Tea on the Towpath, Saturday 19 June 2010
Tea on the Towpath is the main OIRA event for 2010 – click here for more details (and a picture of the 2008 event!).
Chimney sweeps
Chimney sweeps planting sooty kisses on blushing brides was once considered good luck, but now it is a custom of the past, as both parties are rather rare. No longer are the few remaining sweeps the grimy individuals with cloth cap and overalls but clinically white-coated operatives who vacuum away every smut. …
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About Osney Island
Osney Island is one of Oxford’s best-kept secrets. Located to the west of the city only minutes from the railway station and just off the busy Botley Road, it’s a small ‘village’ of some 300 households surrounded on all sides by the Thames and the Osney Stream.
Walk over the footbridge and drop down to the Island you are immediately in another world with boats, wildlife and the tranquillity of the river. It really is an island in the centre of Oxford.
Shaped like an old-fashioned belt buckle, streets named after the points of the compass provide its frame with Bridge St the prong in the middle. Most of the houses are small terraced homes – but you’d be amazed how inventive people have been in making the most of small spaces.
The population of Osney Island is an eclectic mix of people. Some have been born and bred here, others are commuters, academics, artists. We all enjoy the very special community spirit.
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