Portrait of Inspector Morse author Colin Dexter is at hotel

The painting by landscape artist Celia Montague is being added as Endeavour series nine - the last ever series - is about to be screened on ITV, starting on Sunday at 8pm.

The hotel in Banbury Road is owned by Jeremy Mogford and is part of The Oxford Collection, which includes the Old Bank Hotel in High Street, and Gees restaurant.

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After graduating with an M.A. in modern and mediaeval languages and a brief career as a barrister in London, Celia became an actress and played Adele Baydon in Twilight of the Gods, one of the final episodes of John Thaw's 'Inspector Morse'.

In 2011, Celia met Mr Dexter for the first time during an Oxford Art Society exhibition at the town hall.

She said: "I’d never met Colin, but he was giving the speech as guest speaker… it was extremely funny, in the manner of Gerard Hoffnung who taught him at school, I subsequently discovered.”

This particular portrait of the author was presented at his memorial service in 2018.

Mr Dexter, who was gven cameo roles in the Inspector Morse, Lewis and Endeavour series, died in 2017.

Ms Montague said: "We had about five sittings, and he talked throughout; he was a great anecdotalist… When I drove away with the painting - it was then exhibited in St Barnabas Church -, he said, 'mind where you go with that painting!'"

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There is a special bond between the Parsonage and the author.

Ms Montague added: "I came here to dinner with him, and it was his very favourite place in Oxford, and then we met Jeremy one evening."

The addition of the painting completes Mr Mogford's homage to Colin and his link to the Parsonage Grill, which he frequently visited, as well as Quod and the Old Bank Hotel, both of which present a charming bench outside named in his honour. 

So too, complementing the Parsonage’s bohemian walls is Colin’s handwritten, original manuscript from book eleven of his Inspector Morse series, titled The Daughters of Cain where the Old Parsonage Hotel features throughout.

Mr Dexter was awarded an OBE for services to literature in 2000.

A year later, he was awarded the Freedom of the City of Oxford, an honour awarded to those who have rendered eminent service to the city. 

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Fans of the novels and TV series can visit the famous buildings of Oxford and get a glimpse into the world of academia as described in Colin's novels.

With the help of 'Inspector Morse Tours', led by The Oxford Collection’s expert tour guide, Isabella Underhill, they can experience some of Colin Dexter's and Inspector Morse's favourite places to eat and drink, including the Parsonage Grill.

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This story was written by Andy Ffrench, he joined the team more than 20 years ago and now covers community news across Oxfordshire.

Get in touch with him by emailing: Andy.ffrench@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter @OxMailAndyF