Cheeky cartoon was on show at the Radcliffe Arms pub

Bob was running the Radcliffe Arms in Jericho in the 1980s and decided to hang it on the pub wall to amuse customers and staff.

He tells me: “The cartoon had appeared in the Mail one weekend.

“When I called Jim to ask if I could have his original drawing, he told me I was the only person ever to ask for his artwork.

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“The cartoon was duly delivered in exchange for a pint of Guinness.

“The drawing was framed and hung in my pubs and bars for more than 20 years.”

He wrote in after seeing another of Jim Needle’s cartoons, of Oxford accountant, councillor and Oxford United company secretary Edmund Gibbs (Memory Lane, October 12).

He has fond memories of his time at the Radcliffe Arms, particularly the visits of great artists such as American country music star Jerry Jeff Walker, who died last year of throat cancer, aged 78.

The former landlord remembers him performing his most popular song, Mr Bojangles, at the pub.

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Bob, who now lives in South Hams, Devon, recalls how the singer was performing at Wembley and had one spare date.

Radio Oxford presenter Lee Williams, a part-time booking agent, arranged for him to perform at the Radcliffe Arms, to a very appreciative audience.

Bob writes: “If they ever put blue plaques in Jericho, they should remember the great artists who played at the Radcliffe Arms.”

Another picture will probably take many Memory Lane readers by surprise.

It shows the Power Brothers, Bill and John, performing at the pub.

John, of course, in the background, is the former Lord Mayor of Oxford and city councillor.

The Power brothers, Bill, front, and John, perform at Christmas 1985

Bob’s comment? “Forget the Everly Brothers – Bill and John rocked the Radcliffe Arms at Christmas 1985.”

The Radcliffe Arms, in Cranham Street, was named after Dr John Radcliffe, the eminent physician.

He gave his name to the Radcliffe Camera, the Radcliffe Infirmary and the John Radcliffe Hospital.

According to Derek Honey’s Encyclopaedia of Oxford Pubs, Inns and Taverns, the pub opened in 1872.

However, other records suggest it began trading in 1846.

It closed in 2010 and reopened a year later as The Rickety Press.

Bob also ran the Bell at Bicester, the Red Lion at Stratton Audley and the Bull at Launton.

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Jim Needle was a gifted graphic artist and cartoonist who worked for the Oxford Mail and other publications for many years.

He lived in Canal Street, Jericho.

After his death in 1997, his many friends paid tribute to him at a packed memorial service at St Barnabas Church.