cafés

Headington Headlines #96

TonyOX3

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 21 – 27 January.

On Monday morning two armed men threatened staff of Lloyds TSB and escaped with an undisclosed amount of money.

Gregg’s was once again obliged to close because of a pigeon which keeps getting into the shop. Food safety regulations mean they then have to throw away any uncovered food – which the pigeon then goes round the back to eat according to a writer on the H&M e-dem forum. It’s easy to laugh but it’s not much of a joke really. The story escalated during the week, with coverage on @PhilGayle‘s morning show on @BBCOxford radio on Thursday.

A man had to be cut free from his car after a two-car collision in Girdlestone Road on Saturday afternoon.

@LaurenceReade wrote a nice memoir and appreciation of Headington Quarry, followed by another on Risinghurst and C S Lewis.

Caffè Corsica, the Pizza café on London Road, seems to have closed. The interior has been stripped and there is a Chancellors’ ‘For Sale’ sign (commercial premises and flat over) above the shop.

Chinese take-away OxyBox opened in Marston (Marston Road, near the junction with Cherwell Drive). They already have an established branch in Kidlington.

At the time of writing there’s no report from the meeting on Friday where Oxford City councillors were being asked to agree the sale of Bury Knowle Stables and Barn. The competitive bids were inadvertently published online and were visible for a few hours before being hastily taken down. No, I didn’t see them.

Osler House (on the JR Hospital site just off Osler Road) has got a new licence for plays, films, sporting events, dancing, live music and alcohol. You may remember they are keen to attract more outside bookings.

Headington School (@HeadingtonSch) came back to twitter after an absence of 9 months. One of their ex-students Sophie Sumner (@sophiesumner8) who grew up in Oxford won US reality TV show “America’s Next Top Model” last year.

The school was also a venue for the first of two weekends of the Oxford Music Festival. The other venues are @JdP_oxford and Keble ‘not on twitter’ College. The Festival Concert will be held in the Jacqueline du Pré Music Building (@StHildasOx) on Sunday, 10th February at 6:00 pm.

Windmill Road building supplies firm @Blanchford popped up on twitter again after posting just three tweets about 9 months ago. Let’s hope they stick with it this time!

If like me you were wondering what had happened to the helpful older man who worked in the mornings as car park attendant at the Manor Surgery, I can report that his job finished at the end of September last year. He told me he is keeping well and misses his job, though not in the recent cold weather!

6th Headington Guides are to receive an £800 grant from @OxfordshireCC‘s Big Society Fund. Their application was supported by County Councillor Roz Smith.

It was reported that HM Treasury is taking over the sale of Warneford Meadow from the Dept of Health. Good thing for the Friends? Bad thing? Don’t know.

My favorite Headington-related tweet this week:

Active topics on the Headington & Marston e-democracy forum this week:

  • Empty shops in Headington
  • Long-stay charging to begin at Park and Ride
  • Installation of new pumping station in Headington Quarry
  • 2 new shops in Marston?
  • Save Bury Knowle Barn and Stables!
  • London Road Improvements Stage 3
I try to cover news from the OX3 postcode in Headington and out as far as Barton, Sandhills and Risinghurst (see map). To feed into next week’s summary you can comment on this article, or tweet either with the hashtag #ox3 or @mentioning @TonyOX3.

Headington Headlines #74

TonyOX3

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 13 – 19 August —

@TVP_Oxford are appealing for information on three separate incidents. There was another robbery/burglary in Sherwood Place, Barton on Sunday 12 August. Also over that weekend there were three thefts from vehicles in Cheney Lane. Then in the early hours of Tuesday morning there was an assault & attempted robbery in Hollow Way.

@oxford_brookes released a set of architectural pictures (and some pictures of tea) showing off their new Abercrombie Building.

The Sikhs have started using the old Sharpe+Howse plumbers’ merchants building on the London Road as their new Gurdwara (temple).

Three separate development projects – two in Marston/Northway – involving Kevin McCloud have been delayed for the third time.

On Armistice Day in 1950 four trees were planted around Marston to commemorate those from the district who died during the Second World War. People have been worried that the one outside the old Friar pub would be felled or damaged when Tesco build their planned store there. Independent councillor Mick Haines is using some of his discretionary Ward money to install a plaque marking the tree in an attempt to protect it permanently. The Oxford Mail article mentions the locations of the other trees.

Barnado’s Viking House children’s care centre in Saxon Way announced the opening of a new ‘sensory room’.

@RuthWilk reported a good turnout for the Ward Focus meeting on Tuesday to discuss parking and related issues.

Caffè Corsica was open again by Wednesday. @amhogarth and @joe_bwab were among the first to try the pizza: they reported enthusiastically.

Work was done to raise and resurface the pavement and entrance to the service road on Old High Street between Monaco and Waitrose. Hopefully it will mean an end to the puddle, but more work is still needed on the drainage around the main crossroads.

Thames Valley Police held a Family Fun Day at Oxford Brookes’ Headington campus on Saturday.

My favorite Headington-related tweet this week:

Active topics on the Headington & Marston e-democracy forum this week:

  • Puddles outside Waitrose
  • walking dogs in Bury Knowle Park
  • Street lighting which remains on all the time
  • Empty shops in Headington
  • Save Bury Knowle Barn and Stables!
  • When is a cycle lane not a cycle lane?
  • New Lime Walk and All Saints junction “improvements”
I try to cover news from the OX3 postcode in Headington and out as far as Barton, Sandhills and Risinghurst (see map). To feed into next week’s summary you can comment on this article, or tweet either with the hashtag #ox3 or @mentioning @TonyOX3.

Best Budget Restaurants

TonyOX3

The Guardian Travel section has published a Google map of “Britain’s Best Budget Restaurants“. Oxford is one of 25 cities or regions you can home in on, and you’ll find a list and location map of ten places to eat. There’s a more detailed write-up of each one here.

Whether these really are the “Best” is a matter of opinion, and there are surely others which deserve a place on the list. Which do you agree/disagree with? And which places would you add?