Clarion Weekend, 23 October 2026

How now, brown cows? (Photo by Roger Close, at the Port Meadow round-up on Thursday.)

This week, some cows, kittens, unicorns, and a new water treatment plant for a data centre. One of these things is not like the others.

This week’s long reads

Looking for a pet-friendly rental in Oxford? Out of 500 properties advertised, only seven were showing as “pets allowed”. We ask why the Government’s new law doesn’t seem to be working. (Cats and housing policy. Name a more iconic Clarion duo. We’ll wait.)

The works of a forgotten French composer will be revived at the Maison Française d’Oxford this evening. Charlotte Sohy (1887-1955) concealed her gender under the signature ‘Ch. Sohy’ and is only now receiving due recognition. Stacy Olive Jarvis asks how much of our musical taste depends on what we have been given the opportunity to hear.

This week’s top stories

“Oxfordshire’s moment is now,” says a 90-strong partnership formed by the University of Oxford, businesses and investors to develop the county as a globally competitive innovation hub. By 2035, they believe the county could be one of the world’s top three ‘innovation-intensive clusters’.

The Equinox partnership, short for Equitable Innovation Oxford, aims to reverse the trend where ideas are hatched in Oxfordshire, but growing companies then leave the county to attract talent and investment elsewhere. This week it has set out its ambitions for the county: 20 unicorns (businesses valued at $1 billion+), £1 billion a year investment, and 30,000 tech jobs. They say, too, that people should feel the benefits of growth in their daily lives, and that more people should be able to participate in that future.

The strategy was unveiled at a House of Commons launch on Monday. Irene Tracey, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford and Equinox council chair, said:

“Oxfordshire is a national asset with global reach. Our challenge is not whether we can innovate – the question now is how we ensure the benefits of that innovation are anchored here in the UK: that our companies can start, scale and stay; that our talent sees a future here; and that the prosperity created by innovation is felt far beyond our laboratories and campuses, in the communities that surround them.”

Under the tagline ‘What happens in Oxford changes the world’, the strategy has four priorities: promoting Oxfordshire as a global destination for R&D and innovation investment and partnerships; ‘capital mobilisation’ and scaling high-growth companies, an Inward Investment Unit to coordinate investors; promoting local hiring, supply chains and education; and developing a regional data platform that provides insight into company growth and capital flows.

Eight potential routes have been set out for a new cycle and footway from Thame to Haddenham railway station. The journey is only two miles but existing roads are busy, with poor visibility, and have no pavement.

Haddenham is on the busy Chiltern main line from Birmingham and Banbury to London: Thame’s own railway station was closed in 1963, on a branch line which retained freight traffic until the 1990s and has since become the Phoenix Trail foot and cycle path.

Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire councils are collaborating on the project following an energetic local campaign for a ‘Thame to Haddenham Greenway’. Both councils committed money for design work, though not yet for actual construction of the path.

The eight routes are largely variations on the existing road routes and would involve new roadside paths being constructed. Three other corridors were rejected for being too indirect or for disturbance to wildlife. Consultation is open until 24 November.

Rounding up cattle on Port Meadow. (Photos by Roger Close.)

Around the city

Sheriff and Councillor Linda Smith ceremonially helped with the round-up of cattle on Port Meadow on Thursday. The annual round-up or ‘drive’ was an important activity undertaken by the Sheriff to ensure only cattle permitted to graze are on the meadow; sometimes unauthorised cattle pastured there and the drive sought to identify those and fine owners. Before 1980 the drive took the cattle, typically in excess of 150, across the Wolvercote Toll Bridge all the way to Godstow Nunnery. Today the role of the Sheriff (currently Cllr Linda Smith) is largely ceremonial, but an important part of the history of the city. (We did gently wonder if she was channelling Alan Rickman's iconic sheriff role in her choice of coat though.)
Oxford’s non-league football team Oxford City will be hosting former Premiership champions Leicester City in an unexpected FA Cup first round draw. The Foxes will travel to meet the Hoops at the M Group Stadium, aka Court Place Farm off Marsh Lane, for the fixture on Friday 6 November. The fixture will be televised on TNT Sports, and Oxford City are encouraging supporters to sign up for a ticketing account for a chance to attend.
Lights will not be installed on the Cottesmore Bridge diversion route until December, according to an update from local councillor Ed Turner. The diversion goes via the ring road cycle track. The bridge, which crosses the ring road from Rose Hill to Sainsbury’s, was closed in May after structural issues were discovered: Oxfordshire County Council is now planning a full replacement and is “finalising how and when the scheme can be incorporated into the future capital programme”.
Cellist Yo-Yo Ma and rappers De La Soul are coming to the Schwarzman Centre next year. Tickets are on general sale now for the 2027 programme, which also includes circus cabaret and a celebration of Korean culture. (Unsurprisingly, Yo-Yo Ma has already sold out.)

Yass queen: Fifteen-year-old Shambavi Hariharan, a pupil at Oxford High School who lives in Kidlington, has won the Under 18 girls' title at the Delancey UK Chess Challenge Terafinal, held at Blenheim Palace last weekend. The UK Chess Challenge is Britain's largest chess competition for children, attracting around 20,000 participants each year. Just 60 qualify for the national final after progressing through a series of regional tournaments. Oxford High School in North Oxford is a private girls day school, where learning Mandarin is compulsory; alumnae include Emma Bridgewater, the potter, Dame Maggie Smith, actress, and Dame Cressida Dick, former Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.
Holy smoke: Worshippers at the shrine of St Frideswide, Oxford’s patron saint, were evacuated after the amount of incense used at her annual patronal festival set off fire alarms at Christ Church Cathedral. Tuesday’s service was transferred from her saint’s day on Monday (also Oxfordshire Day). Among the miracles attributed to the 8th century saint was one in which a well appeared after she prayed for water; this was originally intended to save the walk from the Thames but would presumably also be useful for fighting fires. Binsey church has a 19th century reconstruction of the well.
The “most instagrammable jewellery store in the UK”, Astrid & Miyu, is coming to Oxford. The London-based brand has submitted plans to move into 129 High Street, previously Virgin Money and (until 2013) the legendary Carfax Fish & Chips round the back. A planning application is with Oxford City Council. Astrid & Miyu stores typically feature a “welding studio” which we are reliably assured is not somewhere you can go and get your steel bike frame fixed.
Meanwhile, the Pret a Manger at 2 Cornmarket is proposed for conversion to Chango Empanadas, the first branch of the Argentine street food cafe outside London. Among their empanadas are ‘Olives & Mozzarella with Spark Wine’ and ‘Four Cheese’ and we’re quite hungry now.

Cllrs Nigel Chapman and Linda Smith at Northfield

In the latest instalment of #OxfordNeedsHomes, Oxford City Council has announced the topping out of 51 new affordable homes at the former Northfield Hostel site in Littlemore, with the two apartment blocks now at their full height. 27 will be council homes for social rent, and 24 as shared ownership. The site was unused since 2014; all 51 homes will be highly energy efficient, and with solar panels. Cllr Linda Smith said: “Oxford needs homes, and we’re building them. Northfield is a great example of how we can bring underused brownfield land back into use to provide much-needed affordable homes."
Oxford Park Homes off Grenoble Road, next to Oxford Sewage Treatment Works, could expand by 54 more mobile homes. The owners say it would help “meet the local demand for accessible and low-maintenance homes”. An application is with South Oxfordshire District Council. Relocating the STW has been mooted as a way of freeing up valuable land for housing.
Oxford City Council has announced the Oxford Living Wage (OLW) will increase to £14.68 per hour in 2027. OLW was launched in 2018 to help workers in one of the UK's most expensive cities. It is reviewed annually and set at 95% of the Living Wage Foundation’s London Living Wage. This year, the Living Wage Foundation has updated the methodology used to calculate the wage, combining measures of the cost of living with a new poverty threshold based on 60% of median income. Implementation is due by 6 April 2027. We wrote about it earlier this year.
Far-right agitators the ‘Oxfordshire Patriots’ have cancelled a planned protest outside an RNLI fund-raising event in Risinghurst. They say “We have taken into consideration the local community, particularly the elderly, children and families who live nearby or may be attending the church hall event.” (We don’t expect the Patriots read the Clarion, or indeed much at all, but honestly, when you get to the stage of “picketing an RNLI fund-raising event at a church hall”, you should urgently reconsider your life choices.)

Chippy Town Hall. (Photo by Philip Halling at geograph.org.uk, CC-BY-SA.)

Around the county

Chipping Norton’s prominent Town Hall could be restored to its historic glory if an application for Heritage Lottery funding is successful. A project spearheaded by the Town Council is developing proposals to repair the historic fabric, install a lift, lower carbon usage, and rework the rooms for community use. Consultation is currently underway with the aim of submitting a Lottery bid before the March deadline.
Peak modern day council news: West Oxfordshire District Council is to replace 16 diesel bin trucks with 14 new vehicles that can run on Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil or diesel, and two that will be electric. The council calls this a step in the transition towards a fully zero-emission fleet, and says 16 of its vehicles will reach their expected lifespan in 2026, leading to more breakdowns, higher repair costs, and greater reliance on hired vehicles. Cllr Alistair Wray said: "We already use electric vehicles successfully. However, the technology is not yet suitable for some of the larger vehicles. Using HVO helps reduce emissions by up to 83% vs diesel, while we continue to test new technology and move towards a zero-emission fleet in the future.”
130 homes are planned for the northern edge of Chalgrove. Promoters Catesby Strategic Land call it “a high-quality, landscape-led housing extension”. A planning application is with SODC. The South Oxfordshire village is currently awaiting updates for the 3,400-home development planned for the former airfield by Government body Homes England (covered in our December 2025 long read).

Abingdon could get a cheerful new mural courtesy of Bury Street shopping precinct owners, Sunnyday Capital. The town council is seeking comments. Wider plans for the area include an improved ‘public realm’ (seating, planters, etc.) and refreshing shop frontages.
City and county council websites went offline on Thursday after a vulnerability (a potential hack) was discovered in the popular programming language, PHP, used to build many sites. Both are now back online after a fix for the language was published.

Earth Trust made a clump (pun intended) of announcements this week, including a new five-year strategy, a new cafe, new waymarked nature walks and half-term events. The overall theme of their strategy is ‘Nature and people thriving together’, aiming to show what is possible for nature and people, with Wittenham Clumps as a demonstration of nature-friendly farming, habitat improvement and public access and participation. Earth Trust aims to build on its current 200,000 annual visits, with 100,000 connecting with nature through an improved visitor centre, planned to open next year, 20,000 through events (from archaeology to business meetings), and 10,000 from children’s landscape learning.There’s also a new brand and a new website. The new logo reflects the contours of Castle Hill, one of the ‘Clumps’. There is a new ‘pop-up’ cafe, now open 9am to 3pm, seven days a week, with hot and cold drinks and homemade cakes. A full cafe with a wider offer is being built. Four walks, from 30 minutes to 2 hours, help visitors explore the nature and farmland. Events for half-term include the Outdoor Explorer Camp for 7 to 13s, (Mini Clarion tried and tested) and a family experience of ‘The Clumps through time'.
Following their return to Golden Cross at the entrance to Oxford’s Covered Market, the Cake Shop and Heritage Bakery will be closing their Witney branch on 31 October after just two years. They write: “We want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported us in Witney.” The owners originally blamed their 2024 move from Oxford on “problems with access and challenges around the zero emissions zone”: their Witney site was adjacent to the town’s copious free parking. (There’s a moral in there somewhere but we’re just happy to have the Cake Shop back in Oxford.)
Energy company RWE has applied to build a water treatment plant in Didcot to serve new data centre developments. The plant would have 22m-high water storage tanks to “optimise the use and reuse of water abstracted from the River Thames”. It would be operated as part of RWE’s Didcot B Power Station, a gas turbine power plant which already has permission to abstract water from the Thames. The data centres are proposed for construction on the site of the (now demolished) Didcot A Power Station. RWE say “Abstraction would remain within the limits that are already authorised under the existing abstraction licence.” (Locks on the River Thames continue to only be open for restricted hours due to low water levels, an unprecedented situation for late October.) An early-stages application is with Vale of White Horse District Council.
Meanwhile, just over the border in South Oxfordshire, councillors last night debated a motion calling on the Government to properly assess the impacts of AI data centres on water and electricity resources in the water-stressed district. Culham, in South Oxfordshire, has been identified as the UK’s first ‘AI growth zone’. The motion also asked members and the council to be transparent about when they use AI in communications with residents. Cllr Jo Robb (Green) said: “The government is committed to the rollout of AI and AI data centres, and has declared data centres as 'critical national infrastructure'. However, it has failed to assess potentially catastrophic impacts on water and electricity, let alone on humanity, jobs, privacy and democracy. AI is being sold on promises of future benefits, while the impacts in the here-and-now in terms of jobs, water and the environment are real and present.”

Walking, cycling and boating

The Oxford Ghost Tour, run by City Sightseeing Oxford, will return for its sixth year this Halloween. The 75-minute walking tour will be led by Tom McDonnell, experienced tour guide and author of Dead but Awake: A Collection of Paranormal Encounters from the Shadows of Oxford. Daily tours leave the High Street at 5pm between 24th and 31st October; they are pitched as “perfect for locals who think they already know Oxford, and tourists looking for a fright on the city’s cobbled streets”. #ghosttown

Glow Ride (photos by Roger Close and Cllr Katherine Miles).

A Glow Ride took place on Thursday to celebrate women cycling and
to call for conditions to be put in place that make cycling for women safer and more attractive. Organisers Cyclox say: “Across the UK, women make half as many trips by bike as men and are more likely to be put off cycling by fears of busy traffic or harassment. This isn’t just about transport – it’s about equality, opportunity and giving more people the freedom to ride.”
A road in the fast-growing village of Heyford Park will be dedicated to walkers and cyclists when a parallel replacement is constructed. Oxfordshire County Council plans to make the original Chilgrove Drive into an active travel route, linking with new cycleways alongside the main Camp Road, and extend the 20mph limit in the village. The plans dovetail with 1,175 new houses in the village. Consultation is open until 20 November.
Tooley’s Boatyard in Banbury is fundraising for the restoration of Hardy, a 1940s wooden narrowboat that formerly carried coal on the Oxford Canal. The boatyard’s regular income from servicing private boats has been hit by the drought-related closure of the canal. Having raised £4,200 over the weekend of the Banbury Canal Festival, the boatyard trust hope to raise a further £1,500 for the next phase of work to take place. Membership starts at £2 per month. Despite loosening the restrictions on the Oxford Canal in the Midlands, the Canal & River Trust says that the canal through Banbury needs to remain closed due to low water supplies.

This weekend

Harcourt Arboretum’s autumn fair tomorrow has been cancelled. The organisers say: “This decision has not been taken lightly. However, with gusts of up to 46 mph and extreme weather forecast, the health and safety of visitors, traders and staff remain our highest priority. We sincerely apologise for any disappointment.”
10 Children Who Changed the World (£), Sat, Story Museum. Actor Paterson Joseph retells children's lives from a time when 'people who looked like them weren’t expected to become important', for Black History Month.
Alfredfest (£/free), Sat/Sun, Wantage. A celebration of King Alfred, including a preview of new opera Æthelflæd sung in Old English. Stick around next week for Wantage Literary Festival (£).
Megalith, from Sat, University Museum. Interactive installation (free) or performances (£) with the sounds of rock and metal, or rather, rocks and metals.
Merton Time Ceremony (private), Sun. The students of Merton College process backwards from 2am ... until 2am, marking the end of British Summer Time in a big ball of wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff.
Oxford Green Fair (free/donation), Sun, Oxford Town Hall. The annual gathering of campaign groups and craft stalls, earlier in the year than usual.
The World of Oliver Jeffers (£), Sun, Waterstones. Start half term with A Day Off School and a Hallowe'en story.
Music, Words, Silence (£), Sun, Holywell Music Room. Charity concert of Chopin, to raise money for the Oxford Ukrainian School.

The Gang of Three at the Oxford Playhouse.

This week

It is half term. If you have Mini Clarions, may we point you towards useful half-term guides from Daily Info and from Little Oxplorers?

All Souls Under the Stars (free), Mon-Fri, All Souls College Chapel. Exhibition of astrophotography showing Oxford's historic buildings in long exposures after dark.
International Observe the Moon Night (free), Mon, outside the Martin Wood Complex, Parks Road. A drop-in activity to “come together with fellow Moon enthusiasts”.
This Old Cello Box (£), Tue, Caper. Australian songwriter William Jack reinvents the cello.
Once a Slag (free/£), Tue, Silver Band Hall. Local photographer Philippa James talks to the Oxford Photographic Society on her latest project about teenage girlhood.
The Gang of Three (£), Tue-Sat, Oxford Playhouse. Political drama about the 1970s Labour Party.
Oxford Global Jazz (free), Wed, St John's College. Award-winning Ghanaian trumpeter Peter Somuah performs in the college auditorium, with a 'hint of electronics'.
What Lies Beneath? (£), Wed, Caper. An evening of folk horror with Andrew Michael Hurley and Elizabeth Garner.
Woodland Spooktacular (£), Wed/Thu, Hill End. Hawks and homing pigeons.
A Very Expensive Poison (£), Wed-Sat, Old Fire Station. Black comedy about the assassination of Alexander Litvinenko.
Robyn Cowen (£), Thu, Ultimate Picture Palace. An evening with the BBC football commentator and OUFC fan.
Quantum Access Day (free), Fri 30 Oct, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. Learn about quantum computing and tour the Diamond Light Source, or for younger kids, the Curious Case of the Quantum Computer.
Halloween Film Screenings (£), from Fri 30 Oct, Divinity School. Choose from Monsters Inc., Beetlejuice, and Bram Stoker's Dracula in suitably Gothic surroundings.

Coming soon

Next weekend: Day of the Dead at Flo Park and the Pitt Rivers on Friday. Oxford’s Welsh male voice choir meet Froncysyllte choir at the Town Hall on Saturday in ‘Arches and Spires’ (10 points for anyone who figures out the title).
And Red All Over (£), 3-7 Nov, Burton Taylor Studio. A drama about Oxfordshire local media and clickbait? We’ll be there.
Oxfordshire Otherwise (£), Thu 5 Nov, Fusion Arts. 'Ley of the Land' and other experimental film and music from deep in the county, from the wonderful Northern Earth.
Editors’ album launch at Truck Store, Tue 17 Nov.
Kae Tempest in Conversation at Mansfield College, Wed 18 Nov.

Oxfordshire’s independent media

Edible Reading visits the Punter.
The Oxford Sausage returns to Binsey's treacle well.
Morris Oxford loves all beauteous things.
Cherwell advocates casual feminism over rape culture.
The Oxford Student has prepared you a pub crawl of historic pubs.
The Oxford Blue experiences the joy of cycle commuting.
The Oxford Scientist considers the legal challenge of AI-designed drugs.
Ox in a Box visits a new Michelin guide entry, the Duke of Cumberland near Deddington.
Oxford Lives interviews stuntman Jon Xue Zhang.
Taste Tibet is anxious about the advent of Reform.
Good luck to three launches: culture blog The Oxford Void, intellectual women's magazine Bluestocking Oxford (online since 2023 but new in print), and Overheard at Oxford (on Instagram since 2023 but new in longform). The last of these describe themselves as “A decreasingly small and decreasingly anonymous team with good hearing and noble but occasionally questionable priorities.” Us too...

Notes from Clarion HQ

If you're on half term duty, good luck! Our writers are too. So far no luck getting the Mini Clarions to write the newsletters as ‘work experience’, but we’ll keep trying. Thanks to everyone who’s fed us tips, suggestions and comments this week: we’re at news@oxfordclarion.uk as ever. Stay anchored to the ground this blustery weekend, and we’ll see you on Tuesday.