A TIME-TRAVELLING tour guide is urging Oxford residents to grasp a unique chance to explore the history of their city.

Peter Hart, who runs Oxford Time Tours, transports customers to the city’s past with his family-friendly voyage through notable events and landmarks.

The Headington resident conducted his first tour since lockdown on July 25, but a sharp drop in visitors from outside the county means his target audience has largely vanished.

Although this means take-up is lower than normal during the peak summer season, the father-of-two feels this means residents can view the city with new eyes.

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He said: “It’s such bliss walking around with it being so quiet.

“It’s a real treat – like going into the city at 7am on a Sunday, just without having to get up early.

“You can really appreciate the architecture and beauty of the city.”

The 49-year-old has lived in Oxford for almost 25 years and was a guide on the open-top City Sightseeing buses before setting up his own company.

He wanted to create a more child-friendly experience, which he does by assuming the role of a time traveller and telling tales of visiting different periods.

Mr Hart was keen to find a way for his own children to learn about Oxford's history and found short tours of no more than 90 minutes kept them engaged.

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He said: “There wasn’t a walking tour that catered for kids. I just wanted to make it a bit of a story.

“It’s a pretty unique idea and there’s all sorts you can do with it.

"If you’re doing multiple tours a week, the last thing you want is for it to get stale.

“It’s getting paid to walk around Oxford – I love it.”

Although summer tends to be Mr Hart's busiest time of year, he occasionally holds tours during the winter months.

The former teacher, who previously lived in India and Spain, took his last group around the city less than a week before lockdown was imposed on March 23.

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He is currently only accepting private bookings, with prices generally set at £5 for children, £10 for adults and £25 for families.

Mr Hart has been averaging two tours each week since he returned, but admits even that number has surprised him.

He said: “I’m not seeing the big companies, so I’m quite pleased to get anything.

“Everything’s shut, so the tourists that are here are running around like lost souls.

“At the end of the tour I normally direct them somewhere to go next, but now it’s just a pub or a café."

Mr Hart has two other jobs so does not depend on Oxford Time Tours, but the lockdown has nonetheless proved frustrating.

After seven years' of shepherding people around the city, he was looking to move the business to the next level in 2020.

He said: “I’m the ideas person, but I need someone with that business nous to take it forward.

“I was really hoping it would take off this summer."