A 108-year-old ceremonial truncheon will be welcomed back to Oxford with a civic reception.
The wooden truncheon, which once belonged to a Mayor of Oxford, is being returned to the city by new owner Andy Durbridge. Tomorrow, his sister, Lesley Josey, will present the truncheon to the Lord Mayor of Oxford, John Goddard.
Oxford police commander Supt Amanda Pearson will also be at the event, alongside former Lord Mayor Susanna Pressel, who suggested housing it in the Town Hall.
Mr Durbridge, who lives in New York but used to live in Oxford, said: “I felt that it represented part of the civic history of the city and wanted to save it from a private sale where it might never be seen again.”
The truncheon is believed to have been handed to a special constable by councillor Thomas Taphouse to celebrate the coronation of Edward VII.
Mr Taphouse went on to become Mayor of Oxford in 1904 and died the following year, aged 66.
The truncheon bears his name and an image of the crown over the arms of Oxford.
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