Bicester has changed considerably since the 1939-45 war. From a population of 3,000 in 1931 it has grown to around 24,000 residents. Between the two world wars a town joke was that you could fire a rifle down Sheep Street and not hit anyone. Nowadays most of the street is pedestrianised and is regularly thronged with shoppers.

This first book on The Changing Faces of Bicester recalls the shopkeepers in the town and the people who ran the shops and also some of the tradesmen and women. Other aspects of local life depicted are the Ordnance Depot, farming and entertainment.
Peter Barrington was chief reporter for the Bicester Advertiser for 20 years and now works on a freelance basis for the newspaper.

Bicester continues to change. The town's roots go back to the time the Romans left their settlement at Alchester, just south of the town, to move to the slightly higher ground of what is now Bicester. The Augustinian Priory was a major factor in the town's growth and importance. Bicester today is a thriving and expanding community. This second book on The Changing Faces of Bicester explains much of the background to the town and explains why it looks the way it does now.

Peter Barrington has been joined by local historian David Watts as co-author. David has worked for the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, and is now with the Bucks Museums, Libraries and Archives service.