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THE PRIVATE apartments of the Duke of Marlborough will be open to the public during a new tour at Blenheim Palace. From now until September, visitors will have the opportunity to explore the east wing of the palace where Charles James Spencer-Churchill

PASSERS-BY were left stunned this afternoon after a military marching band appeared from nowhere and took over Broad Street. Army Reserve band the Waterloo Band and Bugles of the Rifles, based in Abingdon performed a ‘Flash Mob’ as they appeared

RESIDENTS in Benson gathered outside the parish hall to protest against plans to build a new 177- home estate in their village. They held up placards before the start of a four-day planning inquiry – which is expected to resume on Monday – into

OXFORD United have been well and truly sucked into a relegation scrap after a frustrating 2-0 defeat at ten-man Shrewsbury Town. Liam Lawrence scored twice as the hosts earned a victory that, on the passage of play, they may have felt fortunate

AFTER finding a new building in North Oxford, the last all-male undergraduate college at Oxford University is preparing to go co-ed. St Benet’s Hall in St Giles, founded in 1897 for the monks of Ampleforth Abbey in North Yorkshire, has now acquired

AS THE British Armed Forces leave Afghanistan, one former Headington man is staying behind to help rebuild the shattered country. Usman Nizami works for the Government’s Department For International Development and is based in the war-torn country

A CYCLIST has been taken to hospital after a collision with a bus on Magdalen Bridge in Oxford.  The crash happened just before the junction with Longwall Street outside Magdalen College, shortly before 4pm.  An air ambulance that was in the

FOR a combined 200 years they have given their time to help others. Now four volunteers from the Rotary Club of Wantage have been honoured with High Sheriff ’s Awards. Ian Campbell, 88, John Humphries, 78, Hugh Chamberlain, 98, and Derek Miller

2:02pm 1:59pm Tweets by @OxfordMailOUFC 1:59pm We're live at Shrewsbury Town's Greenhous Meadow this afternoon as Oxford United

SIGHTSEERS braved the chilly spring weather to take the first steps into the new Weston Library today. The Grade II listed building opened its doors to the public at 8am after a three-year £80m transformation. And osteopath Clive Lindley-Jones

On Tuesday night our five-game unbeaten run came to an end against Hartlepool. I was disappointed, the players were disappointed, and understandably, so were our supporters. Anyone that’s been to watch us this season knows that I’m not one

A FRIEND of a teenager who died of cancer shaved her hair off to raise money for research into the disease in memory of a childhood friend. Ashley Gubbins from Carterton decided to shave her head to raise cash for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research

Well, better actually. Jaine Blackman relishes historic surroundings with all mod cons Do you like your country house hotel to have a bit of history? What’s your favourite era – Tudor, Georgian, Victorian? At Fawsley Hall Hotel and Spa,

Renee Watson delves deep to unveil the truth behind pioneers of some of the biggest contributions to our world Until a month ago I had never heard the name Mary Anning. Turns out she is the world’s most prolific fossil hunter. So much so that

I guess being a working mum is a sure fire way to feel almost constant guilt. I don’t know why as a parent this is a phenomenon almost exclusively reserved for women but I don’t think there are quite the same amount of working dads with the same

An embuggurance is what Terry Pratchett apparently called his dementia. It’s his attitude towards this debilitating illness and, ultimately, death, that won him an extra legion of admirers. Even people who haven’t read his multi-million-selling

Money and politics makes for an intoxicating mix and we had it in spades this week as the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced The Budget on Wednesday. With just seven weeks to go before the General Election, some reckoned George Osborne explaining

Maggie Hartford meets Cotswolds crime writer MC Beaton, the woman behind popular sleuth Agatha Raisin Meet the most borrowed adult British author from UK public libraries – Cotswolds crime writer MC Beaton, whose detective Agatha Raisin has been

When John Lloyd celebrated turning 100 last month there was a tinge of sorrow that his wife Elaine wasn’t there to share it. Michael Race tells their love story In 1938, aged 23 and working for the Bank of England John Lloyd attended a ladies club

With the astronomical season of spring beginning yesterday, casualty departments up and down the country will fill up with hapless gardeners. Gardening injuries normally happen in the spring. The first sunny day of the year inspires hours of weeding

Coffee: is it good or bad for us? One study says it is, then another comes along stating it’s not. It seems as if research on coffee keeps contradicting itself – that it is simultaneously the cause of and the cure to everything. There is so

Juggling a civilian and military career can’t be easy but it’s a challenge that scientist and Major Mike Curtis-Rouse relishes. He talks about his twin roles In his every day working life, Mike Curtis-Rouse is a scientist at the Science and Technology

A new guide to etiquette promises help for those sharing a home with the owner through a holiday let. Jaine Blackman takes a closer look People opening the doors of their home to paying guests in Oxford and around the county are welcoming a guide

Don’t Look Back in Anger. Last week we saw a media storm erupt around the story of an ex-wife’s financial claims against her millionaire ex-husband who divorced her more than 20 years ago. We saw headlines like, “tycoon’s divorced wife is cashing

AT just 10 days old, William Thompson was fighting for his life after contracting meningitis. Sixteen years later he is set to tackle the Oxford Mail’s OX5 Run with 1,100 other runners as a way of saying thank you for the care he received while

THE centre of Oxford came to a standstill yesterday morning as the solar eclipse brought an eerie gloom over the city’s spires. Eclipse enthusiasts pitched up as early as 8am on the steps of the new Weston Library in Broad Street, while passers-by

Ryan Clarke insists while most people will view Oxford United’s trip to Shrewsbury Town as a home banker today, there is genuine belief within the camp they can take another scalp on the road. Not for the first time in recent seasons, the majority

BROTHERS Wilfred and Sylvester Howes captured the feeling of eclipse fever yesterday as the schoolboys skipped class to witness the celestial event. The Kidlington teens, aged 16 and 13, were among more than 100 people who went to watch the solar

THERE are not many naturally-occurring events that can inspire the same sense of wonder as a solar eclipse. For about half an hour businesses and schools came to a standstill as people donned their specially-filtered safety glasses to watch the

OLYMPIC gold medallist Dr Katherine Grainger was officially made Chancellor of Oxford Brookes yesterday, but it didn’t stop her from her rigorous training regime. The British rower joked: “I did a couple of hours in the boat this morning – being

Alexis Canter’s wait for a first ITF Juniors singles final this year continues after a three-set defeat to Saida’lo Saidkarimov in Uzbekistan. Third seed Canter, from Abingdon, lost 4-6, 7-6, 6-3 to home favourite Saidkarimov at the Tashkent ITF

THE family of two children killed in an arson attack can finally move on after one member of the gang responsible had her appeal thrown out. Fiaz Munshi was described as “only thinking about herself ” after she tried to argue in the Court of Appeal

Coneygree, the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup hero, will parade at Newbury today before the Ultima Business Solutions Silver Jubilee Handicap Chase (3.10). The eight-year-old, from Mark Bradstock’s Letcombe Bassett yard, near Wantage, will be in the

WITH the appointment of Olympic gold medallist Katherine Grainger as its Chancellor, Oxford Brookes has once again attracted world-class talent. The university has certainly come a long way since it started life as the Oxford School of Art 150

Banbury-based Aston Martin have unveiled their largest racing line-up for their 11th year of competition. A five-car team will battle for honours in the World Endurance Championship, which starts at Silverstone on April 12. The calender includes

Chipping Norton School’s Megan Humphreys shone with Oxfordshire’s top result at the English Schools’ Cross Country Championships at Witton Country Park, Blackburn. The 17-year-old finished a highly-creditable 11th in a field of 300 runners in the

Cassington's Nigel Fancourt claimed bronze at the British Veterans’ Fencing Championships in Gloucester, narrowly missing out on a place in the final. In his first veterans competition, Fancourt, was beaten 10-8 in the semi final by former British

Holton A look to have taken a decisive step towards retaining their Division 1 title, after beating league leaders Forum A 7-3. Neil Cartwright and Elson Costa were on form for Holton as they both recorded maximums. Forum secured the consolation

IT’S A phenomenon that was observed by the earliest settlers in this country, but this year was the first time people in the UK shared their eclipse experiences on social media. From the first chink out of the sun’s orb, sites were inundated with

SOME chose to take in yesterday’s solar eclipse from the historic Rollright Stones near Chipping Norton. The English Heritage site, containing three Neolithic and Bronze Age stone monuments, begin filling up with people from 8am. By the height

City of Oxford’s Libby Gotta won four gold medals in the Great Britain Deaf National Championships. The ten-year-old stormed to success in the 50m freestyle in a time of 36.22secs, 50m backstroke (43.09), 50m breaststroke (48.43) and 50m butterfly

Oxford City Stars will be at full strength when they travel to Cardiff Devils for tonight’s winners takes all English League South Division 1 clash. Destiny is in their own hands as a victory in the principality will guarantee they stay up at the

REIGNING champions Kingston Bagpuize reached the semi-finals of the Oxfordshire Indoor Competition after beating Stonesfield by three wickets with three balls to spare at Abingdon School. Sam Hibbard’s unbeaten 26 helped Stonesfield reach 73-4

BICESTER fighter Daza Usher was crowned the British Masters Welterweight champion, after beating previously undefeated Vinzenz Keuch on a technical knockout at the Civic Hall in Grays, Essex. In a competitive contest, Usher’s speed and slickness

FORMER England rugby prop forward Jeff Probyn was guest speaker at the 17th West Oxfordshire Diners Club sports dinner at Witney Lakes Resort. The evening brought in £4,300 for the charity, which raises money to help local youth sports development

DOUBLE PE was called off yesterday as more than 50 girls took to the fields of Oxford High School to witness the solar eclipse. Armed with colanders, homemade pin-hole projectors and protective glasses, the pupils were joined by science teacher

MICK Denton won North Oxford Angling Society’s first summer canal club match fished on the Oxford Canal at Wolvercote Green. Denton used worm to head the field with perch, skimmers and a 2lb tench for a winning weight of 7lb 5oz. Also using

ABINGDON Conservative A’s Mick Bennett retained his Ted Allsop crown with a 2-0 win over Thame B’s Steve Claridge. Bennett, whose club plays in the Premier Division, was forced to concede 28 points to Division 4 player Claridge due to the handicap

RESEARCHERS hope up to five million of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people will benefit from a new £15m project led by Oxford University. Yesterday international development minister Baroness Northover announced the funding for a seven-year

ASHTON returned to second place in Division 1 after a convincing 3-0 victory at Division 2 outfit Headington Conservative Club A. They jumped a point ahead of New Club, who beat Cowley Conservative Club B 2-1. Thame A saw off Riley A 2-1, with

PARLIMENTARY candidates for the Bicester and Banbury constituency were challenged by teenagers in a studentorganised debate. Sixth form students from Bicester Community College hosted their own version of the BBC’s Question Time and invited candidates

PUBS across Oxfordshire are among those included in a new book about murders at Britain’s inns and hotels. Author James Moore trawled through old copies of the Oxford Mail and The Oxford Times to uncover the gruesome history of some of the county

MORE than 100 people gathered to watch the eclipse from Said Business School by Oxford  Railway Station. Astrophysicists from Oxford University brought eclipse glasses and specially-adapted telescopes so commuters walking past could watch the celestial

Whatever care you need – whenever you need it, local domiciliary care company Caremark (West Oxfordshire & Cherwell) can help. A little care and support can be all it takes for someone to be able to remain living in their own home, surrounded by familiar

Celebrated British furniture designer and maker ercol, has been designing and manufacturing quality furniture since 1920 when the company’s founder Lucian Ercolani first started the business. More than 90 years later the company is still family