I t is summer festival season, so I make no apologies for devoting a few pages in this issue to some of the big events which make living in Oxfordshire such a pleasure. Nick Dent-Robinson has been out and about, talking to festival organisers and the musicians looking forward to taking part in these annual events. It is the Towersey Festival’s 50th anniversary this year and Nick has been chatting to the festival director Joe Heap who has a family connection to this long-running feast of folk music and dance. He also talks to headline stars Richard Thompson, the Bootleg Beatles and Eliza Carthy, who performed her first solo gig at Towersey a few years back. Nick also met up with Chas Hodges, one half of Cropredy headliners Chas ‘n’ Dave and the Irish folk-singer Cara Dillon — both looking forward to performing at Fairport Convention’s annual gathering in August. We also preview this month’s glamorous Henley Festival and the Cornbury Festival at Great Tew, which promises a feast of music, comedy and musical theatre. So there is no shortage of things to do and see in the coming weeks — but if you prefer quieter pursuits why not follow in the footsteps of our resident rambler Maggie Hartford, who this month has been discovering a magical landscape on her doorstep here in Oxford. There is more walking, this time of the long-distance variety, when Maggie chats to author Terry Cudbird (who once walked around the entire border of France) about his new book which charts the March to the Marne in 1914. Terry was inspired by the wartime diary of André Benoit, a French infantryman involved in the Allies’ retreat from Belgium. Continuing the First World War theme, Mavis Curtis brings us the first in a series of articles chronicling the involvement of women in the conflict. She begins by looking at how the war impacted on women in Oxfordshire. Also in this issue you will find our quarterly Oxfordshire Homes and Interiors supplement, in which Denise Barkley gets an exclusive peek behind the front door at the Clanfield home of Nigel and Louise Johnson, owners of the Burford Garden Company. Meanwhile, apologies for the confusion caused by the last minute change to last month’s publication date. If you missed June’s issue because of this, please contact us and we will forward a copy to you.
Posted on: Fri, 11 Jul 2014 13:08:03 +0000
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