathan Lambden reverts to full back, while backs Luke Burns
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Poor schools affect county ranking
A FAILURE to improve local schools has seen Oxfordshire County Council demoted to a three-star authority. The lack of progress in Oxfordshire's state schools was spelt out by the Audit Commission, which decided to strip County Hall of one of its ranking
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Burglars steal £1,000 laptop
A BURGLAR stole a £1,000 laptop in a burglary in Frilsham Street, Sutton Courtenay. The kitchen window at the back of the house was forced open on January 29 between 8.45am and 7.25pm. Det Con Chris Leech said: "I am hoping that there may have been
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RUGBY UNION: Tombleson's England call-up
Former Oxford University wing Tom Tombleson has been called up to the England squad for this weekend's IRB USA Sevens. The Newbury player is the only uncapped man in England's squad. Coach Ben Ryan said: "It will be hard for Tom as this will be his
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May decision for book depository
OXFORD University's bid to build a £29m book depository on the Osney Mead industrial estate looks set to be decided in early May. Last November, city councillors refused the scheme planning permission because of concerns over possible flooding problems
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Tory leader backs post office battle
TORY party leader David Cameron has joined the fight to save post offices in his Witney constituency. At the same time, the Conservative leader of the district council said he was "outraged" and "dismayed" at some of the places picked for the axe
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Petitions launched at post offices
PETITIONS to save post offices from closure have been launched around the county. Twenty-two sub post offices are on a hitlist of branches Post Office Ltd could close to save money. Five others face being replaced with outreach' services - such as
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Waste service to receive revamp
HOMES across South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse are to be given wheelie bins and offered weekly kitchen waste collections as part of a major change to rubbish services. The district councils are teaming up to provide a waste collection and
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Woman's nose broken in fight
A woman suffered a fractured nose after being punched and kicked by another woman. The victim was attacked outside the HSBC bank in Market Place at about 10.15pm on Saturday. Police only released details today. After an argument, she was punched and
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Attacker assaults man in pub
A 40-year-old man was headbutted and punched in an unprovoked attack in a Witney pub. The incident took place inside The Chequers pub, in Corn Street, between 1.15am and 1.30am on Saturday - but police only released the details today. The attacker
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Recycling success hits fuel costs
THE amount of fuel being used by Oxford City Council's bin and recycling lorries has risen by a third since the introduction of fortnightly waste collection. Former Labour county councillor John Power used the Freedom of Information Act to find out
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Party's over at The X
AN OXFORD live music venue which closed suddenly will remain shut for at least another month. Last night new details emerged about the circumstances surrounding the closure of The Exeter Hall, known locally as The X, in Oxford Road, Cowley, after
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Tennis centre design causes upset
A PROPOSED new indoor tennis centre in Iffley Road, Oxford, would be an eyesore and 'an offence' to residents, it has been claimed. The 25ft-high centre at the Oxford University sports ground would dominate the road and spoil a sweeping view
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Woman's nose broken in attack
A WOMAN had her nose broken in an assault in Banbury. After leaving the Liquid Lounge moments before, she was attacked by another woman at 10.15pm on Saturday outside the HSBC Bank in Market Place. After an argument, she was punched and kicked, leaving
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Plea issued after pub attack
POLICE are appealing for witnesses following an assault in a pub in Witney. Between 1.15am and 1.30am on Saturday, a 40-year-old man was attacked in The Chequers Pub, in Corn Street. Police said the offender was white, about 6ft stocky, and has
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Today's local share prices (PM)
AEA Technology 82 BMW 2563 Electrocomponents 195.25 Nationwide Accident Repair 118.5 Oxford Biomedica 18.5 Oxford Catalyst 144 Oxford Instruments 183 Reed Elsevier 584.25 RM 205.5 RPS Group 258 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
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Tennis centre design upsets residents
A proposed new indoor tennis centre in Iffley Road, Oxford, would be an eyesore and 'an offence' to residents, it has been claimed. The 25ft-high centre at the Oxford University sports ground would dominate the road and spoil a sweeping view of the
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Party's over at The X
An Oxford live music venue which closed suddenly will remain shut for at least another month. Last night new details emerged about the circumstances surrounding the closure of The Exeter Hall, known locally as The X, in Oxford Road, Cowley, after it
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FOOTBALL: Griffin set to sit it out
Witney United will be without defender Jimmy Griffin for the next five matches after he was handed a lengthy suspension following his two successive red cards last month. Griffin, who had never been sent off, was red-carded at North Leigh and Ardley
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Teen parents get a helping hand
An Oxford support group for teenage mums and dads is looking for new recruits. The group, Tap 2, which uses the Cuddesdon Corner Family Centre, in Blackbird Leys, has proved such a success since it started two years ago that its young members are now
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FOOTBALL: Didcot boss gunning for City
Didcot Town boss Stuart Peace says they have nothing to fear when they travel to Court Place Farm to take on fellow Division 1 South & West high-fliers Oxford City in tomorrow's derby clash. The Railwaymen have yet to lose against City this season,
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Radio station to change name
A community radio station wants to change its name to reflect its young audience and make the move to win a permanent FM licence. Just Oxfordshire, set up three years ago to serve west Oxfordshire, already broadcasts every night at justoxfordshire.co.uk
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Tory leader backs post office battle
Tory party leader David Cameron has joined the fight to save post offices in his Witney constituency. At the same time, the Conservative leader of the district council said he was "outraged" and "dismayed" at some of the places picked for the axe.
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Petitions launched at post offices
Petitions to save post offices from closure have been launched around the county. Twenty-two sub post offices are on a hitlist of branches Post Office Ltd could close to save money. Five others face being replaced with outreach' services - such as mobile
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Recycling success hits fuel costs
The amount of fuel being used by Oxford City Council's bin and recycling lorries has risen by a third since the introduction of fortnightly waste collection. Former Labour county councillor John Power used the Freedom of Information Act to find out
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Athletes dash to the palace
Blenheim Palace is to be transformed into an athlete's heaven once again this year for the Blenheim Triathlon. The event, which involves swimming, cycling and running, is due to take place on Saturday and Sunday, June 7 and 8, at the stately home in
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Mail helps get club studio back on track
An Oxford youth club is buzzing once again thanks to the reopening of its recording studio. Members of Rose Hill Youth Club were unable to produce their own grime, R'n'B and hip-hop tracks for five months because of staffing problems at the club.
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Recycling service to get a revamp
Homes across South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse are to be given wheelie bins and offered weekly kitchen waste collections as part of a major change to rubbish services. The district councils are teaming up to provide a waste collection and
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Park-and-ride revamp nears completion
A £2m upgrade to facilities at Oxford's Thornhill park-and-ride site is close to completion. Renovations which began 15 months ago will include a new terminal building with a heated waiting room and seating. Four large bus stops will serve the facility
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Advice bureau looks for volunteers
Banbury's Citizens Advice Bureau is looking for new volunteer advisers. A training course is planned to start in March, covering all the subjects advisers are called on to deal with. The course also covers CAB computer programmes and local procedures
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FIXTURES February 8
SATURDAY. FOOTBALL. BLUE SQUARE PREMIER. Oxford Utd v Histon. BRITISH GAS BUSINESS SOUTHERN LEAGUE. Premier Div: Kings Lynn v Banbury Utd Div 1 South & West: Abingdon Utd v Windsor & Eton, Oxford City v Didcot Tn. FOOTBALL LEAGUE YOUTH ALLIANCE
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Burgundy connoisseur's mixed case £74
This week's offer contains some rather special wines from three very different Burgundian vintages, which despite their differences have all produced excellent wines. The relatively cool 2004 vintage produced well-structured wines, the 2005 vintage wines
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ROWING: Headington pull together
The girls of Headington School took the main honours in the South of England Indoor Rowing Championships, hosted by Hinksey Sculling Club at the Park Sports Centre, Wheatley. In a fundraising event for the Hinksey club, there were entries from as
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A Burgundy tasting
I am just home after several days of intensive wine tasting in France. I'm not expecting too much sympathy but I've got to tell you that it's an absolutely exhausting job. As always, there was a bit of straw-drawing for day one and I, happily, landed
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Hopes rise for hospital plan
There is new hope for a community hospital in Bicester after campaigners pressed health officials to look into offers to build it. Although it is uncertain whether Bicester will get the 30-bed community hospital promised more than a decade ago, Oxfordshire
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Impress your Peers
Oxford teenagers who had never dreamed of going to university have been encouraged to aspire to greater things as part of a national campaign. Students at Peers School, in Sandy Lane West, Littlemore, said they are rethinking their futures following
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Stars to shine at Umbrella
Ooxfordshire's artistic stars of the future will be out in force later this month. On Tuesday, February 19, for one night only, young people from across the county will take part in The Big Umbrella. The event, at Oxford Town Hall in St Aldate's,
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THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY (12A)
Drama. Mathieu Amalric, Anne Consigny, Olatz Lopez Garmendia, Marie-Joseé Croze. Julian Schnabel's bold and audacious adaptation of the best-selling memoir, written for the screen by Ronald Harwood (The Pianist), is the work of a visionary. It is
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A spring decision for book storage
Oxford University's bid to build a £29m book depository on the Osney Mead industrial estate looks set to be decided in early May. Last November, city councillors refused the scheme planning permission because of concerns over possible flooding problems
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JUNO (12A)
Comedy/Drama/Romance. Ellen Page, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Allison Janney, JK Simmons, Michael Cera, Olivia Thirlby, Rainn Wilson. Released: February 8 (UK & Ireland) It's hard to imagine a more immaculately conceived or perfectly delivered
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NATIONAL TREASURE: BOOK OF SECRETS (PG)
Action/Drama/Comedy. Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha, Jon Voight, Ed Harris, Helen Mirren, Bruce Greenwood, Harvey Keitel. Released in the UK on Boxing Day 2004, the original National Treasure shamelessly plundered Dan Brown's global bestseller
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Cabbages & Kings
Weakness of willpower has always steered me clear of New Year resolutions and self-denial during Lent. What would be the use when I know the best of intentions would lie in ruins within 24 hours? So on Shrove Tuesday, there was sympathy for the three
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Ban sex ads
What a crowd of hypocrites you are at the Oxford Mail. In your editorial column (Oxford Mail, February 2), you condemn the activities of the brothels, prostitutes and their clients, yet a few pages further on, I find adverts for the self-same services
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Head acted too hastily
I am a parent of a child at Cheney School, The wrong trousers (Oxford Mail, February 2). I have to agree that there was little consultation about the rather sudden change in uniform enforcement, with inconsistency among teachers on the unclear rules
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National scandal
In a leaflet recently put through East Oxford residents' doors, the Liberal Democrats referred to the Islamic prayer call issue as nothing more than a storm in a teacup. It seems that the petition to release the mosque from its founding covenant not
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Distorted view
Since you have chosen to publish John Roper's splenetic opinions about Jean Fooks (Oxford Mail, February 4), please publish this attempt to calm his abuse and put my fellow Summertown councillor's work into a more rational perspective. I do not know
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Contempt for ordinary folk
Whenever one opens a newspaper, turns on the radio or TV, all one seems to get is doom and gloom, with such things as another daily, violent crime, another serviceman or woman killed, another stealth tax, another silly idea by this Government to sort
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Underage drinking crackdown gets results
Police in west Oxfordshire seized 100 cans and bottles of alcohol from under-18s during December as part of their zero-tolerance approach to underage drinking. The alcohol included 19 alcopops, 77 cans of cider and lager and four bottles of spirits.
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ROWING: Headington pull together
The girls of Headington School took the main honours in the South of England Indoor Championships, hosted by Hinksey Sculling Club at the Park Sports Centre, Wheatley. It was a fundraising event for the Hinksey club. As John Broadhurst, one of the
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Roysterers
TIM HUGHES explores the soul-searching eccentric planet that is Royworld There are fewer things more irritating to the music lover than those smug individuals who never tire of telling you how you should have been at some ludicrously small venue,
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BADMINTON: Killingbeck is star for Leys
Jenny Killingbeck and Suzanne Bridson starred in Women's Division 1 of the Oxford and District League. Killingbeck was unbeaten for Leys A as they crushed Wantage 4-2. Oxford University's Bridson kept a clean sheet in spite of the 3-3 draw against
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RACING: King Harald ready to rule again
KING Harald is proving a real star for Mark Bradstock's Letcombe Bassett stables, near Wantage, this season, writes Russell Smith. The ten-year-old notched his third win of the campaign with a gallant front-running display in a marathon four-mile handicap
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Que Pasa, 12 New Road, Oxford
Just what is the attraction of a bar that hosts pole dancing? Surely watching a plumber from Krakow gyrate after a hard day's graft would put any right-minded person off their dinner. Que Pasa used to be one of the leading places in Oxford for this
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FOOTBALL: Ex-City star shines at Forest
Former Oxford City striker Garath McCleary is determined to make the most of his big break following a dream move to Nottingham Forest. The 20-year-old striker joined the Coca-Cola League One promotion-chasers from Bromley for an undisclosed fee before
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Timeless tales from a Golden Afternoon
The discovery of a lost work by Edward Burne-Jones, prompts CHRIS KOENIG to think about Alice Liddell The discovery last week of some Burne-Jones paintings in an unassuming house reminded me once again of the whimsical Victorian Oxford inhabited
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Trains take the strain
Strange bunch, train commuters. "Man is born free, but is everywhere in trains," wrote Roger Green (pen name Tiresias) back in 1984 in his book Notes from the Overground - about life as seen by someone doomed to spend his days travelling back and forth
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Family photo sparks novel
An old family photograph inspired teacher Paul Roberts to write a story based on the life of his uncle, who was a tea planter in Ceylon, now Sri Lanka. Most of the book is set on the island, despite the fact that the author has never been there. Paul
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Paperback choice
Oystercatchers Susan Fletcher (HarperCollins, £7.99) This is a moving tale of two sisters: one alive, one barely so. And a tale of sibling rivalry, of bitterness, of love and trust. Moira's younger sister Amy is in a coma after a cliff fall; Moira,
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I really have read this book
HOW TO TALK ABOUT BOOKS YOU HAVEN'T READ Pierre Bayard (trs. Jeffrey Mehlman) (Granta, £12)Since every envious English Lit. tutor has already reviewed Pierre Bayard's book under the grimly-waggish heading: "I haven't read Pierre Bayard's book, but!
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Police raid 'cannabis factory'
Police have raided a cannabis factory in the Headington area of Oxford this morning. At around 8.30am, officers entered the three-storey house after receiving a tip-off. Once inside they found four large rooms filled with cannabis plants. No one
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Police seize 100 bottles from under-18s
POLICE in West Oxfordshire seized 100 cans and bottles of alcohol from under-18s during December alone as part of their zero tolerance approach to underage drinking. Police officers and Police Community Support Officers confiscated 19 alcopops, 77
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Police raid Headington drugs factory
POLICE raided a cannabis factory in Headington, Oxford, today. At about 8.30am, officers entered the three-storey house after receiving a tip-off. Once inside they found four large rooms filled with cannabis plants. No one was in the property but
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Whiter shade of pale
Val Bourne has been looking for the early signs of spring I'm heartened by the fact that we are already over halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. The days are getting longer and there's a touch of warmth in the sun to bring
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Reappraisal of Bloody Mary
MARY TUDOR: THE FIRST QUEEN Linda Porter (Portrait, £20)The last big history book I read was an account of the short life and reign of Edward VI, so Linda Porter's groundbreaking new study of his half-sister and immediate successor, Mary Tudor, seemed
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Books choice
The Song Before It Is Sung Justin Cartwright (Bloomsbury, £7.99) Oxford plays a central role in this novel, featuring 1930s German Rhodes scholar Axel von Gottberg, later shot by the Nazis for trying to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Cartwright based Gottberg's
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Could Punch's ambitions explain why the White House stands empty?
I was intrigued to see this week that the catering giant Punch Taverns might be obliged to sell off a lot of its pubs if it succeeeds in taking over rival Mitchells & Butlers. As The Times reported: "Analysts believe that to satisfy local market dominance
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In search of cultured conman
When David Lalé left university six years ago after studying English, he thought about writing a history of spectacular failures. Thumbing through a tome about suicide in literature, he came across a reference to Arthur Cravan, a nephew of Oscar Wilde
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Tales of the canal bank
Along the 2,200 miles of British Waterways wildlife is thriving and the Wilts and Berks Canal Trust has appointed an environmental director, writes ELIZABETH EDWARDS The news that the waterways network, including locally the Oxford Canal and the
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Romance in the snow
As a teenager, Catherine Jones loved the early Jilly Cooper books. Light-hearted romps featuring sexy girls with names like Bella, Harriet and Prudence, they were hugely popular in the 1970s. After joining the Army, Catherine started writing, helping
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It's odd how celebs take off together
The writer Aldous Huxley died without anybody really noticing. The same was true of C.S.Lewis, though he has more than made up for it in headlines since. The passing of both was eclipsed in the news by the assassination of President John F.Kennedy, which
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Our debt to men of the sea
Sometimes during my summer holidays on Naxos I pause to consider that almost everything needed on the island - food and drink apart - has been brought there by boat. Perspicacious readers will realise that the same is true, on a grander scale, of Britain
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Baffling sequel for 'Mars' team
Talk about milking the golden calf! The BBC had a popular drama series called Life on Mars, in which a police inspector was transported back in time to 1973, where he conflicted with the old-fashioned police methods of his boss, Det Insp Gene Hunt. As
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Joe's Bar and Restaurant, Summertown
Considering that Joe's in Summertown opened nearly three years ago, I have been remarkably slow off the mark about testing what's on offer there. A moment's reflection ought to have convinced me it was somewhere worth patronising. I had, after all, warmly
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Blue velvet is perfect for a special Valentine
What on earth can be said about food for lovers and those seeking the strength of an aphrodisiac that has not already been said? As I have never linked St Valentine's day with cheese, let's go with that, and not because cheese is supposed to keep people
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Cheesy St Valentine's soufflé recipe
The word soufflé frightens some cooks. Soufflés are often considered difficult to make and even more difficult to bake, particularly as they have to be served the moment they emerge all puffed and golden from the oven. This recipe, however, is both
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Juno
t's hard to imagine a more immaculately conceived or perfectly delivered comedy this year than Juno. From the striking first image of a girl staring quizzically at a discarded LazyBoy as she chugs juice, informing us in voiceover that "it started with
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National Treasure Book of Secrets
Released in the UK on Boxing Day, 2004, the original National Treasure shamelessly plundered Dan Brown's global bestseller The Da Vinci Code to contrive a fast-paced treasure hunt around some of the US's most iconic monuments and landmarks. What the film
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Showing the dos and don't of computer generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery has transformed children's cinema. Hand-drawn cel animation still exists, but it's too expensive and time-consuming to be used on mainstream features and it is now usually consigned to shorts and art films. However, there are
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Today's local share prices (AM)
AEA Technology 79 BMW 2585 Electrocomponents 194.5 Nationwide Accident Repair 119.5 Oxford Biomedica 18.5 Oxford Catalyst 144 Oxford Instruments 183 Reed Elsevier 588.25 RM 206 RPS Group 257.5 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon
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What's On in Jazz, February 8-14
This Thursday, the Spin Jazz Club, in the Wheatsheaf off High Street, again breaks new ground by inviting Steve Rose to join the house band on piano. Known to many as a talented bass player, Rose has recently been turning more to piano. He's a bit of
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Break-in at post office
A gang forced their way into a village post office and shop near Wantage last night and stole £,3000-worth of cigarettes. The break-in at Uffington Post Office, in Broad Street, is thought to have happened at 11.15pm. The raiders broke in through
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Village post office raided
A GANG forced their way into a village post office and shop in Uffington last night and stole cigarettes worth £3,000. The break-in at Uffington post office, in Broad Street, is thought to have happened at 11.15pm. The raiders broke in through the
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A Trip to Scarborough, Oxford Playhouse
Nostalgia time - it's not often that a stage set represents somewhere you've actually visited, but that's the case with Michael Holt's design for A Trip to Scarborough. His depiction of the foyer of the Royal Hotel, Scarborough, is a little less grand
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Alice Through the Looking Glass, Oxford Playhouse
Two men on tricycles rode towards each other and started fighting, each of them tumbling off their steeds at intervals, their cycle helmets shiny in flashing stage lights. In the surreal and comic world of the Plantlife production of Alice Through the
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The Clean House, Theatre Royal, Northampton, and touring to Oxford Playhouse
Lane's house looks as sterile as, hopefully, the hospital in which she practises as a consultant. Everything is white - walls, floor, sofa, and even Lane herself, who is dressed from head to foot in white. Employed to keep everything immaculate is Matilde
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So what's best for the plinth
Atop Trafalgar Square's once empty plinth at present is Thomas Schütte's Model for a Hotel 2007. Schütte's model collects the light available to it from the open public square, reflecting it through the edges of its primary coloured, horizontal glass
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Children's art competition at the Ashmolean Museum
In August 2007, the world's first public museum, the Ashmolean, set a challenge for young artists to create a vision for the 21st century. Korky Paul (pictured below), the artist and book illustrator, asked children aged between four and 16 to "picture
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Henry IV Parts I and II, RSC, Stratford
With the RSC's main theatre being rebuilt, it is hard for Stratford regulars to walk past the nearly demolished old auditorium without reflecting on great past productions. The 'Henrys' figure highly among my own favourites: Alan Howard unforgettable
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Houdini's Suitcase
Presented by the Bristol-based Pickled Image, Houdini's Suitcase is part drama, part dramatic puppet show, presenting a story of a magician's life and loves. It's a large canvas for a 55-minute piece, especially considering it also touches on war, the
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I Love Peach Blossom, Burton Taylor Theatre
If nothing else, I Love Peach Blossom provided me with a completely different 90 minutes to anything I have experienced in a theatre recently. The latest production by Oxford University Chinese Drama Society, it is part thought-provoking think-piece and
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Restless search for success
Joyce Cary was a man of contrasts. As a child, his life was marked by family misfortune and tragedy, instilling into him a yearning for a tranquil, ordered existence. Yet he also had a restless, indecisive nature, and spent much of his early adult life
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Paragon at The Spin
For the second week running, the Spin Jazz Club has had the courage to feature international bands that are relatively unknown. Paragon is an Anglo-German quartet of young musicians that has recently brought out its first album, but glance at the background
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Images of Woodstock
The inaugural Art in Woodstock festival, a celebration of the visual arts, held in October, was a great success. Individual art exhibitions showcased 34 artists in 24 venues around the town and there was an exhibition of competition entries - photography
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Batting for Britain
When you think of baseball, you probably think of America. Yet one fan strove to bring the game to Britain in the early 20th century - and as a result made the Oxfordshire market town of Chipping Norton the centre of British baseball, for a while. Frederick
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Schools blamed for ranking fall
OXFORDSHIRE County Council has dropped a ranking star after the latest assessment by the Audit Commission. County Hall has dropped from four stars to three stars, with the performance of schools being blamed. The Audit Commission judged the rate of
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County council loses rating star
Oxfordshire County Council has dropped a ranking star after the latest assessment by the Audit Commission. County Hall has dropped from four stars to three stars, with the performance of schools being blamed. The Audit Commission judged the rate of
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Chronicles of the county
The year 1899 was rich in significant events. The Boer War broke out, with Britain ready to teach a group of Dutch settlers in South Africa a lesson they wouldn't forget. Johann Strauss died and Chekhov's Uncle Vanya was performed for the first time.
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Entrance fee for city loos
PEOPLE caught short in Oxford city centre are to be charged to spend a penny. City council bosses have poo-poohed the idea of erecting a series of Parisian-style, self-cleaning public toilets in the centre of Oxford. Instead, the authority believes
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Frank Black to play street gig
PIXIES frontman Frank Black is set to play a street gig in Oxford city centre tonight, it has emerged. The singer - also known as Black Francis - is believed to have arranged an acoustic taster set before his concert at Oxford Brookes University Student
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Americans in county back Obama
OXFORD-BASED Americans yesterday backed Barack Obama in the race for the US presidency. For the first time, a voting centre was set up in the city for the primary vote to select the Democrat candidate for America's top job. The result was a clear
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Ban scrapped as crime falls
A BAN on gangs of youths congregating on an Oxford estate has been lifted amid cautious hopes yob-rule has been broken. A dispersal zone was put in place for 18 months in Rose Hill but has been scrapped because crime and antisocial problems have dropped
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Dr Robin McCleery: Fellow of Wadham College and former governor of The Cherwell School
THE HUGE holes left in Oxford life - academic, political, educational, musical and personal - following the sudden and premature death at only 58 of Dr Robin McCleery are impossible to fathom. As a fellow of Wadham College and departmental research
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Thieves steal lead in Iffley
FIVE properties in Iffley have been struck by lead thefts in the last ten days. Four houses and the village church were raided between Saturday, January 27, and Tuesday, February 5. Anyone with any information should contact PC John Anderson on 08458
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Rail passengers warned of changes
RAIL passengers travelling between the county and the West Midlands are being warned of major alterations to services next week. Chiltern Railways trains will not run north of Warwick Parkway from Saturday until Monday, February 18, due to resignalling
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On guard
It's good news week for Rose Hill. We reported yesterday that the primary school on the Oxford estate had received a boost with the news that it was in line to be included in the Government's Fresh Start scheme. Today, we disclose that the dispersal
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Belt up!
The number of motorists being caught not wearing seatbelts is staggering. It is well-documented that they save lives. Yet still the message isn't getting through. Every time police mount a roadside operation, they catch more than a handful of stupid
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Councils bid for grants
AN application for grants of up to £2.5m of European and Government money to support rural projects in west and north Oxfordshire and the Cotswolds has been sent in. West Oxfordshire and Cherwell district councils are now working on the details of
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Group hopes grant will secure future
A CHILDREN'S group is hoping a grant to pay for a temporary support worker will help secure its future. The group, based at the Pact Family Centre, in Hillary Drive, Didcot, was set up by children's charity the Springboard Family Project. The group
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Plan appeal
PLANS to build 72 flats on the site of the former Great Western Hotel, in Station Road, Didcot, are to come under public scrutiny at a planning inquiry on April 29 and 30. The owners have appealed against South Oxfordshire District Council's refusal
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Church celebrates 50th birthday
THE community of Kennington gathered in the parish church to mark the building's 50th anniversary. The service on Tuesday night - led by the Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Rev John Pritchard - was attended by hundreds of residents who paid particular tribute
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Post problems hit city hospice
A HOSPICE has resorted to collecting its own post after enduring months of late and lost orders, even though the sorting office is less than a five minute walk away. Sobell House, which provides respite care for people with life threatening illnesses
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Ban scrapped as crime falls
A ban on gangs of youths congregating on an Oxford estate has been lifted amid cautious hopes yob-rule has been broken. A dispersal zone was put in place for 18 months in Rose Hill but has been scrapped because crime and antisocial problems have dropped
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Entrance fee for city loos
People caught short in Oxford city centre are to be charged to spend a penny. City council bosses have poo-poohed the idea of erecting a series of Parisian-style, self-cleaning public toilets in the centre of Oxford. Instead, the authority believes
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Americans in county back Obama
Oxford-based Americans yesterday backed Barack Obama in the race for the US presidency. For the first time, a voting centre was set up in the city for the primary vote to select the Democrat candidate for America's top job. The result was a clear
