AN Oxford blacksmith and lover of horses was given a fitting final send-off at his funeral in the city.

Wolvercote legend Tony Strong, 86, passed away last month and family and friends paid their respects on Friday.

The farrier, in keeping with his love of horses, had a black, four-horse-drawn hearse as part of the funeral procession.

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It travelled from Kidlington to his home in Meadow Prospect before arriving at St Peter's Church in Wolvercote.

Mr Strong appeared in the Oxford Mail a number of times during his life as well as in its sister magazine Limited Edition.

One on occasion the Mail reported how, after having his driving licence taken away by Witney magistrates for speeding, Mr Strong was getting around Oxford in a horse-drawn cart.