Counting down
The Morris Oxford Countdown to Christmas begins today …
Author: Morris Oxford
Bonn Bones
How many people today have heard of the Tirah Expedition? Or could even say where Tirah was/is? So much for remembrance … The answer is that Tirah is a mountain region at the North West Frontier of what was once British India, on the border … Continue readingBonn Bones
Treacle Well
There are certain, special places where the modern world feels very far away. As you pass through the wooden gate into St Margaret’s churchyard, Binsey, the relentless thrum of the ring road seems to recede into the distance, and time starts to slip … For … Continue readingTreacle Well
A Little More Allotment
Mrs Thatcher was not a friend of allotments, despite (or perhaps because of) being a grocer’s daughter from the famously potato-growing county of Lincolnshire. In July 1980 her government attempted to repeal Section 8 of the 1925 Act. Had she succeeded it would have meant … Continue readingA Little More Allotment
Allotments
The Right Worshipful Lord Mayor of Oxford, Mrs E F M Standingford, couldn’t quite believe her eyes as she stepped decorously through the gates of Osney, St Thomas and New Botley allotments, one warm August afternoon in 1986. Patiently waiting for her on the other … Continue readingAllotments
Swing Bridge
Once it was pivotal. Now, ivy-clad and rusting, it tells of an era long since past. Yet still it retains a grandeur and a fascination, like the mouldering carcass of some giant metal dinosaur. It’s a railway swing bridge. It dates from 1851. It was … Continue readingSwing Bridge
A River Runs Through It
Running through every story on this website is a silver thread: the river which has shaped Oxford’s destiny, indeed the very reason for Oxford’s existence. The water even takes on a different name as it flows here, turning briefly from Thames to Isis (supposedly from … Continue readingA River Runs Through It
Lockdown
We have just witnessed something unprecedented in the history of Oxford: EMPTY STREETS. The photographs below were recorded by Stephen Foote – a professional cameraman, Oxford born and bred – over the course of two April days in 2020.
JR
We received a number of disturbing reports following our most recent posting on Microbes and Medicine. Dr John Radcliffe appeared to have fallen on his side, his magnificent statue having, for some unfathomable computerish reason, rotated 90° to the left. We are delighted to confirm … Continue readingJR
Microbes and Medicine
Reserve Police Constable Albert Alexander was in a very bad way. His face was horribly swollen and covered in abscesses, his breathing was short, and he was displaying all the symptoms of acute sepsis. The situation was so serious that surgeons at the Radcliffe Infirmary … Continue readingMicrobes and Medicine