And so we gear ourselves up for the excitements of a New Year. Before we finally ring out the old, however, let’s take a moment to reflect on the twelve months that made up 2024.
Click on the images below to read the full Story.
In January we took the opportunity of an exhibition in the Weston Library to showcase some of the thirteen million manuscripts, books, maps, papyri, music, and printed items in the Bodleian collections: a veritable A – Z of treasures.
On St Valentine’s Day we recalled Oxford’s most celebrated love story: the tale of Rosamund the Fair, the most beautiful woman in the land, who caught the eye of a passionate and all-powerful king – with tragic consequences.
28 March was the day in 1913 when the first Morris Oxford rolled out of the factory – followed, exactly 106 years later, by the launch of Morris Oxford the website. On this occasion we focused on Viscount Nuffield, the man behind the machine.
April’s solar eclipse had us looking up to the heavens – a timely reminder of Oxford’s celestial heritage, a vision and a history encapsulated in the glorious building that is the Radcliffe Observatory.
6 May marked the 70th anniversary of the four-minute mile. Personal memories of Sir Roger Bannister came flooding in, including reminiscences from people who had been at the Iffley Road running track on that very day in 1954.
To mark the Summer Solstice, which this year fell on 20 June, we posted two features about Port Meadow, a never-ending source of wonder and inspiration at the green heart of Oxford.
We took the opportunity of some rare July sunshine to go Above and Beyond in search of Oxford’s finest views – including one memorably vertiginous trip up 131 spiral steps to the parapet of the Bell Tower of New College.
In August we posted Meadow Gifts – a Story of hope, reclamation and transformation, as the former dumps of Oxford become greener and more bio-diverse; but also a warning about the ever-present dangers of over-expansion and concrete excess.
September was the month of the Oxford Canal Festival, and a chance for us to celebrate the glorious creativity and resilience of the people who have made this historic waterway their home and their life.
The walls of Oxford are there for all to see (in part at least) as they have been for centuries; but do you know about the entrance known as the Non-Licet gate and the ceremony which took place there in October?
Tied-up? Fancy a pint? There’s really only one place to go, and we went there in November: the Bear Inn (calling into the Turf Tavern and the Mitre en route.)
This is the 250th anniversary year of the Covered Market: a remarkable place with a remarkable history. We happily joined in the December celebrations and did a bit of Yuletide wassailing while we were at it: a great way to see out 2024.
Thank you to all Morris Oxford readers who, during the course of the year, got in touch with comments, reflections, anecdotes, and photographs. Week by week the Feedback sections are growing into an ever richer archive of insight and information.
There really is no end to the number of remarkable Oxford stories. We’ve only just begun to scratch the surface. So do, please, continue to get in touch. And encourage friends, family, and neighbours to get in touch too. We’d love to hear from you.
Onward and Oxford!
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