Archive

  • James Constable turns down Swindon

    James Constable has tonight turned down the chance to join Swindon Town. Oxford United accepted an offer from Swindon for the striker early today, but Constable declined the opportunity to speak to Swindon.

  • Drop round for a lovely sight

    ROB Jacobs, the horticultural manager at Waterperry Gardens, near Wheatley, checks the snowdrops in the grounds during preparations for the popular open days in February. Mr Jacobs said snowdrops – which shouldn’t appear much before the start of February

  • 'Campus plans duped council'

    A DECISION to allow a new student campus in East Oxford has come under renewed fire after St Hilda’s College pulled out of the deal. Ward councillor Nuala Young said the college had served as “a Trojan Horse,” by helping to secure planning permission

  • Lesson Learned

    SARAH MAYHEW relishes the chance to have her say on works created by art teachers on show at the O3. Could try harder, shows potential, lacks motivation, a delight to teach, does not apply themselves, a star pupil, easily distracted, 10/10

  • High Octane Thrills

    HAYWIRE (15). Action/Thriller/Romance. Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, Channing Tatum, Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, Michael Angarano, Bill Paxton, Anthony Brandon Wong. Director: Steven Soderbergh. Haphazard

  • Power Play

    J EDGAR (15). Drama/Romance. Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts, Dame Judi Dench, Jeffrey Donovan, Josh Lucas, Geoff Pierson, Ed Westwick. Director: Clint Eastwood. During a turbulent and contentious term in power spanning

  • Cool For Catz

    Caroline Catz is a honey, an intense one maybe – the cliche would be ‘thinking man’s crumpet’ – but there’s more to her than that, as her role in Carol Churchill’s revived feminist play Top Girls proves. So don’t be fooled by her pragmatic character Louisa

  • Stepping Beyond

    Madness frontman Suggs tells KATHERINE MACALISTER how the death of his cat spurred him on to find out more about his past. Pathos”, Suggs calls it, when he talks about the bittersweet story of his life. Because behind every clown’s smile

  • Out On A Limb

    TIM HUGHES finds out exactly what on earth a gypsy-rock-ska skiffle band called The Severed Limb are all about. THEY look like they’ve stepped out of the 1950s, have a name like a death metal band, and a sound unlike anything you’ve ever

  • Use Your Noodle

    Katherine MacAlister eats the best Chinese food ever and with Chinese New Year hitting on Monday, provides you with the perfect excuse to try out Sojo. Haven’t you been here before?” the beautiful Teresa asks when I remark on what a stunning

  • Local share prices (PM)

    AEA Technology 0.43 BMW 5204 Electrocomponents 217.1 Nationwide Accident Repair 59 Oxford Biomedica 3.15 Oxford Catalysts 54.5 Oxford Instruments 941.75 Reed Elsevier 524.25 RM 67 RPS Group 208 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley, Abingdon

  • High octane expansion

    Growth at a Formula One and supercar exhaust manufacturer has prompted expansion to a larger factory in Thame. Primary Designs has enjoyed increased demand from F1 and bosses say the decision to grow its range for Ferraris, Porsches and other supercars

  • Permission for two new hotels

    TWO new Oxford hotel developments have been granted planning permission. Oxford City Council planners approved plans to convert listed buildings in Oxford city centre into a 22-bedroom boutique hotel. A row of properties from 20 to 24 St Michael’s Street

  • Building up enterprise

    Building work has started on Milton Park for a new multi-million-pound Enterprise Zone that aims to boost jobs in the area. ScienceValeUK, including Harwell and Milton Park, is one of 10 new Enterprise Zones to be created by the Government after a successful

  • New premises for serviced office provider

    BUSINESS centre provider Pure Offices has snapped up new premises in Oxford. It is expanding its offering of serviced offices in the city with the acquisiton of the freehold of Parkway Court at Oxford Business Park. It will be re-developing the vacant

  • Estate agent expands

    Estate agent Carter Jonas is expanding its Oxford operation into a new building. The company has shifted several professional services teams into a 7,000sq ft-plus suite of offices at Mayfield House, Summertown, just yards away from its current base.

  • Leader of the pack

    Accentus Medical has experienced the challenges of many spin-out companies in Oxfordshire and emerged as a highly successful example of enterprise generated from research and development activity at the UK Atomic Energy Authority. From its base at the

  • John Maclean: Musician launched his own orchestra

    A man who played in Witney Town Band for 40 years and formed his own orchestra has died aged 101. John Maclean, known as Jack, played cornet in hundreds of concerts across Witney and became the band’s secretary. He was born in Johnston, Renfrewshire

  • Frank Watson: Champion of the city's traders

    Frank Watson, who defended the rights of Covered Market traders in Oxford for more than 25 years, has died aged 79. Most people around Oxford will remember him as the owner of the former Watsons jeans shop in the Covered Market. From the 1950s to the

  • Law firm's new home

    A rapidly-expanding law firm has moved into brand new offices in Oxford. Clyde & Co, formerly known as Barlow Lyde and Gilbert, has doubled the size of its presence on Oxford Business Park with its move into Rowan Place. It is the latest in a series

  • To print or not to print

    The rise of online booksellers like Amazon has put pressure on publishers' profit margins, changing the economics of making physical books. Current bestsellers are secure, but what will happen to yesterday's best-sellers, and the books that

  • Marketing message paid off for Robin

    T imes have never been tougher in the construction industry, but one Oxfordshire builder has been growing continuously, despite the downturn — thanks to a carefully thought-out strategy. Sporn Construction, a family business based at Stratton

  • Volvo's bright spark

    Swedish car maker Volvo’s long-time association with all things safety is one of the few constants in the motoring world. A pioneer of systems we now take for granted, you could say the company’s place in the history books is guaranteed. But times have

  • Victim of the hackers

    One of the swimmers from my early-morning breakfast group at Temple Cowley was apologetic. "My e-mail has been hacked," she fumed. She had received a message from Hotmail asking her to register, which she ignored. Then another message, saying

  • Small objects of desire

    The Zena REX is both a humble vegetable peeler and a design classic. It is so easy to use and enduringly popular that in 2004 it was chosen to illustrate a postage stamp in Switzerland, where it was first made more than 60 years ago. Inventor Alfred

  • Oxford United accept Swindon bid for Constable

    Oxford United have accepted a bid from Swindon Town for striker James Constable. The Robins had two previous bids turned down for the 27-year-old, but a 'much-improved' offer has now been accepted. A statement from the U's reads:

  • Edward Clarke: Five war medals earned with the RAF

    A former Squadron Leader who was awarded five medals for his service in the Second World War has died aged 95. Edward Vingoe Clarke, known as Nobby, passed away at Heathfield Nursing Home in Bletchingdon, after suffering with dementia.

  • Open for business

    T he Coalition’s programme to cut Government spending is forcing significant job reductions in the public sector. In aiming to stimulate alternative economies, Prime Minister David Cameron and his Cabinet have made it clear they are targeting the private

  • Music mixing masters 'best of British'

    A MUSIC technology firm has launched a recruitment drive after one of its products was nominated as an example of British manufacturing at its best. Solid State Logic, which produces consoles for recording studios, is looking to add to its

  • Paper-trail makes fools of us all

    A sizeable number of investors consider many of the statutory written statements the financial services industry is obliged to make to be completely superfluous. A waste of paper, postage and time. I often find myself agreeing with them. For instance

  • Man with many caravans

    W hen one door closes, there is always the hope that another will soon open. But a more positive approach, especially in a work-related situation, is to go out and look for another on which to knock. That was the attitude of Chris James, who lives in

  • Foodie dream comes true

    Debbie Warland began cooking at four, took business advice at 16 and became a head chef at 23. Now she has realised her dream and opened a swish eaterie. Brought up near Thame, but now living in Headington, Oxford, Ms Warland, 44, (pictured) is behind

  • Redundancy was the spur for 'virtual' Debbie

    Being made redundant was a devastating experience for Debbie Penn, especially as she had spent 25 years with her employer, RM Education. Ms Penn, who worked as an executive assistant to four chief executives at the company in Milton Park, was one of

  • Some woolly thinking

    High street retailers may be hitting the rocks but one enterprising duo have got their new business all sewn up. Claire Jarvis and Leslie Wildman opened The Fibreworks in Middle Row, Chipping Norton, selling knitting and crochet materials as well as haberdashery

  • Seeds of enterprise

    A former Oxford University student who became a gardener at his old college is now setting up a co-operative to grow and sell local vegetables in Oxfordshire. Joe Hasell, 24, said: “While I was studying philosophy and politics at Worcester College

  • Speed played part in motorcycle death

    A MOTORCYCLIST killed in a crash had probably been travelling at more than 70mph on a winding country road, an inquest heard. Perry Wood, from Oldmoor Close, Wallingford, died after he lost control of his Aprilia bike on the B4015, near Marsh

  • On the home front

    When it comes to training, most of us would assume the British armed forces are second to none. So it may come as something of a surprise that training is being carried out by an external company which has drawn praise from senior army personnel as a

  • Face of sound and vision

    Look through the handsome windows of Oxford Audio Consultants and the uninitiated may wonder how such a shop survives. After all, with retail turmoil on our high streets, a generation of shoppers preferring to conduct their business online and the

  • Taking stock

    Ria Shepheard, of Charles Stanley stockbrokers, talks about her career What was your first job and what did your responsibilities include? I worked at Clinton Cards in Oxford as a sales assistant. My duties included stock management, operating the tills

  • Drayson's rading green machine

    Question: Name a minister who requested leave of absence from the government to compete in a Le Mans race? Answer: Paul Drayson, who became Lord Drayson in 2004 before becoming Minister for Defence Procurement in Tony Blair’s government — and who, in

  • Building for future

    Developer Brian Cade has a problem to solve — and is building a five bedroom house to help him solve it. The problem is: How to construct the eco-homes which planners and legislators will insist upon in the future and still make a profit. He said: “In

  • CRICKET: Brooks stars for England Lions

    Jack Brooks played a key role in helping England Lions salvage some pride with a six-wicket victory over Bangladesh A in Sylhet. Northamptonshire’s former Tiddington, Oxford and Oxfordshire seamer took three wickets in the opening eight overs as the

  • RUGBY: Dark Blue Mitchell in England sevens call

    Oxford University fly half Tom Mitchell has been called up to the England squad for the next two legs of the HSBC Sevens World Series. Mitchell, 22, joins up with the 12-man party for the tournaments in Wellington (February 3-4) and Las Vegas (February

  • Building gives boost to blind

    UP TO 10,000 people with sight loss are just weeks away from being able to benefit from new state-of-the-art facilities. The Oxfordshire Association for the Blind has spent two years raising £600,000 for a brand new building in Gordon Woodward Way, off

  • Local share prices (AM)

    AEA Technology 0.43 BMW 5174 Electrocomponents 517.6 Nationwide Accident Repair 59 Oxford Biomedica 3.15 Oxford Catalysts 54.5 Oxford Instruments 942 Reed Elsevier 527.75 RM 66.8 RPS Group 206.9 Courtesy of Redmayne Bentley

  • Final call for Oxford in Bloom

    A FINAL rallying call is being issued to Oxford gardeners to save the city’s annual gardening competition. After 25 years Oxford in Bloom, which sees gardeners compete in categories ranging from best container to best balcony and best large garden, is

  • City council has big plans for development

    COUNCILS across England are shelving major developments, as grants and sources of private sector investment dry up. But Oxford City Council’s newly appointed executive director of regeneration, David Edwards, has a list of multi-million pound projects

  • United striker Smalley joins Bantams on loan

    Oxford United striker Deane Smalley has joined League Two rivals Bradford City on loan until the end of the season. The deal includes a clause preventing Smalley from appearing against Oxford when the sides meet at Valley Parade on March 10

  • Armed robbers target Summertown bank

    ROBBERS held up a Summertown bank this morning. Two men forced the manager of Lloyds TSB to hand over cash at knifepoint as he opened the branch at around 8.40am. It is believed they made off in a dark-coloured Volkswagen Golf driven

  • Council members refuse pay rise

    WEST Oxfordshire District Council members have refused to give themselves a pay rise and have promised to look again at proposed grant cuts. The Independent Remuneration Panel recommended councillors increase basic allowances from £4,350 to £4,415 a

  • Jubilee weekend will be smashing

    IT’S a unique celebration dating back at least 115 years. And now Bicester’s unusual tradition of anvil firing is to take centre stage again this year. Blasting off the Diamond Jubilee weekend on Saturday, June 2, the tradition involves

  • BOWLS: Brown in triple title bid

    ANDREW Brown will go for glory on three fronts for Oxfordshire in the English Short Mat Bowling Association’s national competitions. Brown booked his place in the singles, pairs and triples by shining at the county qualifiers. Victory in the third place

  • COMMENT: It'll be a real blast

    BICESTER’S Jubilee celebrations look set to blast off with the decidedly eccentric tradition of ‘anvil firing’, which involves an anvil, gunpowder and a very loud bang. But as we all know, Oxfordshire is stuffed full of quaint and eccentric rituals (

  • Graffiti suspect in court

    A MAN accused of causing thousands of pounds of damage by daubing a graffiti tag around Oxford has appeared in court. Charlie Silver is charged with being behind the ‘Soak’ moniker, which appeared throughout the city in 2010 and 2011.

  • GOLF: Steele is just ace

    BRIAN Steele became the first North Oxford member to claim a hole in one for 2012 when he aced the 186-yard par three fourth hole with a five iron in a men’s roll up. RESULTS OXFORD LADIES Stableford – Div 1: 1 J Glover 39pts, 2 R Caunt 37. Div 2

  • ATHLETICS: Storey's on song

    EYNSHAM Roadrunners’ Robert Storey was the leading Oxfordshire finisher in the Highworth Half Marathon. Storey clocked 1hr 19mins 5secs for ninth place and helped Eynsham to sixth in the team event. Fellow vet 40 runner, Woodstock Harrier Brian O’Connor

  • BAR BILLIARDS: Gladiators at the double

    IT was double joy for Gladiators as both teams celebrated 4-1 victories in the Johnsons Buildbase Oxford League, writes PETE EWINS. The A team beat Berinsfield in Section 2 to go two points clear after previous leaders Marlborough lost 4-1 at Dolphin

  • AUNT SALLY: Arthurs stars with 13

    STEVE Arthurs led the way with 13 dolls in Deddington’s 6-0 win over Castle Quay in the Banbury Indoor League. Paul Sawyer top-scored with 12 dolls and teammate Henry Johnson hit a six in his 11 as Galacticos thumped King’s Arms (Tackley) 6-0 in the

  • Failing primary tells of sacking threat

    CUTTESLOWE Primary School leaders said the Government had threatened to sack senior staff unless they went for academy status. Chairman of governors Murray Hunt said the Department of Education would bring in its own senior leadership team to get it

  • Elderly residents evacuated from flats

    THIRTY elderly residents were led to safety from their retirement complex yesterday when a fire broke out. Jackson Cole House, in St Thomas Street, Oxford, was evacuated at about 1pm. The road was closed while fire crews tackled the blaze. The residents

  • Teen took his own life

    A TEENAGER who died after being hit by a train had been interviewed by police earlier the same day about a burglary, an inquest heard. Oxford Coroner’s Court was told that Jordan Quinn, 19, of Warwick Road, Banbury, died from multiple injuries after

  • ICE HOCKEY: Stars held in 12-goal nailbiter

    OXFORD City Stars 2nd played out a thrilling 6-6 draw with Swindon Wildcats 2nd at Oxpens Road in English National League South Division 2. Stars’ third draw in a row saw them climb to seventh in the table, but they could not hold on to a 6-4 lead.

  • ATHLETICS: Champ Naylor's Cardiff boost

    STEVE Naylor finished an impressive 13th in the McCain UK Cardiff Cross Challenge, which featured many of Britain’s leading runners. The Bedford & County athlete, from Woodstock, completed the 10.1km course on the banks of the River Taff in 33mins 29secs

  • City presses for 500-home estate

    A SLICE of land in Oxford city centre could become a new 500-home estate with a hotel. Oxford City Council is putting pressure on the owner of the eight-acre site, off Osney Lane, to work with them on the plans. Rail property quango BRB (Residuary),

  • RUGBY UNION: Academy is relaunched

    OXFORD University have teamed up with Magdalen College School to relaunch their rugby academy. The venture for players aged eight to 15 gets under way at Iffley Road on Thursday, February 9. Coaches include dual code Tongan international Tevita Vaikona

  • The philosopher who fought bulls

    I meet all sorts in my local pub, The Punter, on Osney Island — including, shortly before Christmas, a chap who has variously been an Oxford student of biology and philosophy, an actor and a bullfighter. It was about this last unlikely activity

  • Oxford's Cherwell school opts for academy status

    OXFORD’S most over-subscribed and only outstanding-rated secondary school is to become an academy. And the Cherwell School, the city’s largest, with about 1,800 pupils, is also investigating the possibility of linking up with Cutteslowe Primary School

  • RUGBY UNION: Win or bust for Grove - Burrows

    GROVE face their promotion D-Day on Saturday – even though there are three months of the season remaining. That is the view of head coach Craig Burrows as his side seek a top-two finish in Southern Counties North to guarantee a play-off spot. Just six

  • LARGER THAN LIFE: Airports make me guilty and confused

    According to the experts, and they must be right – after all they are experts – this week was due to be 2012’s most miserable. Our post-Christmas depression was set to reach a crescendo with the thud of the credit card bill hitting the doormat. Mind

  • ATHLETICS: Bellinger on title course

    DARRELL Bellinger leads the senior men’s standings in Division 1 of the Apex Sports Chiltern Cross Country League after round four at Slough. The Oxford City athlete finished fourth in the race in a time of 28mins 4secs and heads the rankings after a

  • Taking to my bicycle looks truly appealing

    AS A car user I am always advised that it is better to cycle than use the car, so I thought I would give it a go and cycle to work one day. I will now look forward every morning to mounting my cycle at home and cycling on every available pavement, causing

  • No frets over lets with pets

    One in three pet owners in the region struggle to find rented accommodation that will accept animals, according to research by charity The Dogs Trust. And while househunters spend an average of seven weeks looking for a property, more than half of pet

  • Shark needs to shape up

    ON a recent visit to Headington, I saw the house with the shark in the roof. What a tatty dump – weeds all over, tiles missing and pigeons flying in and out. Why don’t the council act? People need homes and councils have wide powers. Are they scared

  • Rail plans out of touch

    I SEE the jokers trying to run our country have agreed to go ahead with the high speed train system at a cost of £32bn to taxpayers when the country is deep in debt and most people have had to suffer cutbacks. How can we have irresponsible idiots like

  • Control price of food

    DEPUTY Prime Minister Nick Clegg’s plans for a ‘John Lewis economy’ will not create a more responsible economy but simply increase the gap between those in jobs with high earning power and the multitude who are struggling to cope with the daily escalating

  • Liners like biscuit tins

    It’s the blame game again (Cruise boss apologises, Tuesday’s Oxford Mail), with those responsible denying any responsibility. Francesco Schettino, the captain of the Costa Concordia, is being made a scapegoat for the failings of others. Of course he

  • Hoping for a reunion

    Rummaging through some old papers, I came across an autograph book which I had long forgotten. On opening it, I found it contained farewell messages from my school friends. Several entries are dated as July 20, 1962 – our last day at St Frideswide’s

  • THE INSIDER: A weekly update from the corridors of power

    JUDGE kicks the bucket in courtroom blackout drama, the headline could read. When a power cut hit Oxford Crown Court last Friday, a senior judge who has sat at Oxford for many years left the bench until the problem was fixed. Unfortunately dodgy electrics

  • POINT-TO-POINT: It's farewell to Dunthrop

    The starter’s flag will fall for the last time on racing at Dunthrop, near Chipping Norton, this Sunday when the course stages its final meeting before closing. Racing has taken place at the Oxfordshire venue since 1983. But financial considerations

  • CRICKET: Crosby takes over as Oxford skipper

    OXFORD CC’s new captain Ian Crosby said the time was right for him to step up. But Crosby, who has taken on the role after former skipper and coach Jason Harrison left the club, is ruling out wholesale changes. The 30-year-old batsman said: “I have

  • More than a fair share of luxury living

    Prices start from £77,500 at a west Oxfordshire housing development launched this weekend. Beaumont Place, on the edge of Carterton, includes a mix of two-bedroom coach houses and two and three-bedroom houses for shared-ownership sale. Aimed at first-time

  • My reference to rabbis was misunderstood

    My brief reference to rabbis on the radio in Gray Matter on January 5 provoked anger among some of those to whom any mention of the Jewish religion is a cause for direst suspicion. Actually, it was not just anger but “outrage” to Margot Oakenby, who

  • The amazing fecundity of David Hockney

    I was talking to David Hockney on the sunny forecourt of the Royal Academy, where the artist’s exhibition David Hockney: A Bigger Picture opens to the public on Saturday. In fact, it wasn’t Hockney at all, though a fellow visitor to Tuesday’s press

  • Rape complainant ‘consented to sex’, court told

    AN RAF technician accused of raping a colleague has told jurors his accuser “definitely consented” to sex. Sergeant Stewart Fryatt, who works on Merlin helicopters at RAF Benson, is charged with forcing himself on a 22-year-old woman at the airbase.

  • Period living without the pain

    Many buyers are attracted to character village properties but the costs of maintenance and possible restoration can be a deterrent. But Beech House, a Grade II listed farmouse which has just come on to the market in the charming village of

  • Turl Street Kitchen, Turl Street, Oxford

    As a restaurant critic I regularly hear boasts about (highly fashionable) locally sourced food. Sometimes these turn out to be at best exaggeration, at worst downright fibs. ‘Locally sourced’ cod in Oxford, eh? It was a real pleasure, then, not

  • Rocking property that's hot to trot

    'A piece of rock history’ is how agents desescribe a four-storey Victorian town house in Walton Manor. The six-bedroom property was home to top indie band Foals for almost two years and where they penned second album Total Life Forever, nominated for

  • Info session for planned free school

    Campaigners who hope to open a new skills-based free school in South Oxford, will hold information sessions for parents at city shops. Oxford New School representatives will be at Sainsbury’s in Heyford Hill from 3-5pm today, and at the Westgate

  • Bike been stolen? Turn to Twitter

    CYCLISTS are striking back against bike thieves with a 21st century solution to an age old problem. Cycle Oxford, a community cooperative of cyclists, is tapping into the popularity of internet social networking site Twitter to post photos of bikes

  • Mounting challenge faces natives of tundra

    Every winter the UK is invaded by wild swans. These raiders come from the North, and unlike the snowfall their arrival proceeds, they are far from silent. Our meres, marshes and farmland harbour wild swans — thousands of them. These are not the

  • Making good use of bay leaves

    The bay leaf tree that I use as a backdrop when taking photographs in my garden began life 20 years ago as a small pot plant just 18 inches high. It is now a substantial tree which has reached at least 30ft, perhaps more. Indeed, it is so large I

  • New group takes to the road with food

    Tuesday saw the launch of Cultivate, a co-operative organisation that aims to strengthen our local food economy. Dan Betterton, one of the five founding members of the co-operative, explains that Cultivate is about new ways of feeding Oxford and

  • Snow White: The Mill Arts Centre, Banbury

    This is Snow White as you’ve never seen it before — colourful, lively, full of surprises and laden with witty one-liners. In Karl Peterson’s hilarious adaptation, the jokes come thick and fast as he weaves the strands of the story with modern parlance

  • 4 Girls 4 Harps

    For a quartet with a difference you could do a lot worse than 4 Girls 4 Harps — a group that does exactly what it says on the tin. The harp is traditionally the instrument of angels, and this quartet certainly played in angelic style, in a varied programme

  • Oxford United ace tips young Josh to go all the way

    Oxford United’s experienced defender Michael Duberry believes Josh McEachran has the potential to go right to the top. The 18-year-old Chelsea midfielder, who hails from Kirtlington, near Oxford, this week joined Premiership side Swansea on loan in

  • County is bucking the economic trend

    BUSINESSES in Oxfordshire are bucking the trend in battling the toughest economic times in a generation, according to a major new survey. More than 50 county directors contributed to the report, released today. The survey focused on

  • COMMENT: Some very good news

    THERE’S good news, and there’s really good news. And considering it’s only half way through January, we should all be raising a glass to Oxfordshire’s enterprise. A major new survey indicates that despite the world’s ongoing economic crisis, local firms

  • High-tech key to secrets of the past

    Anyone with a computer can fly about in time these days like a butterfly in air. For instance, I clicked Listed Buildings in the vicinity of my home the other day — and came across a Royal Palace that had flourished from the time of King John (

  • J. Edgar and W.E.

    During a turbulent and contentious period in office spanning almost 50 years, J. Edgar Hoover was instrumental in the fight against criminality in America. In 1924, he was appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation, which became the FBI,

  • F1 team relocates to Motorsport Valley

    FORMULA 1 team Caterham will move its operational base from East Anglia to Oxfordshire this summer. It will allow the company to bring its F1 team, which raced as Lotus in the 2010/11 season, and its niche sports car company, Caterham Cars, under one

  • Totally Tom: The North Wall

    The down side of a quick-fire sketch show, such as Totally Tom supplied to a highly tickled full house at the North Wall on Saturday, is the sheer brevity of our encounters with the gallery of oddball characters depicted. On they bound to delight

  • Preview of Suggs: Oxford Playhouse

    ‘Pathos”, Suggs calls it, when he talks about the bittersweet story of his life. Because the legendary Madness frontman, renowned for his comic capers, not only has a dark side, but one he’s happy to share with you. And what a story it is.

  • Aladdin: Corn Exchange, Wallingford

    Colourful, clever and contagiously funny — The Sinodun Players have created a top-notch production of Aladdin to bring out the child in us all, writes Daisy O'Halloran. Pantomime is a distinctly British tradition where the audience relaxes

  • Preview of Cinderella: Kennington Village Centre

    ‘Will Cinderella be able to break free from her wicked stepmother, Sadista, and her two ugly stepsisters, Adorabella and Fruitella, to attend the Prince’s Ball? Will the Prince ever find true love, or be destined to roam the land with his trusty

  • About Town: Art Jericho

    Since cameras got small enough and film fast enough, the street has been an ever-present and richly diverse source for photography. It is no surprise that almost every photographer will at some time go camera in hand to hunt for images in the wealth of

  • Farmers out in force for police operation

    FARMERS, landowners and gamekeepers teamed up with 70 police officers in a bid to beat rural crime. Last night tractors, quad bikes and Land Rovers were stationed around country lanes and fields as members of the rural community acted as spotters

  • Colour, pattern, rythmn: West Ox Arts, Bampton

    Entering West Ox Arts, one is struck by the inventiveness and liveliness of the work on display. John Stephen is influenced by early cubism and expressionism; his oils on canvas are more abstract that realistic. Inspired by a wall painting in Pompey his

  • Preview of Showaddywaddy: Dorchester Abbey

    The 1970s band Showaddywaddy will be shaking the rafters at Dorchester Abbey at the end of this month to help raise funds for the Nasio Trust, a Christian charity formed in 2003 to help care for HIV orphans in Kenya. “We were asked to do

  • Minis in Monte top ten

    The Banbury-built Mini WRC team cars held top ten places after the first day of the Monte Carlo Rally. Spaniard Dani Sordo and Carlos del Barrio and Frenchman Pierre Campana and Sabrina de Castelli were second and eighth respectively after

  • Preview of Fairport Convention at Oxford Playhouse

    Folk-rock fans will be united in celebration this weekend, with the anniversary of one of the country’s best-loved bands. It’s hard to imagine, but it is 45 years since Fairport Convention emerged, blinking, from the suburbs of North London, before

  • A Journey Around Syria

    Travel writer Mary Russell, who lives in West Oxford, has been travelling around Syria for ten years. She describes her experiences, encountering animal sacrifice in Palmyra, cycling along the Euphrates, riding a camel among Roman ruins in My Home Is

  • Giselle, The Russian State Ballet of Siberia: New Theatre

    If The Sleeping Beauty is the work that shows the quality of a classical company’s technique, Giselle is the ballet that reveals how much dramatic power it can put on the stage. The Siberians came up with a moving, and also technically excellent performance

  • Country girl who went to Oxford

    From the Shires to the Spires (Wychwood Press, £9.99) is the second instalment of the story of Mildred Masheder (nee Clinkard) and her journey from a farm in the once isolated village of Elsfield to Oxford University, via a scholarship to Milham

  • New moves increase support for women

    It’s easy to turn a blind eye to sexual violence (even in light of several recent well publicised incidents in the local area) most people don’t realise the widespread nature of the problem. According to the Home Office, approximately 21 per

  • Low-energy estate

    Sir – St Hilda’s withdrawal from the Travis Perkins site in East Oxford (Report, January 12) potentially allows for a serious rethink of how the site should be used. For decades, small and medium business have closed within Oxford and been replaced by

  • County bosses upbeat despite the gloom

    Business leaders across the county remain upbeat about current trading and future prospects, despite the ongoing economic crisis. That is the conclusion of a major survey published today which asked a cross-section of more than 50 county directors to

  • Oxford's new homes builder

    Regeneration is not a word you come across too readily in many town halls these days. With councils across England having to take the axe to services and jobs, the tendency is for large-scale shopping, business park and housing developments to be quietly

  • Wines to add kick to your 2012 resolutions

    It’s almost the middle of January and your determination to detox is beginning to dwindle. You don’t want to ruin the weeks of healthy living, but you are longing for a bit of zest to energize your life. Why not try a less alcoholic wine

  • Stupid computers

    Sir – Barclays bank have given me a lifetime’s excellent service; but what is the point of sending me a letter (by TNT/post) announcing the fact that tax of £0.01 has been deducted from interest of £0.06, leaving a balance of £0.05 on an account which

  • Prestige competition

    Sir – Christopher Gray’s article talked about the writers Muriel Spark, Fay Maschler and Caitlin Moran ‘found by a writing competition’ (Gray Matter, January 5). Your readers might like to know that the UK’s most prestigious annual poetry competition

  • University crime

    Sir – I always loved to watch Inspector Morse, for no other reason than to try and spot places I knew when I lived there 40 years ago. Boring my partner each time I say “Drank in there” “used to collect insurance premiums from there”. But ITV’s Endeavour

  • Waste of resources

    Sir – What we are receiving at the moment cannot be described as a waste collection service. Since the wheelie bin system was introduced, the bins are grabbed, dragged to the vehicle, emptied, then left where they fall, often on the road, often with the

  • Arrogant views

    Sir – The views expressed by Peter Thompson and Graham Smith concerning the proposal to make the ring-road between Headington and Cutteslowe into a “boulevard” seem astonishingly arrogant regarding local communities. Has Sandhills been guaranteed “long-term

  • Brutalist desert

    Sir – I think that your correspondent Graham Smith misunderstood my letter. I am concerned about the people who might end up in noisy polluted shoeboxes alongside the new “boulevard”. People who will be expected to mix, as pedestrians, cyclists and drivers

  • Missing the message

    Sir – The article by Christopher Gray concerning the December 27 broadcast on Radio 2’s Pause for Thought, does not contain anything that is new. However, he writes in a manner that is both unkind and inflammatory. It fails to recognise that one of the

  • Fiendish but unfair

    Sir – The Oxford Times cryptic crossword provides a great deal of intellectual stimulation and enjoyment to many people and I look forward to it every week. May I, however, make a plea for fairer clues? While most of them are clever, some fiendishly

  • Stolen thunder

    Sir – Bill Bryson presents himself before the Oxford public as a supplicant pleading for them to reject the Government’s proposals to reform the country’s planning regulations (Letters, January 5). In his latest reincarnation as the president of CPRE

  • Encourage variety

    Sir – Frances Kennett and others are being kind to suggest that a further supermarket is opening in Summertown. Other than branding there is little of the supermarket about the existing Co-op and Tesco. They are excellent places to buy a litre of milk

  • No unsightly trees

    Sir – Exactly four years ago, while a Green county councillor, I was arrested in the city centre for attempting to prevent a dozen mature plane trees from being pre-emptively chopped down, to make way for the Westgate redevelopment. I was, therefore

  • Important subject

    Sir – Computer science education is being directed not by the Department for Education but by local businesses in Kidlington, Oxford, who have clubbed together to sponsor tutorial units for local candidates so they can be taught computing skills

  • Trite dialogue

    Sir – I have never seen a production at Stratford that disappointed me more than The Heart of Robin Hood. Joan Littlewood would have been as horrified as were we all. From the website it is clear that children were delighted with the clever

  • Critical question

    Sir – The issue raised by Tony Joyce and the Oxford Civic Society in relation to the disfiguring of historic shop frontages in the centre of Oxford (Report, January 5) brings into focus a critical question: what kind of city do we want Oxford to be as

  • Parky at the Pictures (In Cinemas 19/1/2012)

    Following in the footsteps of Laurence Olivier and Kenneth Branagh, Ralph Fiennes has chosen to make his directorial debut with a Shakespearean adaptation. There are similarities between Henry V and Coriolanus, not least in their discussion of leadership

  • Parky at the Pictures (DVD 19/1/2012)

    So how many of you still have vouchers from Christmas and have no idea what to spend them on? Never fear. As in previous years, Parky at the Pictures is here with a few suggestions for boxed sets that may just fit the bill and there are some intriguing

  • Government throws weight behind World Book Capital bid

    THE GOVERNMENT has put its weight behind Oxford’s attempt to become the World Book Capital in 2014. Culture Minister Ed Vaizey has written to the steering committee behind the plans, confirming the Government’s full support for the bid for the Unesco