Nostalgia: Photo memories from Botley over the decades

For some, it might have seemed like history repeating itself – Botley was part of Berkshire until its switch to Oxfordshire in 1974.

But before and after this date, it has always been part of the Oxford Mail’s ‘territory’, with photographers regularly covering events ‘over the county border’.

Picture 1 dates from 1986 when pupils at Botley Primary School got an important message – building sites were not adventure playgrounds.

They were taken on a tour of a construction site at Seacourt Tower to see how accidents can occur.

Site manager David Dibben told them: “There are all sorts of things on a building site which can harm young children. Playing on scaffolding and with plant machinery is especially dangerous.”

2

Botley housewives in Picture 2 carried out an all-day traffic count on a dual carriageway they called ‘death road’.

Sitting on both sides of West Way, they counted every car, lorry and cycle that passed and every pedestrian who crossed the road.

The traffic count was the latest move in a campaign to get an underpass.

Service with a smile earned staff at Bishop’s store in Picture 3 a silver cup and prizes worth more than £3,000 in 1983.

3

The good manners of the 45 workers put the supermarket in the top six in a competition between the company’s 63 stores.

There was great excitement among youngsters when it was announced that a discotheque would be opening at Elms Court in 1969.

4

Disc jockey Mick Murphy is seen in Picture 4 with some of the girls who enjoyed the first evening.

There was more excitement in Picture 5 when young footballers – boys and girls – celebrated the opening of their new pavilion in 1998.

5

They are seen with two football managers, Malcolm Shotton and Malcolm Crosby, who both had spells at Oxford United.

6

Picture 6 was taken in 2000 when Botley joined thousands of other communities to celebrate the Queen Mother’s 100th birthday. Lena Tyrrell, 86, is seen with seven-month-old Frances Shearan in the shopping precinct.