THE hard work of the week was over, now it was time to relax and enjoy themselves.

It was the evening when the Oxford staff of Neilsens, the international market research company, held their annual dinner.

During a pause in the proceedings, the talking stopped and everyone looked towards the photographer.

We are not sure where the picture was taken, but the balcony, tall windows and long curtains may give a clue to the venue. Could it be the Randolph Hotel?

When we published an earlier photograph of a Neilsens’s Christmas party from the 1940s (Memory Lane, October 1), Vivienne Brucker, who worked for the company, wrote in to say it was held at the Holyoake Hall at Headington.

She also remembered a dinner/dance being held at the Randolph the same year.

Could this picture be from this event? This latest photograph, like the previous one, comes from Allan Webb, of Redditch, Worcestershire, whose late wife, Gladys, worked for Neilsens in Oxford.

Neilsens moved from London to Oxford in 1940, occupying offices in St Aldate’s and Ship Street, and opened its present base in London Road, Headington, in 1957.

Many leading firms use its expertise to measure sales and analyse consumer tastes and trends. It now employs 32,000 people worldwide.

Do you recognise yourself or anyone else in the picture, or can anyone confirm the location?