EILEEN Tideswell, who has died aged 85, was an outstanding florist with a lust for life.

The Botley resident was a popular figure at Oxford's iconic Randolph Hotel, working in several roles over a quarter of a century.

But she was best known as the hotel's in-house florist and was one of its proudest ambassadors.

Eileen Mavis Kepple was born on December 14, 1932, in Bow, London.

She was an only child and first came to Oxfordshire with her mother, Violet, as an evacuee during the Second World War.

Her father, Herbert, was a brewery manager in Brick Lane and stayed in London, with Eileen and her mother returning to the capital after the conflict.

She was born with hip problems and had a serious hip revision aged 10, undergoing what was then pioneering treatment.

This meant Eileen missed a lot of school as a teenager, but she still passed her exams when she trained to become a nurse.

She returned to Oxford but suffered more health problems, contracting life-threatening tuberculosis in her early twenties.

This could have claimed her life, but she beat the disease and soon met future husband Ashworth Tideswell, from Marston.

The couple married in 1958 and ran the Railway Tavern in Wheatley, where they were well-known members of the community and played in the darts team.

Around this time, Mrs Tideswell gave birth to daughters Rhonda, Susan and Clare, born in 1956, 1964 and 1968 respectively.

In 1971, the pair bought a house in Botley, where they remained throughout their lives.

Her husband worked at British Leyland in Cowley, becoming very involved in trade union activities, while Mrs Tideswell took several part-time jobs.

One of those was as a cashier at the Randolph's restaurant, where she remained for 25 years.

Mrs Tideswell had her own table in the restaurant and Susan and Clare would often join her during her shift, both sitting quietly under the table.

Her time at the Randolph brought her into contact with the great and the good, including Alec Guinness, Cliff Richard and Inspector Morse creator Colin Dexter, with her flowers later featuring in early episodes of the show.

The Botley resident soon took a job in the accounts office but her interest in flower arranging saw her enrol in a course at Oxpens college in the early 1980s.

The hotel management spotted her talent and she became the Randolph's in-house florist, providing several eye-catching displays.

Mrs Tideswell would drive down Botley Road on her moped and collect flowers from the Covered Market, before creating beautiful arrangements for a range of seasons and festivals.

She was loved by employees and customers and even became an unofficial agony aunt for some of the younger staff members.

Mrs Tideswell took more part-time jobs after leaving the Randolph in the early 1990s, including at Homebase and Sobell House.

She threw herself into life despite her ongoing hip problems and decided to add to her already packed schedule by reading with children at North Hinksey school.

Before Ashworth passed away in 2007, the pair spent many weekends travelling to different parts of Oxfordshire and beyond in their caravan. After this, Mrs Tideswell remained fiercely independent and continued to travel.

She attended the Randolph's 150th anniversary celebrations in 2016 and there are plans for her photo to be included on the hotel's wall of fame.

Mrs Tideswell was admitted to the John Radcliffe Hospital on the Friday before her death, but, like her husband, was allowed to die at home.

She passed away on Wednesday, November 28, and is survived by her three daughters. Her funeral was on Tuesday and the family is asking for donations to go to Oxfordshire Association for the Blind and Botley Day Centre.