Oxford News
Oxfordshire’s most expensive LEGO collection worth £15,000
Nigel Love, 65, who never owned a single piece of LEGO before the Covid lockdown, now owns thousands of pounds worth of sets, including every Modular Building released to date.
Mr Love said the hobby helped take his mind off the worrying events unfolding around the world during the pandemic, but quickly became an obsession.
He said: “It all started during the pandemic when I needed something to take my mind away from what was going on.
“It absolutely worked, but it soon got out of hand and has since cost me a fortune.”
Initially, Mr Love bought brand-new sets to build, but soon realised the cost could become expensive.
Instead, he began purchasing second-hand collections from other enthusiasts, often buying large tubs of mixed bricks and trying to identify and rebuild complete sets from the pieces.
He said: “I built what I could and sold them on. What I couldn’t build went into a pile, but that pile soon got very big.”
Over time he organised the growing mountain of bricks into smaller boxes, making it easier to search for missing pieces while also funding purchases of new sets he wanted to add to his collection.
Today, he estimates the collection is worth around £15,000 on the second-hand market.
Among his most valuable items is Market Street, one of the LEGO Modular Buildings, which he estimates is now worth around £1,500.
He owns all 21 modular buildings released by LEGO, with some becoming increasingly difficult to find as they have long since been retired.
Mr Love said: “If you know which ones to buy, some of the sets go up in value after they’re retired.”
As the collection expanded, so did the need for space.
After running out of room in his home, Mr Love had a secure studio built in his garden, complete with alarms and CCTV, to house and display his growing collection.
His wife, Ann, 66, joked he would never be able to fill the space, but she was wrong, as all boxes, shelves and table space have been occupied in the last six years.
Among his favourite builds is the LEGO Titanic, a 9,090-piece model gifted to him by his mother-in-law shortly before she died.
He said the set, which costs more than £580, carries special sentimental value and remains the standout piece in his collection.
Despite owning rare and highly sought-after models, including Café Corner from 2007, the oldest set in his collection, Mr Love believes there are likely bigger collectors out there.
“I try not to add to it,” he said. “But something always comes up.”
For Mr Love, however, LEGO is about far more than collecting bricks. He added: “LEGO just takes you away from everything that’s going on in the world at the moment.”
The closure affects the route between the A420 and Coxwell Road near Great Coxwell to allow for carriageway widening and the construction of a new signal-controlled junction.
The closure, in effect 24 hours a day, will begin on September 7, 2026, and is expected to remain in place until April 16, 2027.
An alternative route will be signposted via the A420, London Street, Coxwell Street, and Coxwell Road.
The order, issued by Oxfordshire County Council under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, will remain in force for up to 18 months if necessary.
Exemptions are included for emergency vehicles, and signage will be in place to advise drivers of the closure.
The coffee dispenser at the Headington Waitrose is out of order and not for the first time according to reports, leaving customers disappointed they can no longer access their free cappuccino or flat white using their Waitrose card.
The Headington News said: “The Headington Waitrose free coffee machine is out of order again today (Saturday 29 August).”
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The notice on the machine at the store in Old High Street says: “The coffee machine is currently out of order. Apologies for the inconvenience.”
The issue is not a universal problem – coffee machines at other Waitrose stores are working well.
The Waitrose chain, owned by the John Lewis Partnership, restored its free coffee offer in January 2025.
Following outrage over the withdrawal of the offer during the pandemic, the company told the nine million members on its My Waitrose loyalty scheme they would again be entitled to a complementary americano, cappuccino, latte or tea once a day regardless of whether they bought anything – as long as they have their own reusable cup.
In a statement, Waitrose said at the time: “Some of our My Waitrose members like to have the free coffee before they shop or during the shop, rather than afterwards, so we are just offering a bit of flexibility in response to customer feedback.”
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There were queues at coffee stations and complaints from customers that the offer was attracting the “wrong type of shopper” when Waitrose introduced the perk in 2013.
In 2017, it cracked down on ‘freeloaders’ by forcing members to buy something before pouring themselves a free hot drink.
The scheme was scrapped during the Covid crisis, but reintroduced in November 2022 – again for customers making a purchases. This is no longer a requirement.
Thames Valley Police has launched an investigation after a pigeon was killed in a wildlife crime incident in Plover Drive, Oxford, at around 6.50pm on August 24.
The force said that two teenage boys used a catapult to knock a pigeon from a tree before the bird was attacked by three smaller terrier-type dogs that were with them.
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Descriptions of the two boys have been released with the first described as wearing a black sleeveless vest, dark-coloured bottoms, black trainers with white soles.
In addition he had a black-and-white flat-peaked cap worn backwards and was believed to have been carrying a catapult.
The second was reportedly wearing a light-coloured T-shirt and blue jeans, with brown, medium-length hair.
He was also seen carrying an unidentified item.
A spokesperson for the police said: “We are keen to hear from anyone who witnessed this incident or who may recognise those involved from the descriptions above.
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“We would also like to hear from anyone with dashcam footage from the Plover Drive area between 6.30pm and 7pm on 24 August that may assist our investigation.
“Wildlife crime has a real impact on our communities, and we take reports of offences against wild animals and birds seriously.
” If you have any information, please contact the force on 101 or report online, quoting reference 43260448136.”
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