Clarion Weekly, 4 July 2025

Water voles and praying mantises, roses and lentils, museums, cinemas, council offices and brand new bridges – all this and much more in another packed week of city and county news.

This week’s top stories

With Oxford’s congestion charge proposed to start this autumn, we asked Luke Marion, managing director of Oxford Bus Company, to share his thoughts on tackling what he calls “Oxford's traffic emergency” to help deliver a world-class bus service in Oxford.

Oxford’s traffic emergency needs a bold approach – Luke Marion on the congestion charge

A temporary congestion charge could be introduced to Oxford this autumn to get the city’s streets moving again. Among its main aims is speeding up bus journey times, currently suffering from queues on the main routes into the city. We asked Luke Marion, Managing Director of Oxford Bus Company,

Oxford ClarionClarion guest contributor

Plans for a visitor levy in Oxford, first reported in the Clarion last July, are moving forward – though the City Council is at pains to emphasise “this is not a tourist tax”.

The proposal is for an Accommodation Business Improvement District similar to that in Manchester, where visitors are charged an extra £1 per room per night. The funds raised are then spent by Manchester’s ABID board on marketing, festivals and events, guest welcome and street cleanliness.

Oxford City Council says a similar scheme here could “unlock up to £10m for additional projects”. Two task groups are being set up to research the project. An ABID would only go forward if hotels voted in favour. Cllr Alex Hollingsworth, City Council cabinet member for planning & culture, said: “Ultimately it will be up to accommodation providers whether to move forward or not, but it has the potential to unlock a lot of money to support them and make improvements that will benefit everyone.”

The Cowley Road’s independent cinema, the Ultimate Picture Palace, has been designated an ‘Asset of Community Value’ – a status which gives the community six months to bid in case of a sale, and potential compulsory purchase powers by the City Council.

The UPP operators are planning a Lottery funding bid to upgrade its projection and sound system, but this requires a lease of at least 20 years, and the cinema’s lease lasts only until 2037. The UPP says that its landlord, Oriel College, has declined to extend the lease.

UPP director Micaela Tuckwell said: “An alliance between Oriel College and UPP would provide a multitude of benefits for East Oxford and the wider city for decades to come, paving the way to raising future investment and providing community access to high-quality, affordable cultural experiences.”

Oriel told the Clarion: “UPP has security of tenure until 2037, with the inclusion of a tenant-side break clause that allows UPP to terminate the lease at its discretion. At no point has the College sought to amend or curtail the lease. The Provost and senior officers of the College have met with UPP representatives on multiple occasions to discuss areas of shared interest, explore possibilities for collaboration, and consider potential frameworks for working together.”

Plans for new county council offices at Speedwell House, near the police station and courts, have been lodged. Oxfordshire County Council is planning to redevelop these vacant offices as a new HQ, replacing County Hall which is to be sold for hotel use.

The five-storey building will have a first-floor council chamber capable of accommodating 180 people, with options to partition; office accommodation for 340 staff; 12-13 meeting rooms; a Coroner’s Court; a reception and waiting area; and a café, open to the public as well as to staff. There will also be a public square which the architects say will “provide a leafy forecourt to the existing entrance of the Magistrates’ Court and the main entrance of Speedwell House”. 82 cycle spaces will be provided with a dedicated cycle store. Car parking will be reduced from 17 spaces to just four.

OCC say they aim for the building to achieve an ‘Excellent’ BREEAM sustainability rating, Net Zero carbon operation, a 40% reduction in water consumption, and a 33% biodiversity gain thanks to a green roof, site landscaping, and replacement swift boxes.

Unusually, OCC’s own plans go to the County Council’s independent planning committee for consideration, rather than the City Council (the usual planning authority). This week also saw plans for a new Didcot HQ for South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse councils approved – all at a time when the future shape of Oxfordshire’s councils is unknown. The three competing plans all seek to reduce the number of councils, potentially meaning fewer buildings will be needed.

Around the city

• A new mural is in progress at the entrance to Gloucester Green market, using a hoarding outside the former Odeon cinema being redeveloped as an 'aparthotel'. Kathryn Croxson has painted colourful designs on the windows of empty shops across central Oxford; this one was commissioned by Oxford City Council. More of Kathryn’s work can be seen on her Instagram.
• A cinema could be retained at the Ozone Leisure Park under revised plans for the lab space-led development. In February, landowner Firoka Group had announced plans to demolish the Vue cinema, bowling alley, and restaurants. A petition against the closure received more than 3,000 signatures. The new plans include a 5/6-screen cinema, a bowling alley, restaurants and cafés, and “restoration of the historic Priory pub for community use”; the developers have also pledged funding to support reopening the Cowley Branch Line and local bus services. A “phased build-out” is envisaged, so that leisure activities are always available even during construction. A public drop-in session will be held on Wednesday 16 July from 2pm–7pm at the Ozone Leisure Park.
• Oxford North, the city's new £700m innovation district, has launched Engage, its art, culture and legacy programme focusing on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts & mathematics). It will be delivered by IF Oxford, in collaboration with Modern Art Oxford, Creation Theatre & Fusion Arts. The programme aims to animate Oxford North, integrating it within Oxford’s vibrant art scene. It will include monthly workshops with local community group Children Heard & Seen and Glow Your Own, a six week coding and fabrication project ahead of the Oxford Christmas Light Festival. Paula Redway from Oxford City Council said: “We’re pleased to see this long-term programme. This is a fantastic example of how new developments can deliver long-lasting cultural, economic and social value for Oxford’s communities.”
• Oxford brewery and bakery Tap Social is preparing an investment round for “a planned national retail launch and new venues”. An Early Access opportunity is now available on funding platform Crowdcube. Tap Social’s current venues are the Taproom in Botley, the Market Tap in the Covered Market, Lock29 in Banbury and the Proof Social Bakehouse in Kennington. They provide employment to prison leavers with the aim of reducing reoffending.

Around the county

• Henley’s River & Rowing Museum, opened in 1998, is to close on Sunday 21 September. The award-winning modernist Thameside building has been expensive to maintain. The few remaining staff will then focus on finding new homes for the Museum’s collections, with over 13,000 items in the rowing collection alone: other exhibitions cover artist John Piper, the town of Henley, and beloved water vole tale The Wind in the Willows. They also hope to continue the education programme in schools and other venues. The Clarion first reported the proposed closure in February. The RRM says a “new use for the building needs to be found urgently”, but cautions that a museum is unlikely to be viable: “The total floor area is almost an acre and the scale is way beyond that of a specialist museum in a small market town.” Recent losses have averaged £1m a year. Chair of Trustees David Worthington said:

“Ultimately the venture was just too ambitious – six galleries, two classrooms, and a 35,000 plus object collection. I want to give thanks to the commitment from the leadership, employees and volunteers. Everyone has tried to make it work. On one level we have – lauded when opened, enjoyed by well over two million people – but the financial challenge was simply too great.”

• Oxfordshire’s recycling centres could have reduced opening hours on weekdays from October to March. Oxfordshire County Council says there are fewer visitors at these times, “possibly due to the shorter daylight hours”. It has opened a consultation. The consultation is also considering whether access to the recycling centres should be restricted to Oxfordshire residents, and the types of vehicles and trailers that can access the sites. The consultation is open until 11 August.
• A 90-year old pedestrian has died following a collision in Woodstock involving a blue Jaguar S-Type. The family of John Burdon have released a tribute in which they say: “John had lived in Woodstock for 14 years. He was loved and respected by many residents and known for his kindness, generosity and as a true gentleman.” Police are appealing for dashcam footage and other witnesses.
• A rose has been presented by the Chair of Oxfordshire County Council to the Earth Trust in honour of a historic agreement of a rose as peppercorn rent allowing public access to Wittenham Clumps and Little Wittenham Nature Reserve. We wrote about the Earth Trust, Wittenham Clumps and the Rose Ceremony, in our long read on the Earth Trust's incredible founders, Sir Martin & Lady Audrey Wood.
• Oxfordshire firm Lacuna Space this week announced the launch of new satellites in its ‘Call of the Wild’ mission. These are designed to receive short messages from low-power devices in remote places. The satellites were launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 ‘Transporter’ ride share mission on Tuesday. Applications include monitoring water quality and flood warning. CEO Rob Spurrett said: “We’ve already proven that our technology works where others simply can’t. Now we’re scaling to meet real-world demand. Our system is designed not just to reach remote places, but to scale across the globe.”
• A planning inspector has been hearing West Oxfordshire District Council’s case for houses at Salt Cross, the new ‘garden village’ near Eynsham, to be built to Net Zero standards. The policy is opposed by developers Grosvenor and had been challenged by (previous) Government and inspectors.
• A citizens' assembly is recommending an advocate for nature at council meetings, equitable access to green spaces, and stronger protections for waterways. The Citizens' Jury met in February to answer the question “How can we make Oxford a city where people and nature thrive together?” Melissa Felipe Cadillo from the Oxford Martin Programme said that the jurors’ findings were “particularly interesting since we had actively sought to include participants who are not already engaged in nature or conservation activities”. (The advocate for nature would include advocating for water voles. But mostly we thought the picture would look cute at the top of the newsletter, instead of politicians for a change. #allyouneedisvole)
• Two Statutory Instruments (legislation passed under the powers of an existing Act, without parliamentary debate) have been made for new bridges over the River Thames in Oxfordshire – the Oxpens pedestrian/cycle bridge in Oxford, and the Culham–Didcot HIF1 relief road bridge. They allow the bridges to be constructed to the specifications set out, including the headroom and width to be maintained on the Thames under the two bridges. For people who really love bridge plans or the word “hereunto”, they can be read online: HIF1 and Oxpens.
• Residents’ parking zones could be introduced in Abingdon and Banbury. Oxfordshire County Council is consulting on three proposals for southern Banbury, northern Abingdon, and the Ock Street area.
• A “care co-operative” could be set up in Oxfordshire, where the business is owned and run by care workers and people who receive the service. Any profits would be reinvested into improving services or shared among members. A pilot scheme is beginning with interactive workshops to identify needs.
• Four people have been charged with “conspiracy to enter a prohibited place” and “conspiracy to commit criminal damage” in relation with a red paint attack on aircraft at RAF Brize Norton.

Oxfordshire politics

Oxford City Council has opened an online survey on its plans for a ‘Greater Oxford’ council, one of three competing proposals for reorganising local government in Oxfordshire. There are also drop-in events around the county. The survey asks respondents to rate statements like “Urban and rural areas often require different approaches to housing, transport, education and skills, and other key council services” and “Councils are most effective when they are smaller and closer to the people they serve”. (Separate surveys are also open for Oxfordshire County Council’s single-council proposal and the rural districts’ two-council suggestion.)

This Thursday saw the one year anniversary of the General Election. The Clarion's inbox has some giddy press releases, which we will add to our usual summaries here:

• Oxford East MP Anneliese Dodds wants you to nominate a community hero for a Thames Valley Policing award. She set out her reasoning on her vote on the Personal Independence Payment bill in a letter here. She attended the 21st Oxford Interfaith Peace & Friendship Walk.
• Banbury MP Sean Woodcock celebrated the government's £3.3m injection of cash into the Horton Hospital, Banbury. In a challenging week for Chancellor Rachel Reeves, he backed her saying “Rachel Reeves is going nowhere. Kemi Badenoch is doing the same, but in a slightly different manner of speaking.” Ouch. He cited both Labour's health plan (summarised in a lengthy post on his Facebook page) and also Labour's social home building programme. Here’s his first year video.
• Didcot & Wantage MP Olly Glover has been speaking about his concerns around the proposed reservoir in Abingdon, and asking ministers about community mental health support. He set out his views on the welfare bill and the local postal service. In his first year roundup, he says he has received over 15,000 emails from constituents and has taken up 7,500 cases for local people on topics from health and care to immigration, from flooding to international trade. He called out small successes like getting a decision on an export licence for a small business which saved the contract and local jobs, and making progress on big issues like Grove station and public scrutiny of the SESRO reservoir.
• Bicester & Woodstock MP Calum Miller joined the dinosaur dig in Ardley. University of Oxford researchers found hundreds of different dinosaur footprints dating back to the Middle Jurassic period in a quarry near Bicester. (We respect a good photo op.) Reflecting on one year since becoming the first MP he said: “It was community engagement as a school governor that first drew me into local politics. I continue to be encouraged and inspired – every single week – by our amazing volunteers who work tirelessly for others and for their community. I had a few missteps initially as I learned the obscure conventions of Parliament! But I have tried to learn quickly. I am excited to work with you to bring the changes you tell me are needed.” He asked residents to join him at two events on 19th July or 26th July, to answer questions on the first year and set priorities for the next.
• Oxford West & Abingdon MP Layla Moran is on parental leave, but in her one year summary, says: “I was honoured and humbled when one year ago today, voters put their faith in me again to be their local champion. Locally, I’m proud to have helped deliver goodwill support payments for Botley Road businesses and the commencement of works to the Lodge Hill Interchange, proving what’s possible when we put our community first and stay focused on what matters. I’m now campaigning against abusive service charges on residents, and I won’t stop until we see real progress."
• Henley & Thame MP Freddie van Mierlo has a very rural constituency, so it is no surprise to see him sticking up for farmers. After a visit to Views Farm near Great Milton, a family farm since the 18th century, he spoke out against the proposed inheritance tax, saying: “If this Government wants to claim it backs farming, it must prove it with policy – not just platitudes.” He welcomed the government's review of parental leave. He highlighted a report on recent flooding in Wheatley in this terrifying video. Here is his weekly roundup featuring a Very Serious photo of him (perhaps he read our last week's gentle ribbing?). In his first-year roundup, he said: “This is a place full of character, community and pride. Every conversation I have had, whether in a school, at a local business, or in a village hall, has helped guide my priorities and shape the work I do in Parliament.”
• Witney MP Charlie Maynard voted against the Government’s proposal to cut Personal Independence Payments, setting out why here. He attended a meeting on OUFC in Parliament, along with Oxford East's Anneliese Dodds, saying that work was ongoing to make the proposed development “the best it can be”. In his one year summary on Facebook he said: “The last 12 months have been a whirlwind. There is so much I want to achieve for our community – from cleaning up our beautiful rivers which have been badly polluted, finding a sustainable transport solution to the congestion on our local roads, and getting more support for children and their families with SEND, to getting more healthcare services provided in our local community. Thank you for your incredible support.”
• Thames Valley Police & Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber rounded up his last week here, but most significantly, he marked one year in his second term as Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner in May, and published his Annual Crime Report. Headlines include 13% reduction in neighbourhood crime (vehicle, theft, burglary, robbery), knife crime down by 7%, and in road safety, overall KSI (killed and seriously injured) incidents reduced by 18%. In political news, he penned a broadside article on Keir Starmer, Labour, and the government's Welfare Bill.

University and research

• This week saw two open days at Oxford University, in case you were wondering why the city centre was so busy with teenagers and parents! Relatedly: Oxford University has fewer undergraduates from state schools (66.2%) than five years ago, but more who were eligible for free school meals (8.1%). Across the colleges, Mansfield continues to admit the highest proportion of state pupils, at 93.7% over the last 3 years. Last week, the Department for Economics launched the Centre for Research on Outreach & Access together with Lady Margaret Hall (a college, not a person) to provide evidence on how to increase the number of students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
• Queen’s College will alter its war memorial to include the names of alumni who fell in the First World War fighting on the German side – following a precedent set by New College almost 100 years ago. Five names will be carved in situ by a memorial mason. Research has found four alumni who fell fighting on the German side: Carl Heinrich Hertz (1893, Hamburg – 1918, Thilloy-Bapaume, France); Erich Joachim Peucer (1888, Colmar – 1917, Italy); Paul Nicholas Esterházy (matriculated 1901, d. 1915 in Poland); and Gustav Adolf Jacobi (1885, Weimar – 1914?). The name of Emile Jacot will also be added: he fought in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment and was wounded in battle during the First World War. He died of his injuries in 1928. Other colleges to do the same include Merton, Magdalen and Univ. Queen’s’ planning application has now been approved by Oxford City Council. (We welcome correspondence from grammarians on whether we’ve got the apostrophes right.)
• “The UK should eat more pulses for a healthier diet” is the conclusion of a study by Dr Sangeetha Thondre, Research Lead for the Oxford Brookes Centre for Nutrition and Health. But while awareness is growing, thanks to public health campaigns, the variety of pulses eaten in the UK is limited. Dr Thondre noted that while participants knew about pulses, they mainly consumed kidney beans and chickpeas – while other cultures include pulses in breakfast, lunch, dinner, pudding & snacks. The study found that barriers to consumption include unfamiliarity, concerns about taste and digestion, and not knowing how to prepare them. It recommended guidance on how to prepare pulses especially pulse flours, suitable for those on gluten-free diets. To help Oxford in its endeavours, here is a link to Taste Tibet's Dal recipe.
• An Oxford-based Catholic research institute which “promotes the study of Catholic bioethics in service of the common good” is to close. The Anscombe Bioethics Centre in St Aldates is being shuttered on financial grounds by its owners, the Catholic Trust for England & Wales. Its director Professor David Albert Jones said “It is the earnest hope of staff at the Centre that some means may be found to make available the resources that the Centre has generated and to continue the vital work of bioethical research and education that respects the dignity of the human person.” The centre most recently focused on opposition to the “assisted dying” bill that has passed through the House of Commons. A closure date of 31 July has been set.
• A world expert on the praying mantis has been appointed the new director of the University of Oxford Museum of Natural History. Dr Gavin Svenson, previously Chief Science Officer at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History in Ohio, will start work in September 2025. Professor Irene Tracey, Vice-Chancellor of the university, said: “I am so pleased Dr Svenson will join us in Oxford to lead the Museum of Natural History which welcomed more than 834,000 people through its doors last year – its highest ever visitor figure.” In 2016, Dr Svenson and co-author Dr Sydney Brannoch reclassified a species of praying mantis based on observations of its female genitalia, rather than the male genitalia used as standard. They named it Ilomantis ginsburgae in tribute to the late Supreme Court judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Trains and buses

• The annual Cowley Branch Line walk saw a record turn out this year. The walk traces the route of the freight line linking Oxford station with the BMW Mini Plant in Cowley. Although the walk took around 4.5 hours, a train journey would be under 10 minutes. Oxford East MP Anneliese Dodds said: “This would make local people’s journeys faster, and promote jobs and growth. It’s an incredible opportunity to create a new expanded hub for science and innovation.”
• West Oxfordshire community bus operator First & Last Mile has confirmed its closure. Although they had anticipated their school bus service being taken over by a commercial operator, their public services around Eynsham will now be run by West Oxfordshire Community Transport who submitted a lower bid for subsidy. Directors Andy Swarbrick and David Miles said “Our hope was very much that we could continue and make further improvements to our services. Unfortunately it was not to be.”
• Three southern Oxfordshire pubs have launched a shuttle bus between them, encouraging locals and visitors to “enjoy a change of scenery or perhaps a good old-fashioned pub crawl”. The service is free for customers who spend £5 at each pub. The minibus will run for the first time this weekend (Fri 4 evening, Sat 5 all day) between the Crown at Chilton, the George at Upton and the Blueberry in, er, Blewbury. This trial run is sponsored by Theakstons Brewery as a launch promotion for their new Peculier IPA. The service has been christened ‘The Magic Roundabout’ after the children’s TV programme. (“Time for beer,” said Zebedee.)
• Trains through Oxford station were being disrupted on Thursday evening due to a bomb threat, with British Transport Police in attendance. All GWR/CrossCountry trains were routed through platform 3 with long delays to services.
• Battery-powered trains could be introduced to the Henley-on-Thames line and other branch lines in GWR territory. The operator has completed a trial of “fast-charging” battery trains on the Greenford branch in West London, using a converted former District Line tube train. The system uses a battery bank installed by the lineside (typically at stations or depots) linked a set of charging rails in the track. The train then uses retractable shoes to charge its own internal batteries. For the trial, hospital-style emergency power sources were installed by the track. GWR says the technology saves on the cost of full electrification and could be a suitable candidate for replacing its ageing fleet of diesel-powered local trains. A full report has been published here.
• The saga of Bicester’s London Road level crossing continues as local MP Calum Miller described the Government's reply to a 4,000-signature petition on the London Road level crossing as “shameful” and “moving the goalposts”. The petition called for an underpass for pedestrians and cyclists alongside a suitable crossing for light vehicles, but the Government response suggested a pedestrian bridge as a possibility. The Department for Transport confirmed that no final decision has been made on the crossing.
• A bus stop in Didcot has been relocated after motorists were repeatedly parking their cars in the space, preventing older residents from getting on the bus. The Newlands Avenue stop was moved down the road after an intervention by local MP Olly Glover, who said: “Bus usage has fallen 13.9% in Oxfordshire over the past 10 years, so removing small barriers to people choosing to use the bus may help to reverse this trend and negate the need for some car journeys.”

Walking and cycling

• Oxfordshire County Council is asking city residents whether “a local ban on footway parking” should be introduced, to keep pavements clear of vehicles. The suggestion is one of several in a consultation on updating the city’s Controlled Parking Zones. Other topics raised include dedicated spaces for car club vehicles; safe and secure cycle parking; and electric vehicle charging bays. Four separate consultations for individual CPZs are now open on OCC’s ‘Let’s Talk’ page. Several of Oxford’s CPZs already have wording which could be used to enforce a pavement parking ban, as we covered in an article in 2023; since then, we have become aware of OCC refusing to issue permits for vehicles too wide to fit in the designated spaces.
• A footpath level crossing in Grove has been closed with immediate effect after Network Rail said “a spate of dangerous incidents” is putting lives at risk. The Wantage Road crossing, just northwest of the Williams F1 base, crosses the four-track 125mph Great Western Main Line railway. The railway infrastructure company is now working with local councils to “implement a permanent solution”. The newly released images follow 2022 CCTV footage where children were seen dancing and playing scooter tricks on the same crossing. Emma Barry, level crossing manager for Network Rail, said: “The number of unsafe incidents at this particular crossing has left us with no choice but to take action and close it before a tragedy. They not only put themselves at risk of death, but also risk the safety of our staff and passengers.”

Congestion charge

For those interested and/or confused about the congestion charge, Oxfordshire County Council is holding online information events to talk through the proposals and answer questions on six temporary congestion charge locations in Oxford. The links are on the consultation page:

• Monday 7 July, 12pm-1pm
• Tuesday 8 July, 7pm-8pm
• Monday 14 July 12.30pm-1.30pm
• Wednesday 16 July 5.30pm-6.30pm

And of course, Oxford Bus Company's Luke Marion shared his thoughts on the congestion charge exclusively with the Clarion this week.

Dates for your diary

• Autism-friendly opening hours at Pitt Rivers. A relaxed morning opening to explore the Museum collections in a quiet environment for families with members on the Autism spectrum. Booking essential.
• New Zealand Youth Choir at the Sheldonian. Choir of the World winners with classics of Western European music and dynamic Māori action songs. We've seen a reel and this is not ordinary choral music.
• Library events through the summer (and all year). One for our parent readers approaching the summer holidays: free events put on by libraries across the county, from Stay and Play to Lego Club.
• The History of Oxford Pubs. Wed 9 July, Florence Park Community Centre. Tour guide and raconteur Jeremy Smith gives the latest of the popular Florence Park Talks. Free, but booking recommended.
• Dogfest. Blenheim Palace, 12-13 July. Please send photos of best doggies. We live vicariously through your dogs.

This weekend

City events

• The Leys Festival, Saturday (12pm-7pm), Blackbird Leys Park. Free family festival with a dance battle, sports coaching, promenade theatre, and junior bakeoff.
• Alice's Day, Saturday (10am-5.30pm). The Story Museum's annual celebration of Wonderland (now in its 18th year) with themed events around Oxford city centre.
• Magnificent Monarchs, Saturday (12pm-5pm), New College Oxford. Exhibition of royal documents back to the 11th century – followed by Magnificent Oxford on Saturday 12 July.
• James Street Summer Party, Sunday (12pm-6pm). Music, street food, and market stalls outside the James Street Tavern, just off Cowley Road.
• Family fun day at Rose Hill Community Centre, Saturday (12pm-3pm). Fundraiser for Elmore Community Services - an Oxfordshire mental health and complex needs charity. Nearly new sale, raffle and free bouncy castle.

County events

• BeNice festival, Saturday, at Pringle Park, Bicester. Family-friendly day packed with live music, local performers, a bustling marketplace, taster sessions and wellbeing activities hosted by local youth wellbeing and mental health charity Nai’s House.
• Eynsham Carnival, Saturday, 1pm-2pm, Eynsham Village. The “biggest, boldest, and most spectacular event in Eynsham”, this year with a circus theme. 

Oxfordshire’s independent media

• Oxford Drinker invites an American professor of sociology to reflect on “why British pubs are unique”
• Morris Oxford looks at the Tunnel of Doom and the Chicane of Shame – it can only be the Botley Road railway bridge.
• Daily Info reviews Twelfth Night at Oxford Castle.
• Cherwell reports that Amazon Prime drama filming disrupted exams at Brasenose.
• The Oxford Student writes “in defence of the spoilt brat”, saying “I find like-mindedness in people who are not necessarily in the same financial bracket as me”.
• Ox in a Box shares the news that Lula’s, the wonderful Ethiopian restaurant opposite the railway station, is expanding into the Covered Market.

Notes from Clarion HQ

Sometimes we find the news. Sometimes the news comes to us. Other times… things come to us that really aren’t “news”. Tenuous PR-driven surveys fall into that category, and we had two fine examples this week. First was a spurious press release about Oxford being “the UK’s most walkable city”. We confess to tweeting it out not so much because we thought it was a worthwhile story (it wasn’t) but because we’re more interested in what our readers thought of the claim. It’s fair to say you were unimpressed, by the story and the accompanying AI image.

Next came a report commissioned by a pub furniture company claiming that Witney is the most expensive place for a beer in the UK, at £7 a pint. The cheapest, at £2, was allegedly Arun, in post-industrial West Sussex. This is palpable nonsense, but having perhaps not flagged up our scepticism enough on the walkable city story, we had some fun with this one – pointing out that a return from Hanborough to Littlehampton in Arun is £48.75 (with railcard), so in theory, Witney beer drinkers would be quids in after 10 pints.

On a different note, you really liked the story on lentils. Well, we do try to keep our fingers on the pulse. Let us know if local recipes are your jam and we might feature more of them. Possibly including jam.

And finally, in glorious sunshine this Monday, we had a Clarion editorial meeting at the Medley, where we planned some exciting things coming up – stay tuned.

Have a great weekend.