Greg wakes up in a remote war zone, sole survivor of an air crash caused by a suicide bomber. Aman faces the disappearance of his wife and children in a family blood feud. Samira is forced to cope with the complexities of life as an asylum-seeker in the UK. Nuala must deal with the news that her husband is missing, presumed dead, victim of a terrorist atrocity. Divinity Road, Martin Pevsner's first novel, traces the lives of four individuals and the unexpected links that bind them together. From violent conflict in Africa to the suburban streets of Oxford, it evokes a world of alienation and separation, fanaticism and cruelty, but ultimately celebrates the power of human solidarity and resilience.
A history of the development of Oxford's Cowley Road from a 'respectable' white working-class suburb into today's multicultural and bohemian urban landscape.
Through the centuries, people from all walks of life have heard the siren call of a pilgrimage, the lure to journey away from the familiar in search of understanding. But is a pilgrimage even possible these days for city-dwellers enmeshed in the pressures of work and family life? Or is there a way to be a pilgrim without leaving one's life behin...
Journalist and television producer Will Wyatt's account of growing up in Oxford in the 1940s and 1950s is a delightful, absorbing read.... He writes with fondness and humour, recalling the simple pleasures of England in the period.' -The Lady, 'Book of the Week' 'A very enjoyable read. Joyful and often very funny, the story moves along at a constantly entertaining pace. It's a great celebration of growing up.' -Michael Palin 'This is a remarkable memoir. Oxford Boy offers us a complete picture of a family's way of life. Aunts and uncles crowd its pages: tales of bricklaying, betting, school friendships and corner shops... all recalled fondly and evocatively. This is not academic Oxford, but the Oxford of Cowley workers and ex-servicemen. And, at its heart, a petty crime that launched Will Wyatt towards his remarkable BBC career.' -Joan Bakewell This is one boy's tale of growing up in Oxford in the forties and fifties. It is a foreign land of being caned on hand and bottom, of teachers washing out a child's mouth with soap as punishment for swearing. It was a time of conkers, fag cards and prozzie watching, when children asked strangers to take them in to the 'flicks' of collecting autographs in the Parks where that nice man asked the way to the gents... For this boy a scandalous act opened the door to everything important in the life that followed. His mother, who looked up to the 'proper gentry', was from a large Oxfordshire family in which several of her apparent siblings were her nephews and nieces. There was Aunty Daisy with her missing finger, who liked the American servicemen, and Uncle Stan, who took cash to buy his Jaguar while his brother rode passenger with loaded shotgun. The boy's father, wary of those who 'talked poundnoteish', came from an even larger, East Oxford family in which the boys were bricklayers whose hobby was diddling bookmakers and some of the girls provided R and R for undergrads. It is a picture of parents providing a rock steady home as they improved their position in life and encouraged their son to catch his 'golden ball'. He was fortunate in being guided by gifted teachers through the teenage years of discovering music, grappling with frothy petticoats, untold hours of sport and wasting time trying to imitate Harold Pinter. Oxford Boy provides a vivid picture of a long-lost city and of a childhood transformed by an unexpected event.
How do I get in touch with a properly qualified psychotherapist? Is there a local list of names? The increase in public awareness of psychotherapy has resulted in an explosion of requests for information of this kind. The National Register of Psychotherapists is published to help meet these requests by providing contact addresses for all those practising psychotherapists who have met the training requirements of organisations recognised by and affiliated to the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy. The National Register of Psychotherapists: * Lists alphabetically and by county the names, addresses and telephone numbers of over 5,200 psychotherapists with recognised training qualifications * Indicates the therapeutic orientation of each practitioner * Lists names and addresses of over 80 psychotherapy organisations The Register is updated annually and provides a reliable source of reference for voluntary organisations, health authorities, hospitals, general practices, social work departments, public libraries and anyone who needs to get in touch with a trained psychotherapist. The United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) is a registered charity. All psychotherapists on the National Register of Psychotherapists are required to adhere to the Codes of Ethics and Practice or their own organisations, which have been approved by the UKCP.
This new edition of Ben le Vay's irrepressible and irreverent guide to one of the greatest of English cities has been updated and expanded to include even more entertaining tales. There are more civilian/non-academic eccentrics, there is more local history, and there's a particularly fascinating bit of military history about Oxford that even many locals have never heard of. Dreaming spires, honeyed stone, cycling dons ... forget all that tourist twaddle, says Benedict le Vay. Find out the secrets the colleges don't want you to know, the inside track on the best pubs and eating places, the scandal and gossip about nutty professors and disgraceful students past and present, the brilliant stories about the great, the good and the bad. With 30 maps and a mix of colour and black and white illustrations and photographs, this is the essential guide to take you beyond the normal sights. William Morris called Oxford 'a perfect jewel' of a city; Benedict le Vay goes in search of the quirkier gems among its medieval back alleys. Here roam batty dons, daft students, barmy aristocrats and political firebrands. Who does that gargoyle remind you of? Why is a shark plunging into that man's house? When do students jump naked into the River Cherwell as Latin hymns are sung? What powers the 'Cosmic Triangle' of vibrant East Oxford? How do you control a punt without looking like a plonker? . The pubs where Inspector Morse and Bill Clinton enjoyed a pint . Where to eat a great fry-up in a unique setting . Where to find a weird museum . Calendar of annual eccentric events Press acclaim for le Vay's previous Bradt Eccentric guides: 'Wonderfully barmy', 'The ultimate guide', 'A must', 'Endlessly fascinating', 'One of the best'
A guide to the quirky gems hidden across Britain and the weird and wacky things the British do, from bog snorkelling and chimney peeping, to mud marathons and cheese rolling.
An authoritative history of the railways of Oxford and how they transformed the United Kingdom, from the mid-nineteenth century to the twenty-first. In Railways of Oxford, historian Laurence Waters looks at the development of services and operations from Great Western’s opening of the Oxford Railway in 1844 through to the present day. This volume covers the development of the railway locally, including the London and North Western ‘Buckinghamshire Railway’ from Bletchley, together with the five local branch lines. The opening of the Great Western / Great Central joint line in 1900 opened up regional travel across the United Kingdom. During the Second World War, the construction of a new junction at Oxford North created a direct link from the Great Western to the London Midland & Scottish Railway branch to Bletchley and beyond. These two junctions turned Oxford into a major railway center, bringing a considerable increase in both passenger and freight traffic. Today, Oxford is as busy as ever, with passenger services to London operated by Great Western Railway and Chiltern Trains, and by Cross Country Trains the South and the North of England.
