Osney Island

Claire Robertson, Oxford Rivers Project Officer for Thames 21, gave a talk at the OIRA Annual Meeting on 24 April about river water quality on the Thames. You can download her PowerPoint slides here with a lot of useful links and information:

Claire’s slides

Mervyn’s niece Sylvia writes: Mervyn Grace, who had lived on Osney for over 40 years, sadly died in July 2023. Melvyn was a grandson of the famous cricketer E. M. Grace (W. G. Grace’s brother), and had a lifetime interest in all things cricket. After teaching chemistry for 14 years in Kenya, he returned to England and settled in West Court. He enjoyed living on Osney and having meals with family at The Punter and The Holly Bush. When he was in better health he regularly attended St Frideswide’s Church. 

The funeral was held at North Oxfordshire Crematorium on Friday 28 July.

While the Botley Road is closed at the railway bridge a free accessible transport service (the Botley Road Flyer) is available as follows:

Days: Monday, Wednesday, Friday

Pick-up points: West Oxford Community Centre, Seacourt Bridge

Times:
West Oxford Community Centre: 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 12 noon, 1 p.m.
Seacourt Bridge: 10.10 a.m., 11.10 a.m., 12.10 p.m., 1.10 p.m.

Route to town: A34 and Woodstock Road

Drop-off points: Summertown, Jericho Health Centre, Beaumont Street, Westgate Centre

Return journey: Arrange time and pick-up point with the driver who drops you off

Contact: You DO NOT need to book a seat on the bus. Just turn up
Call 01865 768329 to book a wheelchair space
Email Oxfordphase2@networkrail.co.uk for more information

The promise of spring came once again with the first daffodils on the river bank. Like a caption, the colourful boat Promise slid into view and moored opposite my house, like a swan in the sun. Gratitude appeared next, in the ancient channel beyond Osney Mill and Osney Abbey.

Since that first spring day the narrow boats and barges have been migrating late this year as the weather has been so awful. Like other wildlife, they have avoided the daytime noise of construction machinery within the thankfully protected very tall, ornate brick and glass facades of the old power station. Perhaps because of that, as the willows weep more leaves, I now enjoy being woken by flights of wildfowl over our roofs and birdsong from all our gardens when it really is so quiet again here on our island.

Mark Van Oss

Very sadly Roy Hoare died just a month after his wife Eve.

Roy’s daughter Julie writes: My lovely dad Roy Hoare died at home, as he so dearly wished, on 25 March. Roy had lived on Osney Island for 20 years with his beloved wife Eve.  He  loved the area very much and he was often seen out and about chatting to everyone. Thank you very much to the many neighbours who helped and supported him and my mum over the years.

Roy’s funeral will take place on Friday 28 April, 1.30 p.m., at The Oxford Crematorium, Bayswater Road, Oxford OX3 9RZ.  It will be followed by a reception at The Abingdon Arms, Beckley, Oxford OX3 9UU. Everyone is welcome at both the crematorium and the reception afterwards. We would like this to be a celebration of his long and happy life rather than a sombre affair and would like people to wear colourful clothes.

Eve Hoare of West Street died in Didcot Community Hospital on 21 February aged 93. She had been ill during the last year and had suffered a fall.

Eve’s daughter Julie St Clair Hoare writes: My lovely mum Eve had lived on Osney Island for 20 years with her beloved husband Roy. She loved the area very much. Many people will have seen her out walking her dogs Pippa and Georgie. Thank you very much to the many people who helped and supported her over the years.

Eve’s funeral will take place on Friday 10 March, 1.30 p.m. at The Oxford Crematorium, Bayswater Road, Oxford OX3 9RZ.  It will be followed by a reception at High St, Beckley, Oxford OX3 9UU. Everyone is welcome at both the crematorium and the reception afterwards. 

We would like this to be a celebration of her life rather than a sombre affair and would like people to wear colourful clothes.

Tributes

Matt Dyson writes: Eve and Roy were my ‘back fence neighbours’ from Bridge St to East Street, and have been the most considerate, kind, and friendly people since I got here six and a half years ago. I first met them when we tried to tackle some ivy coming up underneath our shared fence, and Eve was such a wealth of information, care and inspiration for a rich full life. I saw her a little during the pandemic, dropping round a baked good was the last time I think, and I regret not having made time to see her more recently. She’s a reminder of the wonderful people worth making the time for.

Ben Thomas writes: We remember Eve in recent months walking the dogs around the playing field in the early morning, passing treats to us for our children, chatting about the state of world politics, and discussing philosophy on the phone with her grandson as he worked on his undergraduate degree nearby in Oxford… firing off emails, scanning pictures of her war-time years to send to the writer of a magazine article… sharing news of her remarkable family… cooking, gardening, and of course being there for her wonderful husband Roy, who must be missing her more than we can imagine.

Eve was living at 100% in her 90s. Perhaps it shouldn’t feel surprising when someone of that age is suddenly no longer part of neighbourhood life, but Eve burned so bright to the end that it really does.

David Walker died on 11 February 2023, aged 96. He had lived on Osney Island for over 80 years.

The funeral will take place on Monday 6 March, 2.00 p.m., at South Oxfordshire Crematorium, Garfield, Abingdon, OX13 5PA. It will be followed by a reception at Milletts Farm Centre, Frilford, Nr Abingdon, OX13 5HB.

David moved to Osney with his parents when he was 12 years old. His family owned a garage and four-bedroomed house at 41 West Street — the site of what is now West Court. Here David grew up and married Mary, who lived with her parents at 55 West Street. The couple spent their whole married life living in their South Street home. Mary sadly died in 2018, aged 91. David’s daughter Marilyn and son-in-law Phil were a great support to both David and Mary.

Osney will miss David’s cheerful presence on the island. He was a real gentleman, a good neighbour and always a pleasure to talk to.

Tributes

Robert Lawrence writes: Susan and I became islanders, (almost) oblivious to its delights on arrival in January 1991 and David was one of the first residents we met. Then, as always, David was welcoming, genial, funny and deeply well informed about all aspects of Osney life. If was David who related to us the mystery of the ‘missing’ 41 West Street abode, the house formerly adjacent to ours and the site of what is now the main approach to the West Court flats. I’m pretty certain that he even managed to dig out and give us some notes he had kept on number 41 and the large house that used to be situated where the flats now are. David had a long life well lived for which we as fellow residents can all be grateful.

Brian and Fiona write: He was a great neighbour during our time in Osney Island and was always a great source of knowledge and information.

Richard writes: It’s a real loss to our community. He was such a gent and it’s so sad that he’s no longer around.

Thanks to generous donations by islanders, OIRA has been able to buy a kayak in memory of Simon Stubbings, who died in March this year. The craft is suitable for a child or small person, and is for use by members of the Osney Island Boat Club. Simon, a long-term resident of Osney, was the founder of the Boat Club and a keen oarsman. In 2021 he rowed to London from Oxford in the ‘Osney Odyssey’ which he and Jude Carroll organised.

The kayak, named Harambe (Swahili for ‘All pull together’), in honour of Simon’s connections with Kenya, was launched on Friday 16 September. There was a good turnout of islanders beside the Thames in East Street, including Simon’s daughter Jen and grandson Isaac. Cllr Susanna Pressel waved a ceremonial bottle of prosecco at the kayak’s bow and Alan Goodwin raised a toast in honour of Simon. Isaac took the kayak on its maiden voyage, with safety supervision by Fiona Ravenscroft from the Boat Club.

Thanks to Rob (East Street) and Nigel (South Street) for applying the transfers, and to Carbon Colour (Milton Park) for printing the transfers free of charge.

Photos courtesy Jocelyn Wogan-Browne and Alan Goodwin.

On Bank Holiday Monday Portia Roelofs of Bridge Street organised a community tree-drawing event. Portia said: ‘With re-development projects in all directions planned for the coming months and years, this session will be a time to quietly bear witness to the beauty and value of trees to our lives.’

The resulting drawings were displayed on the railings at the south end of West Street.