Oxfordshire ( or ; abbreviated
Oxon, from the
Latinised form
Oxonia) is a county in the
South East England region, bordering on
Northamptonshire,
Buckinghamshire,
Berkshire,
Wiltshire,
Gloucestershire, and
Warwickshire.
It is divided into five
local government districts:
Oxford,
Cherwell,
Vale of White Horse (after the
Uffington White Horse),
West Oxfordshire and
South Oxfordshire.
The county has a major tourism industry. The area is noted for the concentration of performance motorsport companies and facilities.
Oxford University Press has headed a concentration of print and publishing firms; the university is also linked to the concentration of local
biotechnology companies.
The main centre of population is the city of
Oxford. Other significant settlements are
Banbury,
Bicester,
Kidlington, and
Chipping Norton to the north of Oxford;
Witney to the west;
Thame and
Chinnor to the east; and
Abingdon,
Wantage,
Didcot,
Wallingford and
Henley-on-Thames to the south. Future population growth in the county is hoped to be concentrated around Oxford, Banbury, Bicester, Didcot and Witney, near the
South Midlands growth area.
The highest point of the county is
White Horse Hill, in the Vale of White Horse, reaching 261 metres (856 ft) .
Oxfordshire's
county flower is the
Snake's-head Fritillary.
History
The county of Oxfordshire was formed in the early years of the 10th century and is broadly situated in the land between the
River Thames to the south, the Cotswolds to the west, the Chilterns to the east and the Midlands to the north, with spurs running south to Henley-on-Thames and north to Banbury.
Historically the area has always had some importance, containing valuable agricultural land in the centre of the country and the prestigious university in the county town of
Oxford (whose name came from
Anglo-Saxon Oxenaford = "ford for
oxen"). Ignored by the Romans, it was not until the formation of a settlement at Oxford in the eighth century that the area grew in importance.
Alfred the Great was born across the Thames in Wantage in Berkshire. The
University of Oxford was founded in 1096, though its collegiate structure did not develop until later on. The area was part of the
Cotswolds wool trade from the 13th century, generating much wealth, particularly in the western portions of the county in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds.
Morris Motors was founded in Oxford in 1912, bringing heavy industry to an otherwise agricultural county. The importance of agriculture as an employer has declined rapidly in the 20th century though; currently under one percent of the county's population are involved due to high mechanisation.
Throughout most of its history the county was divided into fourteen
hundreds, namely
Bampton,
Banbury,
Binfield,
Bloxham,
Bullingdon,
Chadlington,
Dorchester,
Ewelme,
Langtree,
Lewknor,
Pyrton,
Ploughley,
Thame and
Wootton.
The
Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, the main army unit in the area, was based at the Barracks on Bullingdon Green,
Cowley.
The Vale of the White Horse district and parts of the South Oxfordshire administrative district south of the
River Thames were historically part of
Berkshire, but were added to the administrative county of Oxfordshire in 1974. Conversely, the
Caversham area of
Reading was historically part of Oxfordshire as was the parish of
Stokenchurch, now in administrative Buckinghamshire.
Economy
This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Oxfordshire at current basic prices (pp. 240-253) by
Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.
Education
Oxfordshire has a completely comprehensive education system with 23 independent schools and 35 state schools. The state schools are from the ages of 11 to either 16 or 18. Only eight schools do not have a
sixth form; these are mostly in South Oxfordshire and Cherwell districts.
The county has two universities, significantly the
University of Oxford and also
Oxford Brookes University, both located in Oxford. Oxfordshire also has
Wroxton College, which has an affiliation with
Fairleigh Dickinson University in the United States of America, and whose campus is located in Banbury.
Buildings
Arguably the most famous building in Oxfordshire is
Blenheim Palace at
Woodstock. It was built by the great architect
John Vanbrugh for John Churchill, the first
Duke of Marlborough, after he had won the battle of Blenheim. The gardens, which can be visited, were designed by the landscape gardener "Capability Brown", who planted the trees in the battle formation of the victorious
troops. In the
palace, which can also be visited, Sir
Winston Churchill was born.
Chastleton House, on the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire borders, is a great
country mansion that was built on property bought from
Robert Catesby, who was one of the men involved in the
Gunpowder Plot with
Guy Fawkes.
Stonor Park, another country mansion, has belonged to the
recusant Stonor family for centuries.
Settlements in Oxfordshire
- Didcot (In Berkshire until 1974)
Settlements by population
Places of interest
-
Historic house
-
Museum (not free)
-
Castle
Museum (free)
Museum (not free)
-
English Heritage
-
Museum (free)
-
Museum (free)
See also
