Oxford News
Shop owner serves last cupcakes to customers before it closes
Charlotte Allen and her family opened Lottie’s Bakeaway in Stert Street early in 2023 and since then has been selling boxes of cupcakes and serving drinks to customers in the cafe at the back of the shop.
But the cost of living reduced the number of customers and the owner decided to spend more time with her family – her partner Kevin and two sons Riley, 14, and Louie, eight.
READ MORE: Popular brunch restaurant chain to open in Oxford
It was the last day’s trading on Saturday, and Ms Allen posted on the shop’s Facebook page at the end of the day: “The end of an era – I’m an emotional wreck but thank you so much to everyone who came to say goodbye today.
“For all the kind words, hugs, cards and presents! I’ve cried a lot but am excited for the next chapter.”
Ms Allen will continue to run the business, supplying cakes to farm shops in the area, including one in the village of Sunningwell.
The closure of Lottie’s Bakeaway will leave two neighbouring empty units in Stert Street as it is next door to a former stationery shop.
Price’s Stationers announced it was to close after 31 years at the end of 2021, and the unit has remained unoccupied since.
The Finishing Touch in Stert Street, a boutique selling jewellery and gifts, has also announced it is expected to close this month after 23 years in the town.
Stert Street was given a boost when Jill Carver’s Added Ingredients, a popular deli which closed in 2022, returned in November 2025.
Cay Khe, a Vietnamese cafe and noodle bar, opened in the street last year.
The street is also the home of a long serving Oxfam shop and Mostly Books, which recently celebrated its 20th birthday.
The “popular” passageway, historically named The Slype, from Thames Street to Checker Walk by the Abbey buildings was shut on Tuesday, July 21.
Abingdon Town Council said this is for health and safety reasons while the Abbey buildings are getting a refurbishment.
A spokesman for the authority said: “This is whilst the refurbishment of the Abbey buildings is underway.
“Scaffolding will also appear next week. It is expected that it will be closed for at least a year.”
The Slype pathway also serves as a pedestrian walkway taking visitors past remnants of the great medieval abbey and providing access to the Unicorn Theatre.
Due to a high demand of water during the driest spring in years, three official heatwaves and record-breaking temperatures, the water company has introduced a Temporary Use Ban.
All customers it supplies with drinking water are affected by the hosepipe ban, which will come into effect at 12.01am on Thursday, July 23.
READ MORE: Thames Water announces hosepipe ban starting this week
During a hosepipe ban, all customers are prohibited from using a hosepipe or pressure washer to water their garden, lawn or allotments.
Hoses also cannot be used to fill a paddling pool, swimming pool or hot tub, or used as a sprinkler.
Jet washers are also prohibited, and hosepipes or pressure washers cannot be used to clean vehicles, patios, paths, driveways, walls, windows or any outdoor areas.
READ MORE: Thames Valley: 12 arrests and 73 incidents reported in World Cup 2026
However, households are still allowed to keep plants and gardens watered with a watering can, use rainwater collected in a water butt, wash your car using a bucket and collect and reuse water from the home, such as leftover water from cooking vegetables or washing produce, to water plants.
Some Thames Water customers will be exempt from the hosepipe ban, including Thames Water wastewater only customers, those who need it for people’s health and safety or the welfare of animals, some business services and activities, watering food crops and newly planted trees, and priority services customers who cannot reduce their water use because of disability or medical condition.
The Oxford ring road is experiencing significant delays this afternoon as the road has been partly blocked by a traffic incident.
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