Time never stands still in Summertown, and Ann Spokes Symonds follows the story in The Changing Faces of Summertown and Cutteslowe (Robert Boyd, £9.95).
She has written five other books in this series, and this one was written with Chris Nichols, of the North Oxford Association.
Interestingly, the west side of Banbury Road was developed between 1900 and 1902 as houses, which only gradually became shops, giving up their front gardens and railings for parking.
The authors say the terrace has a ‘harmonious Edwardian style’, in stark contrast to the 20th-century blocks of offices and shops on the east side. They also bemoan the loss of independent family shops to chain stores.
A whole chapter is devoted to Summertown post offices. Incredibly, this thriving shopping centre now has no post office at all.
Another chapter deals with the post-war development of Cutteslowe, and includes the scandalous tale of the Cutteslowe Wall and its demolition after a long campaign by residents.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article