Hunting old vinyl records in Oxford - the best spots

There has been a resurgence in sales of vinyl records in recent years so on Saturday I decided to see what I could find, while taking in some of the sights of Oxford city centre at the same time.

My first stop was Gloucester Green market off George Street where second-hand record dealers can sometimes be found.

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The market - now running four days a week from Wednesday to Saturday - is a hidden gem, combining street food stalls with second-hand clothes, antiques, bric-a-brac and old records.

My luck was in as London-based Mick Melbourne was at his stall selling albums and 45s.

Mick told me footfall in the market has been picking up in recent weeks after lockdown restrictions continued to ease.

I picked out three singles for a fiver by Lindisfarne, Nick Lowe and the Icicle Works before walking the short distance to Riverman Records in Walton Street.

Andy Tucker moved from Henley to Walton Street in 2019 and has been giving customers a warm welcome ever since.

As he buys and sells vinyl, his stock is constantly refreshed and there is usually something that catches my eye. This time it was a fine copy of The Clash’s Give ‘Em Enough Rope and some Kinks and Stones 45s and I bagged them before setting off for Truck, the Cowley Road record store, via the High Street.

Renowned guide Nikolaus Pevsner said in 1974: “The High Street is one of the world’s great streets - it has everything.”

Everything including plenty of buses, which formed an orderly queue as shoppers including American tourists strolled by.

I could have hopped on a bus and jumped off in St Clements but I wanted to enjoy the walk and after passing along the packed pavements and crossing Magdalen Bridge I found myself on Cowley Road at Truck Store.

The layout inside has changed since I was last there, with second-hand vinyl now at the back. Following a swift rummage I spotted an album I liked - Hypnotised by the Undertones - the first band I saw live in 1981.

Back in the High Street, I ventured into Antiques on High and found a stash of Human League 12s but the £7 price tag put me off. Then I turned around and cut through Christ Church Meadow to catch a bus in Abingdon Road, enjoying an impromptu organ recital at Merton College chapel en route.

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Quod restaurant at The Old Bank hotel appeared busy and I noticed for the first time benches outside paying tribute to authors, including Colin Dexter and JRR Tolkien.

Oxford’s streets are not paved with vinyl but it’s not hard to find and you can take in some of the city’s finest sights along the way.