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From Tolkien to Turner, and Bannister to Betjeman, our county has been home to some extraordinary people...

J.R.R Tolkien

Oxfordshire has had more than its fair share of interesting characters over the years, but how much do we know about the lives and times of some of the figures that shaped our thinking and inspired the world?

In our series Local Lives, Jo Thoenes talks to Jane Curran from the Oxford Guild of Guides to find out more about how and where some of these people lived in our area.

From Chipping Norton's Edward Stone - the man who discovered Aspirin - to Jane Burden - Oxford's own pre-Rafaelite muse - we hear all about the people that you'll know by influence if not by their local links.

Our expert Jane Curran

"Born in Northern Ireland, I've lived in Oxford since I was a baby. I went to the Oxford High School and then to St. Anne’s College, where I read French and German, after which I worked for Robert Maxwell – a lively six years!

Jane Curran

While my children were growing up I taught English to foreigners, and then twelve years ago decided to train to be a Blue Badge Guide. This is a national qualification, but I only guide in Oxford and am a member of the Oxford Guild of Guides. About 50 Guild members work freelance doing privately booked tours as well as tours for the Tourist Information Centre in Broad Street.

Many of these walking tours are general ones, covering the centre of the University and the city, but there are also a number of themed tours throughout the year leaving from the Information Centre – Morse and Lewis, Harry Potter, Alice in Wonderland, Literary, Science, Wesley, Stained Glass, Women at Oxford, and so on.

Oxford has been home to many influential, well known and strange people over the centuries, but although some are household names, we often don’t really know much about them as people – the private lives behind the public reputation. These short talks will try to bring alive the character and personality of a few of Oxford’s famous sons and daughters."