Fear for North Parade's future

By day, North Parade, Summertown, transports you back to the 1960s, when shopping streets offered a tempting array of individual treasures, small independents and family businesses (and none of the chain stores and coffee franchises which seem to monopolise our towns in 2008).

By night, this quaint street could provide a backdrop to a Philip Pullman novel — all nooks, crannies and intriguing doorways.

But there is a malaise at work in North Parade that its residents fear could threaten its future.

In recent years, the launderette, the chemist and the Post Office have closed.

Gimbles — the Post Office/card shop/sweet shop, which was a magnet to schoolchildren, closed its doors last year — was the most alarming passing so far.

The residents and traders fought hard to keep it and then to replace it, but like the baker's, butcher’s and cycle shops of yesteryear, it has become part of North Parade's history.

Marianne Moxon, 57, is a Spanish teacher and has lived in North Parade for five years.

She said: "The Post Office wasn't just a shop, it was a community meeting place and its closure has been a huge blow.

“The traders benefited enormously from people who had just come by to go to the Post Office, but it was also a place where people met and chatted.”

She is not the only North Parade resident who is concerned enough to act on behalf of the tiny avenue.

The traders' association throws itself headlong into organising events and initiatives to keep it ticking over, such as a summer fayre, Christmas events and Morris Dancing on May Day.

Keeping the spirit alive is always top of their agenda, but they know times are about to get even tougher.

Andrew Hall, 58, publican of the Rose and Crown, said: "We've been here for 24 years and, since the Rose and Crown was built in 1863, I'm proud to say I'm only the 12th licensee.

"But I share Marianne's concerns. North Parade isn't an exclusive place — it serves a community and the loss of Gimbles was a huge blow.

"Footfall has fallen off drastically since it went and, on top of that, a shop standing empty looks ghastly.

"We need to come up with some serious plans to safeguard our future.”

Mr Hall knows more than most the pressures of market forces; 26 community pubs are closing each month in Britain, largely due to the availability of cheap alcohol from supermarkets.

And while pubs like the Rose and Crown and the Gardener's Arms are often at the heart of their community, hosting clubs and societies and boasting a loyal clientele, some patrons fear the writing is on the wall.

Concerns aside, North Parade has no shortage of fans, from around the globe as well as around the corner.

Over at Italian restaurant Luna Caprese, co-owner Luis Castro has been welcoming diners for 46 years. He said: "Back in the 1960s this was Oxford's first Italian restaurant and, as today, it was popular with people from all walks of life, including the stars.”

Tory Leader David Cameron dines at Luna Caprese when he is in the city and in its previous life as a cafe called Muffins, Princess Margaret and Petula Clarke ate there.

Mr Castro said: "To me the trouble here is not in the daytime, but at night.

"During the day people come and enjoy the place, but at night we are like a dark tunnel, the street is dead. What we need is permission to put out tables and light the place up and welcome people in, like they do in South Parade.

"I would also like to see cars banned in the evenings to encourage pedestrians."

John Broughton, of Broughton’s Hardware, said: "People like to park outside, run in and buy what they need. You only have to look at South Parade nearby to see that."

Mr Broughton's family moved to North Parade in 1975 from St Clements.

He said: "We started off in TV rentals but when that died we moved solely into hardware.

"Back in those days there was a cycle shop, a baker, a butcher, three grocery shops and a launderette, as well as a post office in North Parade. It has changed so much.

"We don't make a fortune, but people appreciate being able to come in and get what they want.”

Mrs Moxon said: "Broughton’s must be one of the few places in Oxford where you can buy any kind of lightbulb and get expert advice as well.

"What a tragedy if this street should succumb to the monoculture — North Parade has such a unique history."

She is right. During the Civil War when Charles I was besieged by Oliver Cromwell at Oxford, North Parade was the location of the Royalist northern front and South Parade was the Roundhead southern front.

In May 1833, the land at North Parade sold as 42 lots at an auction held at the Horse & Jockey pub.

Most of the land between St Giles and Summertown was owned by St John's College and was sold as leasehold.

As North Oxford was developed as a suburb, North Parade became a small shopping centre for the residents in the area and the locals took it to their hearts.

Mrs Moxon added: "In 1915, Twinings Brothers stood at number 15, a bicycle shop traded at 10A and Mr Organ's shoe and boot maker was at number 11.”

There was a launderette where Popham's Hairdressers now stands.

"Over the years, shops have given way to galleries and gift shops, but the atmosphere still remains."

The traders are now planning their Christmas fayre, when the smell of roasting chestnuts and carols will echo through North Parade, transporting shoppers and locals back through the ages to Christmases past.

Mrs Moxon said: "What could be better and more worth preserving?

"I think Paul Kingsnorth in his book Real England sums it up when he says: ‘We hold in our hands the future of our landscapes and communities. We can be surrounded by plastic or be part of something real. The choice as ever, is ours.’"

Mohammad Ayyub, 62, is the owner of the Nine 2 Nine grocery store, which opened in 1995.

He said: "We are very appreciative of the locals who make a conscious effort to come down here and support us, but of course we could always do with more customers.

"I would like see more unity between the traders in working to promote the avenue.

"I would also like to see more monitoring of the types of business that trade here — we don't necessarily need three types of the same shop.

"I believe diversity is the key attraction of a place like North Parade."

Steve Jebbett, 50, who owns Town Garden, said: "What we need here is more publicity.

"I have been here for four years now and I am still constantly amazed by how few people know about us.

"North Parade Avenue is one of the most beautiful streets in Oxford, yet when people come here for the first time they tell us they never knew it existed."

Fazleh Aziz, 31, senior waiter at the Jee Saheb restaurant, said: "We would like the council to provide more lighting for the street and also signs at each end to let people know we are here.

"It would also be great to be able to serve people outside in the summer months."