Encyclopedia
| City of Oxford |
|---|
|
Shown within Oxfordshire |
| Geography |
|---|
| Status: | City |
| Region: | South East England |
| Admin. County: | Oxfordshire |
Area:
- Total | Ranked 306th
45.59 km² |
| Admin. HQ: | Oxford |
| Grid reference: | |
| ONS code: | 38UC |
| Demographics |
|---|
Population:
- Total
- Density | Ranked
/ km² |
| Ethnicity: | 87.1% White
4.8% S.Asian
2.5% Afro-Carib.
1.8% Chinese |
| Politics |
|---|
Oxford City Council
http://www.oxford.gov.uk/ |
| Leadership: | Leader & Cabinet |
| Executive: | |
| MPs: | Evan Harris, Andrew Smith |
Oxford is a
city and local government district in
Oxfordshire,
England, with a population of 134,248 . 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.
History
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.
Oxford grew up under the shadow of a convent, said to have been founded by St Frideswide as early as the eighth century. Its authentic history begins in 912, when it was occupied by Edward the Elder, King of the West Saxons. It was strongly fortified against the Danes, and again after the Norman Conquest, and the massive keep of the castle, the tower of St. Michael's Church , and a large portion of the city walls still remain to attest the importance of the city in the eleventh century. West of the town rose the splendid castle, and, in the meadows beneath, the no-less-splendid Augustinian Abbey of Osney: in the fields to the north the last of the Norman kings built the stately palace of Beaumont; the great church of St Frideswide was erected by the canons-regular who succeeded the nuns of St Frideswide; and many fine churches were built by the piety of the Norman earls.
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 , all had houses at Oxford of varying importance. Parliaments were often held in the city during the thirteenth century, but this period also saw the beginning of the long struggle between the town and the growing university which ended in the subjugation of the former, and the extinction for centuries of the civic importance of Oxford.
The
University of Oxford is first mentioned in
12th century records. Oxford's earliest
colleges were
University College ,
Balliol and
Merton . 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 — 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 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:
All of these are university towns.
Transport
Oxford is located some 55
miles north west of
London and 70
miles 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 ,
Bournemouth,
Worcester ,
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 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.
Tourist attractions
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 shop at the historic
Covered Market. In the summer, punting on the
Thames/Isis and the
Cherwell is popular.
Religious sites
Churches in central Oxford
Anglican:- St Bartholomew's Chapel, Bartlemas, Cowley Road
- Canning Crescent: St Luke, Canning Crescent
- Christ Church Cathedral , St Aldate's
- Cowley Parish Church , 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
- 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' Street
- St Alban the Martyr, Charles Street
- St Ebbe's, Pennyfarthing Place
- St Cross, St Cross Road .
- St John the evangelist, Vicarage Road
- University Church of St Mary the Virgin, High Street
There are also two churches that have been converted into college libraries:
Catholic:Baptist:Other: ...
Chapel, Mansfield Road
- Religious Society of Friends , 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 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 Road
Museums and galleries
University of Oxford:Others:- Museum of Oxford
- Museum of Modern Art
- Science Oxford
- OVADA
University buildings
Open spaces
The floodplains for Oxford's two rivers reach right into the heart of the city, providing a wealth of green spaces.
Commercial areas
Theatres and cinemas
...
- The Odeon Cinema, George Street
- The Odeon Cinema, Magdalen Street
- Burton Taylor Theatre
- Old Fire Station Theatre, George Street
Traditional and historic pubs
...
and numerous others, catering for
Town and Gown.
Media and press
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 , and Oxide: Oxford Student Radio . 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 Times , its sister papers
The Oxford Mail and
The Oxford Star , and
Oxford Journal .
Recently DIY grassroots non-corporate media has began to spread . Independent and community newspapers include the
Jericho Echo and
Oxford Prospect .
Literature in Oxford
Well-known Oxford-based authors include:
