At first, I thought it might be a mirage… but, no,it really has been transformed. From bland to sand, a hidden oasis has sprung up in the courtyard outside Oxford’s sausage HQ.

With 23 tonnes of golden sand, stripy deckchairs and palms blowing in the breeze, The Big Bang restaurant has brought all the delights of the seaside to us – a city which couldn’t be much further from the coast.

“The Oxford Castle Quarter is now thronging with life”, said owner Max Mason. “Just last night, the courtyard was packed with people watching a wonderful performance of Macbeth, there was a sold-out rooftop cinema above Malmaison and, of course, our beach packed with people enjoying volleyball, cocktails and a delicious barbecue.”

Dress code was strictly ghastly shirts and silly shorts as the beautiful people danced the night away to some serious summer tunes from live Jack FM DJs and a swathe of up-tempo jazz swing from gypsy duo Holder & Smith – before a major water pistol fight kicked-in to cool us all down.

With the mercury rising to a whopping 31C on St Swithan’s Day (last Monday), it seems miracles can happen and maybe the Great British summer really will last for 40 days – making this the ultimate place to see and be seen.

Life’s a beach at Oxford’s historic Castle Quarter seven days a week until mid-September, between 10am and 11pm daily.

Families are welcome and can look forward to sandcastles, Punch & Judy shows, G&Ds ice cream and ‘stay and play’ mornings. The party really kicks off from 6pm when The Big Bang’s barbecue is fired up once again. Bookings can be made on 01865 249413 and don’t forget to follow @TheOxfordBeach on Twitter using hashtag #lifesabeach on all your summer snaps.