Oxford
:
This article is about the city of Oxford in England. For other cities and other meanings, see Oxford (disambiguation).Oxford is a
city and
local government district in
Oxfordshire,
England, with a population of 134,248 (
2001 census). It is home to the
University of Oxford, the oldest university in the
English-speaking world.
It is known as the "city of dreaming spires", a term coined by
Matthew Arnold in reference to the harmonious
architecture of the university
buildings. The
river Thames runs through Oxford, where for a distance of some 10 miles it is known as the Isis.
The Oxford suburb of
Cowley has a long history of carmaking and now produces the
BMW MINI.
Oxford was first occupied in
Saxon times, and was initially known as "
Oxenaforda". It began with the foundations of St
Frideswide's
nunnery in the
8th century, and was first mentioned in written records in the
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for the year
912. In the
10th century Oxford became an important military frontier town between the kingdoms of
Mercia and
Wessex and was on several occasions raided by
Danes.
St Frideswide is the patron saint of both the city and university.
The
University of Oxford is first mentioned in
12th century records. Oxford's earliest
colleges were
University College (
1249),
Balliol (
1263) and
Merton (
1264). These colleges were established at a time when Europeans were starting to translate the writings of Greek philosophers. These writings challenged European ideology - inspiring scientific discoveries and advancements in the arts - as society began seeing itself in a new way. These colleges at Oxford were supported by the Church in hopes to reconcile Greek Philosophy and Christian Theology.
Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford is unique as a college chapel and cathedral in one foundation. Originally the Priory Church of St Frideswide, the building was extended and incorporated into the structure of the Cardinal's College shortly before its refounding as Christ Church in
1546, since which time it has functioned as the cathedral of the
Diocese of Oxford.
The relationship between "town and gown" has often been uneasy â€" several university students were killed in the
St Scholastica Day Riot of
1355.
During the
English Civil War, Oxford housed the court of
Charles I in
1642, after the king was expelled from
London, although there was strong support in the town for the
Parliamentarian cause. The town yielded to Parliamentarian forces under
General Fairfax in
1646.
In
1790 the
Oxford Canal connected the city with
Coventry. The Duke's Cut was completed by the
Duke of Marlborough in 1789 to link the new canal with the
River Thames; and in 1796 the Oxford Canal company built their own link to the Thames, at Isis Lock. In the 1840s, the
Great Western Railway and
London and North Western Railway linked Oxford with London.
In the 19th century, the controversy surrounding the
Oxford Movement in the
Anglican Church drew attention to the city as a focus of theological thought.
Oxford's
Town Hall was built by Henry T. Hare, the foundation stone was laid on
6 July 1893 and opened by the future
King Edward VII on
12 May 1897. The site has been the seat of
local government since the Guild Hall of
1292 and though Oxford is a city and a
Lord Mayoralty, it is still called by its traditional name of "
Town Hall".
By the early
20th century, Oxford was experiencing rapid industrial and population growth, with the printing and publishing industries becoming well established by the
1920s. Also during that decade, the economy and society of Oxford underwent a huge transformation as
William Morris established the
Morris Motor Company to mass produce cars in
Cowley, on the south-eastern edge of the city. By the early
1970s over 20,000 people worked in Cowley at the huge Morris Motors and
Pressed Steel Fisher plants. By this time Oxford was a city of two halves: the university city to the west of
Magdalen Bridge (from where students traditionally jump into the
River Cherwell every
May Day morning) and the car town to the east. This led to the witticism that "Oxford is the left bank of Cowley". Cowley suffered major job losses in the 1980s and 1990s during the decline of
British Leyland, but is now producing the successful
New MINI for
BMW.
The influx of migrant labour to the car plants, recent immigration from south-east Asia, and a large student population, have given Oxford a notable cosmopolitan character, especially in the
Headington and
Cowley Road areas with their many bars, cafes, restaurants, clubs, ethnic shops and fast food outlets.
On
6 May 1954,
Roger Bannister, as a 25 year old medical student, ran the first authenticated sub-four minute mile at the
Iffley Road running track in Oxford.
Oxford's "other" university,
Oxford Brookes University, formerly Oxford Polytechnic, based at Headington, was given its charter in 1991.
Twinning
Oxford is twinned with:
*
Bonn,
Germany*
Grenoble,
France*
León,
Nicaragua*
Leiden,
Netherlands*
Perm,
RussiaAll of these are university towns.
Oxford is located some 55
miles (90 Km) north west of
London and 70
miles (110 Km) south east of
Birmingham, and the
M40 motorway between
London and
Birmingham passes within seven
miles of Oxford. The
A34 road between
Hampshire and the
Midlands passes Oxford and forms the western part of the city's
bypass. The other trunk roads serving Oxford are the
A40 road linking
London, the
Cotswolds and
West Wales, and the
A420 road between Oxford and
Bristol via
Swindon.
Rail connections include services to
London (Paddington),
Bournemouth,
Worcester (via the
Cotswold Line),
Birmingham,
Coventry and the north, and
Bicester.
The
Bicester railway branch is part of the route of a former railway service connecting Oxford and
Cambridge that was known as the
Varsity Line. Parts of the line have been closed since the end of
1967, but in 2006 the
Department for Transport (DfT) has ordered a £300,000 feasibility study to consider reopening it.
The
Oxford Canal links Oxford to the
Midlands, and connects at Oxford with the
River Thames. The
Thames provides a navigable link, nowadays chiefly for leisure craft, as far as
Lechlade to the west and
Teddington Lock to the east and onwards to
London.
Oxford Airport at
Kidlington offers business and
General Aviation services.
Most local bus services are provided by the
Oxford Bus Company and
Stagecoach South Midlands and include two competing frequent-interval coach services to London, Stagecoach's Oxford Tube, and Oxford Bus's Oxford Express, both of which leave from Gloucester Green Bus Station on the western edge of the city centre. The Oxford Tube is reputed by its operator to be the most intensive coach service of its kind anywhere in the world. Stagecoach also runs a half-hourly coach service to Cambridge, and a less frequent service to Northampton, whilst many National Express services between the North and Midlands and the South/South West call in the city. Other local and rural bus services are provided by
Wallingford-based Thames Travel.
Oxford has numerous major tourist attractions, many belonging to the university and colleges. As well as several famous institutions, the town centre is home to
Carfax Tower and a historical themed ride, The Oxford Story. Many tourists enjoy shopping at the historic
Covered Market including indulging in a
cookie to the orginal
Ben's Cookies shop. In the summer,
punting on the
Thames/Isis and the
Cherwell is popular.
Religious sites
*
Christ Church Cathedral*The Church of St Mary the Virgin (the University Church)
*
Martyrs' MemorialChurches in central Oxford
Anglican:*
St Bartholomew's Chapel, Bartlemas,
Cowley Road* Canning Crescent: St Luke, Canning Crescent
*
Christ Church Cathedral (
Anglican),
St Aldate's* Cowley Parish Church (St James), Beauchamp Lane,
* New Osney, St Frideswide,
Botley Road* St Aldates, St. Aldates
* St Clements,
Marston Road*
St Frideswide's, Botley Road
*
St Giles', 10
Woodstock Road* St Margaret,
St Margaret's Road* St Mary Magdalen,
Magdalen Street (Opposite
Debenhams)
* St Michael at the North Gate,
Cornmarket Street* St Thomas the Martyr, Becket Street
* St Andrew's,
Linton Road* St Barnabas, Cardigan Street
* St Matthew, Marlborough Road
* Parish Church of SS Mary and John, Cowley Road
*
Pusey House, St Giles,
St Giles'* St Alban the Martyr, Charles Street
*
St Ebbe's, Pennyfarthing Place (off St Ebbe's)
* St Cross,
St Cross Road (near junction with Manor Road).
* St John the evangelist, Vicarage Road
*
University Church of St Mary the Virgin,
High StreetThere are also two churches that have been converted into college libraries:
*
All Saints in the
High Street (
1706-
1708, now the library of
Lincoln College*
St Peter-in-the-East in
Queen's Lane, now the library of
St Edmund HallCatholic:* Catholic
Chaplaincy, Rose Place,
St Aldate's*
Blackfriars (
Catholic)
Dominican Priory, 64
St Giles'* St Aloysius Gonzaga,
Woodstock Road* St Anthony of Padua, Headley Way
* Greyfriars
Baptist:* New Road
Baptist Church,
Bonn Square*
Headington Baptist Church
* Botley Baptist, Westminster Way
*
John Bunyan Baptist Church, Crowell Road
*
Woodstock Road Baptist
* Albert Street Baptist
Other:*
German Lutheran services at St Mary the Virgin, High Street
*
Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity and the Annuciation, 1
Canterbury Road (off
Banbury Road)
* Oxford
Unitarians at
Harris Manchester College Chapel, Mansfield Road
*
Religious Society of Friends (
Quakers), St Giles'
*
St Columba's
United Reformed Church,
Alfred Street* The
Salvation Army, Oxford Citadel, Albion Place
* Wesley Memorial
Methodist Church,
New Inn Hall Street* Oxford Vineyard
* Oxford Community Church (OCC) http://www.occ.org.uk/oxford,
Osney Mead* Oxford Bible Church
* Grace Springs Church
* Living Faith international
* The Methodist Church, Lime Walk
* Sant Nirankari Mandal,
Marston Road* Chinese Christian Church, 15 Gorse Leas
* Holy Family Church, 1 Cuddesdon Way
* Evangelical Free Church,
Magdalen Road* Assemblies of God, Oxford, Bracegirdle Road
* Rivers of Life Church,
Marston* Elim Pentecostal,
Botley RoadMuseums and galleries
|
Oxford University Museum of Natural History |
University of Oxford:*
Ashmolean Museum, Britain's oldest museum
*
Pitt Rivers Museum*
Museum of Natural History, home of (the remains of) the Oxford
Dodo*
Museum of the History of Science, in Britain's oldest purpose-built museum building
*
Bate Collection of Musical Instruments, St Aldate's
Others:*
Museum of Oxford*
Museum of Modern Art*
Science OxfordUniversity buildings
(Other than the
colleges)
*The
Bodleian Library *The
Clarendon Building (often used as a set for film and television)
*The
Radcliffe Camera (one of several institutions named after
John Radcliffe)
*The
Sheldonian Theatre*The
Oxford University PressOpen spaces
The floodplains for Oxford's two rivers reach right into the heart of the city, providing a wealth of green spaces.
*The
University Parks*The
University Botanic Garden*
Christ Church Meadow*
Port Meadow*
Mesopotamia*
Angel & Greyhound Meadow*
Cutteslowe Park*Florence Park
Commercial areas
*
Cornmarket Street, Oxford*
High Street, Oxford*
Turl Street, Oxford*
Little Clarendon Street*
Broad Street, Oxford*
Oxford Covered Market*
George Street, Oxford*
Clarendon Shopping Centre*
Westgate Shopping CentreTheatres and cinemas
*
Oxford Playhouse,
Beaumont Street*
New Theatre,
George Street* Ultimate Picture Palace,
Cowley Road* Phoenix Picturehouse,
Walton Street* The Odeon Cinema, George Street
* The Odeon Cinema,
Magdalen Street*
Burton Taylor Theatre*
Old Fire Station Theatre, George Street
Traditional and historic pubs
|
Historic public house, "The Bear". |
*
The Eagle and Child*
Turf Tavern*
The Lamb and Flag*
The Bear*
The Trout (at Godstow)
*
The King's Arms*
The Chequersand numerous others, catering for
Town and Gown.
As well as the
BBC national radio stations, Oxford and the surrounding area has several local stations, including
BBC Radio Oxford,
Fox FM, Passion 107.9 [
1], and Oxide: Oxford Student Radio [
2] (which went on terrestrial radio at 87.7 MHz FM in late May 2005). A local TV station,
Six TV: The Oxford Channel is also available. The city is home to a
BBC TV newsroom which produces an opt-out from the main
South Today programme broadcast from
Southampton.
Popular local papers include the Oxford Mail (daily tabloid), the Oxford Times (weekly broadsheet), Oxford Journal (weekly free pick-up) and the Oxford Star (free and delivered).
Recently (2003) DIY grassroots non-corporate media has began to spread [
3]. Independent and community newspapers include the Jericho Echo [
4] and Oxford Prospect [
5].
Well-known Oxford-based authors include:
*
Lewis Carroll (real name Charles Dodgson),
Student of
Christ Church.
*
Colin Dexter who wrote and set his
Inspector Morse mystery novels in Oxford.
*
Michael Innes (
J. I. M. Stewart), of
Christ Church.
*
T. E. Lawrence, "Lawrence of Arabia", Oxford resident, undergraduate at
Jesus, postgraduate at
Magdalen.
*
C. S. Lewis, Fellow of
Magdalen.
*
Iris Murdoch, Fellow of
St Anne's*
Philip Pullman who was an undergraduate at
Exeter.
*
J. R. R. Tolkien, Professor of English at
Merton, and undergraduate at
Exeter.
*
Ian McEwan, formerly an Oxford resident for many years.
Many English novels have been set partly or wholly in Oxford. They include:
*
Jude the Obscure (1895) by
Thomas Hardy (in which Oxford is thinly disguised as "
Christminster").
*
Zuleika Dobson (1911) by
Max Beerbohm (
Merton).
*
Gaudy Night (1935) by
Dorothy L. Sayers (
Somerville).
*
Brideshead Revisited (1945) by
Evelyn Waugh (
Hertford).
*
His Dark Materials (1995 onwards) by
Philip PullmanSee also
books associated with Oxford and the
literature section in the
University of Oxford article.
*
Noel Godfrey Chavasse, twice awarded the
Victoria Cross*
Mike Hailwood, motor cycle world champion
*
Radiohead, band
*
Tim Henman, Tennis player
*
Martin Keown, footballer
*
Robbie Mustoe, Footballer
*
Garry Parker, footballer
*
Mark Wright, footballer and manager
*
Martha Lane Fox, Internet entrepreneur
*
Jane Morris née Burden, Pre-Raphaelite muse
*
Emma Watson, "Harry Potter" film actress
*
Supergrass, rock band
*
Hugh Laurie, English actor, comedian and writer
*
Ride,
shoegazing rock band
* Julia Wilson
Oxford and the surrounding area is home to an unusual number of highly academic schools, many of which receive pupils from around the world. Some of these are college schools, dating back centuries, which retain their links with the University and have kept the tradition of single sex education. Intellectual rivalry between the pupils of the different schools is frequent but generally good humoured.
*
Abingdon School*
Cheney School*
Cherwell School*
Christ Church Cathedral School*
Dragon School*
Headington School*
Magdalen College School*
New College School*
D'Overbroecks College School*
Oxford High School*
Radley College*
Rye St Antony School*
St Clare's College*
St Edward's School*
St Helen and St Katharine School*
Wheatley Park SchoolOxford's latitude and longitude are (at
Carfax Tower, which is usually considered the centre).
Wards, neighbourhoods, and suburbs
*
Barton*
Binsey*
Blackbird Leys*
Botley*
Cowley*
East Oxford*
Headington — home to the
Oxford shark.
*
Iffley*
Littlemore*
Jericho*
Marston*
North Oxford*
Osney*
Rose Hill*
Risinghurst*
Summertown*
Temple Cowley*
Wolvercote*
Wood Farm*
Lord Williams'sOxford City Council
Despite stereotypes of Oxford being a conservative city, there are no
Conservatives on the city council. Since the
2004 local elections, the council has been in minority administration, first by councillors from the
Labour Party, with the
Liberal Democrats being the official opposition, and since
2006 with these roles reversed. With 8 city councillors and 5 county councillors, Oxford is one of the UK cities with highest
Green Party representation. The
Independent Working Class Association also has councillors, mainly elected to serve wards with many
housing estates in the south east of the city, such as Blackbird Leys. See
Oxford Council election 2004 for further information.
Since
2002, elections have been held for Oxford City Council in even years, with each councillor serving a term of four years. Each
electoral ward within Oxford is represented by two councillors, thus all wards elect one councillor at each election. Prior to 2002, the City Council was elected by thirds.
;Partisan Composition
| Year | Labour | Lib Dem | Green | IWCA | Conservative!Source |
|---|
| 2002 | 29 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 0 | [6] |
| 2004 | 20 | 18 | 7 | 3 | 0 | [7] |
| 2006 | 18 | 18 | 8 | 4 | 0 | [8] |
|
;Partisan Control
*
1974 –
1976:
Labour*
1976 –
1980:
Conservative*
1980 –
2000:
Labour*
2000 –
2002: No overall control
*
2002 –
2004:
Labour*
2004 –
Present: No overall control
Westminster representation
The two MPs are
Andrew Smith from the
Oxford East constituency, erstwhile employment minister in the Labour government; and
Dr Evan Harris from the
Oxford West and Abingdon constituency, sometime Liberal Democrat spokesperson on health. At the
2005 general election, Oxford East became a
marginal seat with a Labour majority over the Liberal Democrats of just 963. Oxford West & Abingdon is a safe Liberal Democrat seat with Dr Harris enjoying a majority of just under 8,000.
Alternative Culture
There is also a large and vibrant alternative political culture mostly situated in East Oxford.Some examples are:
* Oxford BOP Samba
*
Oxford Student Activist Network *
Undercurrents*
OCSET*
Oxford Action Resource Centre (OARC)*
Campaign to Close Campsfield *
Corporate Watch* ETC Group
*
Oxford Indymedia Parishes
Unusually for a compact urban district, Oxford has four
civil parishes with parish councils — these are
Blackbird Leys,
Littlemore,
Old Marston and
Risinghurst and Sandhills.
*
Bishop of Oxford*
Earl of Oxford*
Oxfam*
Oxford Union*
Oxford United F.C.*
University of Oxford (including links to the individual colleges)
*
Radiohead*
:Category:Visitor attractions in Oxfordshire* [
9] - [humourous board game packed with Oxford facts]
*
Oxford -
1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article
*
Oxford City Council official website*
Oxford City Council official tourism website*
Oxford City Guide — Comprehensive Guide to the city of Oxford
*
Oxford web site*
Virtual Tour of Oxford*
Oxford in photos*
Oxford University*
Oxford Information*
The Aliens' Guide to Oxford*
Mushroom Guide to Oxford*
The Oxford Guide: an Open Guide to Oxford*
OxOx:community-driven events and reviews site*
The Oxford shark*
Oxford weather*
Live Webcam in Oxford City *
General Detailed Map of Central Oxford*
Oxford Brookes University *
City of Oxford Hockey Club
