FORGOTTEN STORIES
Oxford city centre offers tours of Colleges, University tours guided by Alumni, Alice in Wonderland tours, Harry Potter tours, Inspector Morse tours, anything a TOURist could want… but where is the tour for people who want to look beyond the fictional and academic characters of the city?
Forgotten Stories Of Oxford is a Spoken Word collection written by Rawz which comes together to form a tour of his home town's centre. Each poem is tied to a specific geographic location and a story about the not so ordinary residents who have walked the streets beneath the iconic skyline throughout distant and recent history.
Bespoke tours are available guided by the artist himself, taking in a selection of the locations while Rawz performs the connected poetry, tells more about the stories which inspired the pieces, and answers questions.
The tour is also available online to enjoy "self-guided" in person, or through a computer screen from wherever you are in the world.
Maps
Stories are waiting for you. Discover them at your own pace.
Access recordings of the poems on your phone and take in a story or two on a lunch break or with friends on a day out. A downloadable PDF Map is available to print and share or checkout the Google Earth tour using the buttons below.
Better yet you can hire Rawz to give an in person tour of select locations, perform the poems live, share some of the inspiration behind them, answer questions and discuss themes with you and your group.
Hit the Contact button below for more info!
Poems
(In no particular order)
The Westberrys
This memorial is the only remaining evidence of the curious passing of three young souls from the same family. Will we ever know what happened to the Westberry children?
A Snuffed Out Candle
Dambudzo Marechera was a fiercely brilliant but troubled writer from Zimbabwe, who created some of his most celebrated works while in this city, a place which many believe drove him out of his mind.
These Steps
These time-worn steps quietly witnessed a continuing struggle for recognition and solidarity. They carried resolute voices to the ears of thousands.
Our Olive
Our Olive was a salt of the earth working class girl from the now decimated neighbourhood of St Thomas. She grew up to become Oxford’s second ever female Mayor and a founding member of a global peace movement.
The Colonial Theme Park
The beating heart of British Colonialism bleeds over everything, and holds many attractions for tourists from every corner of the globe. Don’t forget to buy your “I LOVE LONDON” souvenir from the gift shop!
Roots
Roots was a short lived, self built, self sustaining "African Roots Club" that unknowingly occupied a condemned building donated by the City Council.
Stone Hearts
An appealing row of red brick terraced houses built on the site of an old royal palace, home to a curious tradition that lasted for just over 100 years before it suddenly mysteriously stopped.
Treasures Of The Hidden Spire
Oxford’s smallest spire holds a hidden treasure. Not just the one buried under its foundations; there are many gifts to be found beneath The Hidden Spire…
Mr Nice's Dress Shop
Mr Nice owned a popular dress shop in the heart of town, a charismatic man who was known for his ability to make things happen. Perhaps this is why Mr Nice also worked with MI6 and the CIA… and became a key player in the global marijuana trade.
SOAK
During an era in which Oxford City Council were spending £100,000 per year in an attempt to avoid Graffiti making people “think of deprived areas”, a highly skilled but notorious street artist, SOAK was labelled as a “menace” and targeted by Thames Valley Police and the Oxford Mail in a public campaign pleading for help to “STOP THIS TAGGER”.
A Man With Many Names Who Always Danced The Same
George Pirie, Jimmy Norris, Alistair MacDonald… Better known by Oxford people as Captain Tap, or Colonel Mustard - the tap dancing legend of Queen Street.