Oxford Past Times by Chris Koenig

Reviewed by Ann Spokes Symonds

Chris Koenig has been writing about the history of Oxford and Oxfordshire in The Oxford Times for more than ten years. This book contains a selection of his well-researched and readable articles. As one who, over the years, has enjoyed all these articles and cut out many for future reference, I — and I am sure many others — will appreciate this beautifully edited book with no misprints or error of grammar or punctuation. I do, however, miss the apostrophe in St Clement’s.

A problem for many readers will be the exceedingly small print, which reminds one of a visit to the optician. The print compares poorly with that in books published by Robert Boyd in The Changing Faces series.

That said, no one who loves Oxford and Oxfordshire villages will want to be without this book.

It has a wealth of fascinating facts, some of which must surely come as a revelation, even to those who know their Oxford well.The author dispels some popular myths. He points out that tradesmen inhabited North Oxford some years before dons were allowed to marry. St Frideswide, our patron saint, did exist — although, as Koenig points out, many of the stories about her are ‘the stuff of legend’. Even reports of the great Darwinian debate in the University Museum between Wilberforce and Huxley might have been fabricated.

An understandable dilemma for the author, whose articles span some ten years, is whether to update them.

For example, should one add ‘Templeton’ to Green college? Should one, in the article on grotesques, mention that nine children designed those now added to the old Bodleian, including Tweedledum and Tweedledee?

I only came across one error, and it is a common and understandable one. The Freedom of the City is unconnected with the Freemen of Oxford. The Freedom is given by the City to people or places of note such as Nelson Mandela, Sir Roger Bannister, Aung san Suu Kyi, the writers Colin Dexter and Philip Pullman and the universities of Oxford and Brookes. Recently, Oxfam was given the Freedom.

Finally, it is a pleasure to read about other parts of the county, including the Manors of Sulgrave and Kelmscott and the folly at Faringdon, and there are descriptions of some of the county’s historic churches.

I recommend this book not only as a good read but as an invaluable reference for anyone inerested in the history of our city and county.

I hope that ‘The History Man’ will go on writing for many years to come.