Writer revisits his very special street (From Oxford Mail)

Writer revisits his very special street

6:00pm Tuesday 14th February 2012 in Oxford By Andrew Ffrench

IN 2007, author James Attlee told how he encountered cultures from around the globe in his journey along Oxford’s Cowley Road.

Now, five years after the publication of his critically acclaimed factual book Isolarion, Mr Attlee has revisited a number of old haunts to chart the changing face of the multicultural street.

In Isolarion, the 55-year-old father-of-five, who lives off Cowley Road, joined some residents in their opposition to plans for a new road system that would smarten up the street.

He expressed concern about the possibility of Cowley Road becoming just like any other high street if high rents drove out too many independent businesses.

But following a stroll along Cowley Road last week, the freelance publishing consultant said he was relieved to discover that the shopping street in East Oxford remained a vibrant, multicultural mix of shops, cafés, pubs, restaurants and other businesses.

He said: “The day after Isolarion came out I came out of my front door and thought ‘I am stepping into my book’.

“Isolarion has travelled very well and has made a lot of good connections.

“It’s still possible to go on a journey of discovery and learn about different foods and countries from all over the world.

“Cowley Road is remarkably resilient and appears to be weathering the recession quite well, there aren’t lots of empty units.

“Yes, some new chains have arrived, including Sainsbury’s, Subway and Costa Coffee, but they are not dominating the Cowley Road and have not changed its atmosphere. There are more students living in the area than there were five years ago, but they all need a place to go so that’s good for business in the cafés.”

Mr Attlee said he was glad that the Excelsior was still one of a large number of independent cafés in Cowley Road. It celebrated its 50th anniversary last year and Kostas Hajiyanni, who helps to run it, said: “We are doing quite well – the Excelsior will be the last place to go in Cowley Road.”

The author said independent stores have come and gone during the past five years but the variety and vibrancy of the street has remained.

He added: “It’s good to see that Cowley Road now has the record store Truck after Polar Bear closed down.

“And the Carling Academy has taken over the Zodiac which means there is still lots of live music being played.

“Another major change is the Regal becoming a church, the Christian Life Centre.

* Mr Attlee will be talking about his latest book Nocturne tomorrow at Blackwell’s in Broad Street at 7pm.