It would have been polite for locals, including schoolchildren, to have been given the opportunity to attend the Oliver Cromwell blue plaque commemoration which took place on Sunday afternoon.

It was a chance to expand public knowledge of local history. The plaque has been installed on the front of Cromwell House and is now a permanent reminder to visitors and locals of his presence in Old Marston village, in 1646. Instead, a gaggle of dignitaries were invited to mark the occasion.

Perhaps it was not advertised and was an ‘invitation only’ event, due to the sensitive nature of marking an important event in the life of Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658), whose actions in the past still make him a very controversial figure today.

ELAINE BENNETT Marston Road Oxford