Oxford () is a
city, and the
county town of
Oxfordshire, in
South East England. The city has a population of just under 165,000, with 151,000 living within the district boundary. The rivers
Cherwell and
Thames run through Oxford and meet south of the city centre. For a distance of some along the river, in the vicinity of Oxford, the Thames is known as
The Isis.
The
University of Oxford is the oldest
university in the
English-speaking world.
Buildings in Oxford demonstrate an example of every
British architectural period since the arrival of the
Saxons, including the iconic, mid-18th century
Radcliffe Camera. Oxford is known as the "city of dreaming spires", a term coined by poet
Matthew Arnold in reference to the harmonious architecture of Oxford's university buildings.
History
Oxford was first occupied in
Saxon times, and was initially known as "Oxenaforda", meaning "
Ford of the
Ox"; fords being very important before the days of bridges. It began with the foundation 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.
In 1191, a city charter stated in
Latin,
The prestige of Oxford is seen in the fact that it received a charter from King
Henry II, granting its citizens the same privileges and exemptions as those enjoyed by the capital of the kingdom; and various important religious houses were founded in or near the city. A grandson of King John established Rewley Abbey for the
Cistercian Order; and friars of various orders (
Dominicans,
Franciscans,
Carmelites,
Augustinians, and
Trinitarians), all had houses at Oxford of varying importance. Parliaments were often held in the city during the thirteenth century. The
Provisions of Oxford were installed by a group of barons led by
Simon de Montfort; these documents are often regarded as England's first written constitution.
thumb|right|The Radcliffe Camera.
The University of Oxford is first mentioned in 12th century records. As the University took shape, friction between the hundreds of students living where and how they pleased led to a decree that all undergraduates would have to reside in approved halls. Of the hundreds of Aularian houses that sprang up across the city, only
St Edmund Hall (c 1225) remains. What put an end to the halls was the emergence of colleges. 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. The relationship between "
town and gown" has often been uneasy — as many as 93 students and townspeople were killed in the
St Scholastica Day Riot of 1355.
thumb|left|The Sheldonian Theatre in 2009The
sweating sickness epidemic in 1517 was particularly devastating to Oxford and
Cambridge where it killed half of both cities' populations, including many students and dons.
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
Oxford Martyrs were tried for heresy in 1555 and subsequently burnt at the stake, on what is now Broad Street, for their religious beliefs and teachings. The three martyrs were the bishops
Hugh Latimer and
Nicholas Ridley, and the Archbishop
Thomas Cranmer. The
Martyrs' Memorial stands nearby, round the corner to the North on St. Giles.
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 the
Siege of Oxford of 1646. It later housed the court of
Charles II during the
Great Plague of London in 1665–66. Although reluctant to do so, he was forced to evacuate when the plague got too close.
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 1844, the
Great Western Railway linked Oxford with London via Didcot and Reading; in 1851, the
London and North Western Railway opened their own route from Oxford to London, via Bicester, Bletchley and Watford; and in 1864 a third route to the capital, running via Thame and High Wycombe, was provided.
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.
thumb|right|Map of Oxford (1904).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 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 on a smaller site. A large area of the original car manufacturing facility at Cowley was demolished in the 1990s and is now the site of the
Oxford Business Park.
The influx of migrant labour to the car plants and hospitals, 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. Oxford is one of the most diverse small cities in Britain with the most recent population estimates for 2005. showing that 27% of the population were from an ethnic minority group, including 16.2% from a non-white ethnic minority ethnic group (ONS). These figures do not take into account more recent international migration into the city, with over 10,000 people from overseas registering for National Insurance Numbers in Oxford between 2005/06 and 2006/07.
On 6 May 1954,
Roger Bannister, as a 25 year old medical student, ran the first authenticated
four-minute mile at the
Iffley Road running track in Oxford. Although he had previously studied at Oxford University, Bannister was actually studying at St Mary's Hospital Medical School in London at the time.
Oxford's second university,
Oxford Brookes University, formerly the Oxford School of Art, then Oxford Polytechnic, based on Headington Hill, was given its charter in 1991 and has been voted for the last five years the best new university in the UK.
Geography
Oxford's latitude and longitude are or (at
Carfax Tower, which is usually considered the centre).
Climate
Oxford has a Maritime Temperate climate ("Cfb" by
Köppen classification).
Precipitation is uniformly distributed throughout the year and is provided mostly by weather systems that arrive from the
Atlantic. The lowest temperature ever recorded in Oxford was -16.6 °C (2 °F) in January 1982. The highest temperature ever recorded in Oxford is 35.6 °C (96 °F) in August 2003 during the
2003 European heat wave.
There is a field of thought that due to
Climate change,
temperatures are increasing in Oxford, precipitation is decreasing in summer and increasing in winter .
The average conditions below are from the Radcliffe Meteorological Station. It boasts the longest series of temperature and rainfall records for one site in Britain. These records are continuous from January, 1815. Irregular observations of rainfall, cloud and temperature exist from 1767.
Economy
The Oxford suburb of Cowley has a long history of carmaking and now produces the
BMW MINI.
Brewing
Morrells, the Oxford based
regional brewery was founded in 1743 by Richard Tawney. He formed a partnership in 1782 with Mark and James Morrell, who eventually became the owners. The brewery building, known as the "Lion Brewery", was located in St Thomas Street, the brewery was well known for drinks such as "Sambuca". After an acrimonious family dispute this much-loved brewery was closed in 1998, the beer
brand names being taken over by the Thomas Hardy Burtonwood brewery, while the 132 tied pubs were bought by "Morrells of Oxford", who sold the bulk of them on to
Greene King in 2002. The Lion Brewery was converted into luxury apartments in 2002.
Commercial areas
Outside the City Centre:- Cowley Retail Park, Cowley, Oxford
Theatres and cinemas
- Pegasus Theatre, Magdalen Road
- Ultimate Picture Palace, Cowley Road
Landmarks
thumb|centre|500px|The dreaming spires of Oxford facing Christ Church to the south (Christ Church Cathedral on the left and Tom Tower on the right).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 the
University Church of St Mary the Virgin, both of which offer views over the spires of the city. Many tourists shop at the historic
Covered Market. In the summer
punting on the Thames/Isis and the Cherwell is popular.
thumb|centre|All Souls College at twilightThe University of Oxford
right|thumb|The main [[quadrangle (architecture)|quadrangle of
University College.]]
The University of Oxford is one of the most famous universities in the world, and leading academics come to Oxford from all over the world.
The City Centre
left|thumb|Aerial view of Oxford city centre.As well as being an extraordinary sight for tourists (3.5 million per annum ), Oxford City Centre is a very attractive location for the consumer to visit, as well as being a good location for socialising. The historical buildings make this location a popular target for film and TV crews.
The city centre is relatively small, and is centred on
Carfax, Oxford, a cross-roads on which a clocktower stands, and which forms the junction of Cornmarket Street (pedestrianised), Queen Street (semi-pedestrianised), St Aldate's and The High. Cornmarket Street and Queen Street are home to Oxford's various chain stores, as well as a small number of independent retailers, one of the longest established of which is Boswells, which was founded in 1738. St Aldate's has few shops but is the location of a number of local-government buildings, including the Town Hall, the city police station and local council offices. The High (the word
street is not part of the name of this road) has a number of independent and high-end chain stores.
There are two small shopping centres in the city centre: The Clarendon Centre and The Westgate Centre. The Westgate Centre is named for the original West Gate in the city wall, and is located at the west end of Queen Street. It is quite small and contains a number of chain stores and a supermarket. The Westgate Shopping Centre is to undergo a massive but controversial refurbishment; its plans involve tripling the size of the centre to , building a brand new 1,335 space underground car park and 90 new shops and bars, including a
John Lewis department store. There will be a new and improved transport system, a complete refurbishment of the existing centre and the surrounding Bonn Square area. The development plans include a number of new homes, and completion is expected in 2011.
Blackwell Books
right|thumb|Blackwells Bookshop.thumb|right|Oxford University Museum of Natural History.
right|thumb|The Malmaison Hotel in Oxford Castle.
Blackwell Bookshop is a very popular tourist attraction in Oxford. Blackwell Books claims the largest single room devoted to book sales in the whole of Europe, the cavernous Norrington Room (10,000 sq ft).
Other attractions
Urban Redevelopment
thumb|right|Oxford's alternative transportThe Westgate redevelopment is just part of a wider scheme proposed by the city council. This scheme includes a total redesign of the centre of Oxford to "pedestrianise" the city.
The scheme, entitled Transform Oxford, is only a blueprint for public consultation at this stage, but county council officials are confident it will go ahead.
One of the key elements is the pedestrianisation of Queen Street, with bus stops removed next summer to make way for the eventual complete removal of buses from the street.
Pedestrianisation schemes in George Street and Magdalen Street should follow in the summer of 2010, with the removal of traffic from Broad Street the same year a possibility.
In 2011, highways engineers plan to remodel the Frideswide Square junctions near the railway station, removing traffic lights and introducing roundabouts to improve traffic flow.
Transport
Buses
Bus services are mainly provided by the
Oxford Bus Company and
Stagecoach Oxfordshire. Both companies also operate
regular services to London. The Oxford Bus Company also runs the Airlink services to
Heathrow and
Gatwick.
Other operators include
Thames Travel,
Arriva Shires & Essex and several smaller companies.
There is a bus station at
Gloucester Green, used mainly by the London and airport services, and
National Express coach services.
thumb|right|A [[Stagecoach Oxfordshire|Stagecoach bus behind an Oxford Bus Company park-and-ride bus in Oxford.]]
Oxford has 5
park and ride sites that service the city centre;
- Pear Tree (Link to city centre with bus 300)
- Redbridge (Link to city centre with bus 300)
- Seacourt (Link to city centre with bus 400)
- Thornhill (Link to city centre with bus 400)
- Water Eaton (Link to city centre with bus 500)
A service also runs to The John Radcliffe Hospital (from Thornhill/Water Eaton) as well as the Churchill and Nuffield Hospitals (from Thornhill).
Rail
thumb|right|Oxford railway stationOxford railway station is half a mile west of the city centre. The station is served by numerous routes, including
CrossCountry services as far afield as
Manchester and
Edinburgh,
First Great Western (who operate the station) services to London and other destinations and occasional
Chiltern Railways services to
Birmingham. The present station opened in 1952. Oxford is the junction for a short branch line to Bicester, which is being extended to form the East-West Rail Link to Milton Keynes, providing a passenger route avoiding London.
Roads
A roads
The city has a
ring road that consists of the
A34, the
A40,
A4142 and the
A423. It is mostly dual carriageway and was completed in 1966.
The main roads that lead out of Oxford are:
Motorways
thumb|left|The [[M40 motorway|M40 Extension]]
The city is served by the M40 motorway, which connects London to Birmingham. The original M40 opened in 1974 went from London to
Waterstock where the A40 continued to Oxford. However, when the M40 was extended to Birmingham in 1991, a mile of the old motorway became a spur and the new section bent away sharply north. Now the M40 does a large arc around Oxford (staying around away from the centre) due to the woodland that the motorway had to avoid. The M40 meets the A34 a junction later, the latter now being in two parts, the A34 restarting in Birmingham.
Air
The largest airport in Oxford is
London Oxford Airport (EGTK) outside
Kidlington. It mainly serves business jets and general aviation traffic. It is the home to
Oxford Aviation Academy - one of the world's best airline pilot training schools and
Hangar 8 - a private jet company.
Education
There are two universities in Oxford; the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University as well as
Ruskin College.
Oxford is home to wide range of schools many of which receive pupils from around the world. Three are University choral foundations, established to educate the boy choristers of the chapel choirs, and have kept the tradition of single sex education. Examination results in state-run Oxford schools are consistently below the national average and regional average. However, results in the city are improving with 44% of pupils gaining 5 grades A*-C in 2006.
Media
As well as the
BBC national radio stations, Oxford and the surrounding area has several local stations, including
BBC Oxford,
Heart,
Oxford's FM 107.9, and
JACK fm on 106.8 along with Oxide: Oxford Student Radio (which went on terrestrial radio at 87.7 MHz FM in late May 2005). A local TV station,
Six TV: The Oxford Channel was also available but closed in April 2009. 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 Times (compact; weekly), its sister papers
The Oxford Mail (tabloid; daily) and
The Oxford Star (tabloid; free and delivered), and
Oxford Journal (tabloid; weekly free pick-up). Oxford is also home to several advertising agencies.
Daily Information (known locally as Daily Info) is an events and advertising news sheet which has been published since 1964 and now provides a connected website.
Recently (2003) DIY grassroots non-corporate media has begun to spread. Independent and community newspapers include the
Jericho Echo and
Oxford Prospect.
Culture
Literature and film
Well-known Oxford-based authors include:
- Oscar Wilde a nineteenth century poet and author who attended Oxford from 1874 to 1878.
- John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir attended Brasenose College. Best known for his The Thirty-nine Steps, authored 32 novels and many more volumes of history, poetry and essays.
- Ian McEwan, formerly an Oxford resident for many years.
- J. R. R. Tolkien, undergraduate at Exeter and later professor of English at Merton.
Oxford appears in the following works:
Music
Oxford, and its surrounding towns and villages, have produced many successful bands and musicians. The most notable Oxford act is Radiohead, though other well known local bands include Supergrass, Ride, Swervedriver, Talulah Gosh and more recently, The Young Knives and Foals. The city also has a vibrant underground music scene which has seen acts such as Youthmovies, The Rock of Travolta, Goldrush, Jonquil and Stornoway achieve critical acclaim on a small scale.
Sport
Oxford United, are currently in the
Conference National, the highest tier of non-league football, but have enjoyed greater success in the past. They were elected to the
Football League in
1962, reached the
Third Division after three years and the
Second Division after six, and most notably reached the
First Division in
1985 - a mere 23 years after joining the Football League. They spent three seasons in the top flight, winning the
Football League Cup a year after promotion. The next 18 years saw them decline gradually (though a brief respite in 1996 saw them win promotion to the new (post
Premier League) Division One in 1996 and stay there for three years) until they suffered relegation to the Conference. They play at the
Kassam Stadium (named after former chairman
Firoz Kassam), which is situated near the
Blackbird Leys housing estate and has been their home since relocation from the
Manor Ground in
2001. Notable former managers include
Arthur Turner,
Ian Greaves,
Jim Smith,
Maurice Evans,
Mark Lawrenson,
Brian Horton,
Denis Smith,
Mark Wright,
Ian Atkins and
Ramon Diaz. Notable former players include
Ron Atkinson,
John Aldridge,
Ray Houghton,
Trevor Hebberd,
Nigel Jemson,
Kevin Francis,
Bobby Ford,
Joey Beauchamp,
Tommy Mooney and
Darren Purse.
Oxford City F.C. is an amateur football club, separate from Oxford United. It plays in the
Southern Football League Premier Division.
Oxford Cheetahs motorcycle speedway team has raced at Cowley Stadium on and off since 1939. The Cheetahs competed in the
Speedway Elite League and then the
Speedway Conference League until 2007, when stadium landlords
Greyhound Racing Association apparently doubled the rent. Speedway is not currently running in Oxford. Details of the 1949 and 1950 seasons at Cowley can be seen on .
Oxford City Stars is the local Ice Hockey Team which plays at
Oxford Ice Rink. The senior/adults team website can be found and the junior/children's team website is
International relations
Twin towns — Sister cities
Oxford is
twinned with:
See also
