It was, ironically for an Olympian event, a slow start. At 2pm on The Plain, you would have no more suspected an event of historical proportion was but hours away than believed Barclays manipulated its interest rates to benefit the poor. It was that dead.

The Sainsbury’s store, an official Olympic partner, had done nothing to mark the arrival of the torch, but then neither had any of the other businesses surrounding the junction of St Clement’s, Cowley and Iffley Roads.

Indeed, wandering along the Cowley Road toward Tesco, the only shops displaying Union flags were, bizarrely, The Private Shop and Milano Milk Bar.

Tesco itself was bereft of anything Olympian, save for the admirable Big Issue seller outside who, like a true athlete, tirelessly worked vocal muscles to promote his “unofficial Olympic Torch – patent pending”. And charitably, he even offered me the torch’s flame (a cleverly disguised Sainsbury’s bag).

A tad disillusioned, I wandered over to South Park which, to my great surprise, had already attracted an eager queue of people.

Entering on the Morrell Avenue side I did my own Olympic marathon just climbing to the top to reach its main stage.

But already the atmosphere had noticeably changed.

There was, to put it simply, a buzz.

In the space of just 90 minutes, yellow-suited stewards had lined Cowley Road like pollen and police were suddenly smiling.

The Plain had now turned into a primordial soup. But looking up towards Magdalen Bridge and High Street, it was clear the trickle was just the beginning.

People were everywhere.

By 5pm, The Plain was all but surrounded, and at 6pm when the City of Oxford choir started singing from the centre of the roundabout, it felt surreal.

Helicopters buzzed above, bunting flapped, the Town Crier shouted and people fainted. While all the time, anyone who was anyone kept saying: “We didn’t expect this number.”

Standing centre stage, it was impossible not to be moved. All around was a rippling sea of faces and the choir still crooning.

Various sponsors’ HGVs passed and then there it was – THE flame.

And I’ve no idea who was carrying it because I couldn’t tear my eyes from its elegant blaze. The moment lasted fewer than 30 seconds but in that blink of an eye I felt something odd.

Until minutes later I realised why.

It was pride.