And here is the strange tale of the recycling of the Magdalen College war memorial, whose dedication in 1921 was attended by the Prince of Wales. The college put it into storage in 1940, and it remained hidden until they donated it to Wheatley in 1974: www.oxfordhistory.org.uk/war/wheatley/

... (4) St Giles’ Church, with date of 1784; (5) Town Hall, with an ox; and (6) Carfax Tower, with the more traditional cockerel

The freehold of this historic building is now for sale: www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/com...

Here's a postcard showing Magdalen Tower from Cherwell Hall

The end of an era, but at least W. H. Smith is still remembered in the gable. T. G. Jones is quick off the mark: they only received planning permission to put up this sign yesterday (13 Oct 2025): public.oxford.gov.uk/online-appli...

These Miss Ogles were the daughters of James Adey Ogle, physician and from 1851 Regius Professor of Medicine, who lived nearby at 63 St Giles’ Street (later demolished to make way for Blackfriars), namely Janet (b.1821), Amelia & Caroline (twins, b. 1822), and Mary (b.1824).

In his Reminiscences of Oxford (1900) William Tuckwell wrote, “The four colossal female statues surmounting its eastern side were declared by an imaginative undergraduate to be effigies of the four Miss Ogles, ladies who lived hard by; and the myth obtained a more than humorous acceptance.”

There is some information about the history of Cowley Road Methodist Church here: www.oxfordhistory.org.uk/old_oxford/e...

You still have a chance this weekend to visit the Old County Hall before it is altered, as it is one of the Open Doors events www.oxfordpreservation.org.uk/old-county-h...

The historic 1841 building (which is on the site of the ancient shire hall) would become a restaurant, bar, and gallery with a roof terrace. This plaque may take away diners’ appetites though