Welcome to Region 02 – the South
The Region covers Dorset, Hampshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, the Isle of Wight and the Channel Islands. I appreciate that, for many of you, many of the events that we organise are probably inaccessible. However, it is possible to occasionally organise events at the extremities of the area covered. We have two active groups in the Region – one based around Oxford, and led by Mark Albert and one in the South, led by Mike Bechley. For those of you living towards the outer reaches of the Region, you will find a warm welcome in other areas (such as Region 01, London and the South-East), so please do not feel duty-bound to stay within your geographical area. All events that we may organise are advertised in OMEGA, and on the Website, and, if necessary, further details are added in the Local Newsletter which is issued three times each year. You can also email me personally to be added to our monthly Zoom meeting group.
If anyone wishes to form their own contact group, please do not hesitate to let me or the AOUG Office know, and we will do all we can to help. If any of you wish to organise visits or events, again, please let us know and we will do all we can to assist – perhaps in the form of reduced admission prices for block bookings (although these are not as common as you may imagine).
In the meantime, we will be delighted to meet anyone at our regular coffee mornings and events, as announced on the website.
Executive Representative – Mark Albert
mark.albert123@btinternet.com
01993 852319 mobile 07778015382
Local Contacts:
Oxford and area:
Mark Albert
01993 852319 Mobile 07778015382
mark.albert123@btinternet.com
Portsmouth and Area:
Mike Bechley 023 92552087 or Mobile 07812 915458
m.bechley@ntlworld.com
Aylesbury Lunches:
Jayne Littlejohn 01296 424152 or Mobile 07719405859
jayne.littlejohn52@gmail.com
Previous Events
In late February we gathered at the entrance to the iconic Ashmolean Museum. It was easy to get in and free. It was half term and so there were lots of children but good to see that the young are interested in culture. We grabbed a reasonably priced cappuccino at the basement area and then leisurely went around the basement level of the Museum. This was the area where there was an excellent exhibition on ‘Money.’ One intrepid member had completed into this exhibition and then entertained and educated us about Winston Churchill who is of course on the back of our £5 note. We tried the game “Shove Ha’penny” but none of us even scored one point. The next exhibition was textiles. This displayed some beautiful stitchwork. Amazing detail to our eyes. Especially as some of it might have been completed by candle light or oil light. Reading and writing were the final exhibition, and it was of amazing stone tablets that were engraved. After two hours we completed the basement and so some went to the local Wetherspoons for a late lunch.
In January we visited MINI Oxford and experienced the thousands of parts coming together to make up to 1000 fully fledged MINIs a day. Plant Swindon produces over three hundred and fifty different pressed parts for the MINI body shell. All MINI production presses are automated and equipped with the latest electronic control systems. Around two hundred andeighty robots are used in the highly automated process of the door, bonnet, and tailgate assemblies at MINI. The MINI first takes shape in the body-in-white facility. Body panels and sub-assemblies come into the body shop just in time and just in sequence from the Swindon Plant. The different body models can be produced in any sequence.
First impressions count, especially when it comes to a car’s colour. The quality processes ensure the painted finish will protect each MINI from environmental influences and corrosion. The assembly stage is the final stage in the MINI’s journey through Plant Oxford, where the car will be fully finished and sent to meet its new owner. It was an amazing tour of what is possible with cutting edge technology – Humans will become redundant
In December a group of us met for our “cheap and cheerful” Christmas Meal. We have a tradition of meeting at the Wetherspoons “Four Candles” Pub in George Street. The building has a history as it was part of the original public school that Ronnie Barker went to. Hence it is named after one of the most famous sketches in the Two Ronnies television shows. It is very inexpensive and for £13 you can get a Christmas meal and all the trimmings plus a soft drink or a bottomless cup of coffee if you would prefer. The afternoon was rounded off with a trip to one or both Christmas markets. One is modern with all sorts of woolen mittens, gloves, scarfs, loads of food and even gentle Christmas rides for the kids. The other has a lot of antiques and gifts of a more unusual nature.
What could be more Christmassy!
On a dry day in November, we met at the Nero’s at Gloucester Green to fortify ourselves for the bewitching hours and our ‘Ghost Trail.’ This was a do it yourself ghost tour run by Dark Oxfordshire. You go to thirteen stations in Oxford and there is a tape recording describing the ghastly goings on at each ‘station’ in Oxford. This was accompanied by ghoulish music to make the blood curl. We drank coffee until the sun was truly set and then went to the St Michaels of the Northgate which was the first station. Here condemned criminals were held before their beheading and their heads being put on a spike at the ‘gate’ to Oxford as a warning to others. The church itself was infamous for its terrifying stone carving that was intended to scare brides to be of their wedding night.
We then moved to Broad Street and the pictured cross on the road was where Latimer and Ridley and others were burned at the stake. It is even said that on certain nights people have seen supernatural flames emanating from the cross on the road. Other highlights include the headless twins, a spirit that would appear to dig holes in the college garden (But in the morning they vanished!) and a library built on a burial ground. Who would want to study there!
On a mild day in October, we attended the annual lunch. This by tradition is at the Cote Brasserie in George Street Oxford. We always must book because the date we usually pick is the Oxford Matriculation Day and so the city is packed with proud parents and students all wanting to eat (anywhere decent!). So, the town was packed. The advantage of the lunch time meal is the deals you can get. This is traditional French food and they take their time to prepare it. The sauces are rich in cream, oil, and herbs. Every year I have the French Onion Soup. It is expensive (£8) but what you get is absolutely superb. A bowl jam packed with onion, a beautifully flavoured consommé and an amazing large crouton liberally covered in cheese. It is a meal in itself. The sweets are orientated to France and the waiters are I believe French. The cook certainly is.
On a relatively mild, sunny day in September we assembled in a Wetherspoons on Milton Keynes Summer Boulevard for an early lunch before the pleasant thought of the OU Campus Art Trail. One even had breakfast and the restaurant because of the lack of certain drinks gave out free hot chocolate sachets. Walton Hall was glorious in the sunshine and we decided to start the Art Trail.
The first example was an ancient tree that had died and was sculptured where it was with an additional bench carved out of a severed part next to it. There were many exhibits of interest but what caught my eye especially were the following. The Viper Sniper was easy to miss. It was a metallic impression of a viper snake and was under a tree. Einsteins theory of relativity statue was thoughtful and contained his famous equation. The light and sound installation was even shortlisted for the Turner Prize. It must have been dramatic at night. In addition to the usual exhibits, we visited the OU donation tree in the library and the legacy garden. A very pleasant afternoon.
In August we met at Princess Riseborough for the ‘steaming day’ on The Icknield Line. Bizarrely enough one of the group was delayed on the other non-steam trains. We bought our tickets with ten minutes to spare and waited at the station for the steam train to arrive which it did on time. The tickets were of the original green cardboard. The carriages were also period pieces and one compartment was filled with us. It was a bit of a squeeze. Then we were off and the first stop was the path crossing which used to be used by traders. After making sure that there was no one crossing the steam train whistled and on we went.
The guide invited us to wave at the cricketers as we passed the cricket grounds and informed us that this section of the railway had been used in many films and TV programmes. Then we passed a marsh, woodlands and a hill with a white horse on. Then after fifteen minutes we arrived at Chinnor. A short but exhilarating journey. On the return journey the tables in the train carriages were laden with cream teas for those that had purchased one. A great day out!
In June we visited the National Trust property of Cliveden House in Maidenhead. This lavish house and grounds had some very interesting facets and history. The house was owned by the Astor family for a long while before it was donated to the National Trust. The house has many superb aspects such as the main hall with suits of armor flanking it, plus the French Room and the sounding chamber. The sounding chamber is used for concerts today such as a recent jazz concert. A highlight was exclusive access to a chapel in the grounds which is very ornate and richly decorated. At lunch time we stopped in the restaurant for a light lunch. Their jacket potatoes and various fillings were excellent value for money and enormous. Then we finished off in the Rose Garden which was still just flourishing. The roses at the entrance had a lovely scent.
May was our theatre trip to see the perennial Jesus Christ Superstar at the Oxford New Theatre on George Street. It had great reviews so was eagerly anticipated. The Wednesday Matine was booked. The story centered on the last week of Christ’s life in a contemporary setting and really brought home the brutality of the crucifixion. The music was by Andrew Lloyd Webber and one of his many hit musicals
April was our supersleuth month with the team trying to follow the clues around Oxford to deactivate the device that would flood Christchurch Meadows Oxford. The briefing took place at Nero’s Café and we set out. Even the first clue was more difficult than the ones last year. The clues took us through historic Oxford on a reasonably pleasant April afternoon. These starting off with Carfax Tower and needing us to squint at the two bell boys on the side. We should have brought binoculars! Another clue was in the graveyard of St Giles and others such as the reputedly oldest house in Oxford. Unfortunately, we did not solve the mystery but had a good time.
On the date nearest to the Spring Equinox in March and traditionally a Thursday we went on the ever popular what is now called the Colin Reed Memorial Walk. This was attended and run for many years by Colin and so it was renamed after him. It is a leisurely 1-hour walking spree culminating in a cream tea at the Quod Restaurant on Oxford High Street. We have had many cream tea venues over the years but I feel that this is the best. It is not too pricy for what you get and the scones are baked on the premises and come out warm.
On an evening in February Cosmo was the first port of call. If you have not been to the Cosmo Oxford dining experience then it isn’t something to miss and we will be going there again next year. It is a flat fee and within this you eat as much as you want from the food stations. It could be a full English roast and many Chinese, Indian and Tai foods, or even American. There is also a chocolate fountain to cover your sweet choice. Then for the main event the concert at the Sheldonian. This included the overture to the Barber of Seville by Rossini. Instantly recognizable as the theme tune to Midsomer Murders. We were also held in rapture by a young violinist’s virtuoso performance of Sibelius’ Violin Concerto.
In January 2024 we met for a welcome cup of coffee in the Bodleian Library Café at the Weston entrance. One of the enterprising attendees brough their own cup and so got a substantial reduction in price. After chatting through the years events, we went into the current Bodleian exhibition which was on Chaucer. This included, obviously, the Canterbury Tales but also some lesser-known works. There were some beautifully illuminated copies of his work plus information on where in the Empire they spread. They came to be known as quintessentially English and established in many schools’ English syllabuses.