the english pair

As I wandered through ‘village’ Oxford with Elly during the summer, I passed by some people at the rear of the Turrill Gardens in Summertown.  They were helping load a garden sculpture onto a trailer after an exhibition…….the ‘English Pair’ by Sioban Coppinger.

It caught my eye immediately as it was such a stunning fit for the garden, a 2 metre high piece of art – a sculpture of bronze leaves made in the form of male and female faces .  What was so intriguing for me, is that this part of the city is often known as leafy north Oxford. What a fit.

 I’ve always thought that North Parade Avenue should have a landmark to attract more attention, customers and visitors alike – and I mentioned this to Sioban, who was thrilled to come along to the town garden to learn more.

Last week, Sioban arrived at the store, complete with the English Pair, and it now sits proudly in the conservatory on display.

I’m hoping it attracts a lot of interest (and maybe a buyer!) – and local traders and residents may also see the potential of having a landmark sculpture at the entrance to North Parade Avenue from Banbury Road.

village Oxford

Oxford is such a beautiful city and well visited by tourists from all over the world, and yet when you live here you realise how diverse parts of the city are.  In this part of leafy north Oxford, North Parade Avenue is quite often termed as a ‘village’ by locals and visitors alike. Part of the charm is the way you get into conversation with total strangers and even people you’ve known for years – and you find you have something in common.

For instance. Occasionally, Rory McGrath pops in the pub when he’s in Oxford, and I went to the same school in Redruth, Cornwall. He often recalls his Cornish roots when he’s being interviewed and once when we were chatting about his visits back to Cornwall, I found out his family lived in the same lane as my brother.

Where am I going with this?

I told the tale of my meeting Penny & Dragan recently, and a lovely relationship has begun following a brief chat in the Rose and Crown. Remember?

Well, this morning when Penny dropped in our regular daily delivery of bread, we got talking about the shop, the weather – and the words I’d written about her and Dragan on the blog. She told me how she had mentioned this to her parents – who live in Cornwall. (If you dip into this blog, it isn’t hard to notice that Cornwall is BIG in my heart – I have relations across the county).

Not only does Penny have links there, but she also grew up in Falmouth!

One big villlage – Oxford.