Oxford Ice Rink is a 56 × 26m
ice rinkAn ice rink is a frozen body of water and/or hardened chemicals where people can skate or play winter sports. Besides recreational ice skating, some of its uses include ice hockey, figure skating and curling as well as exhibitions, contests and ice shows...
located on
Oxpens RoadOxpens Road is a road in central Oxford, England, linking west and south Oxford. It is named after the marshy area of Oxpens, next to one of the branches of the River Thames in Oxford.- Locale :...
in
OxfordThe city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is a ten-minute walk from Oxford city centre and
railway stationOxford railway station is a mainline railway station serving the city of Oxford, England. It is about west of the city centre, northwest of Frideswide Square and the eastern end of Botley Road, and on the line linking with . It is also on the line for trains between and Hereford via...
.
In 1980, money was raised by the
Oxford Ice Skating Trust (OXIST) for the construction of a new ice rink — a project that was taken over by the
Oxford City CouncilThe Oxford City Council provides local government for the city of Oxford in England.- Overview :Between the 2004 local elections, and 2010 the council was in minority administration, first by councillors from the Labour Party, with the Liberal Democrats being the official opposition...
, who continue to own and manage the premises. The rink, designed by
Nicholas GrimshawSir Nicholas Grimshaw, CBE is a prominent English architect, particularly noted for several modernist buildings, including London's Waterloo International railway station and the Eden Project in Cornwall...
, was built on Oxpens Road (known as Nun's Walk prior to 1850) and opened in 1984. It looks like a ship, thanks to two 30-metre masts at each end that earned it the nickname, "the
Cutty SarkThe Cutty Sark is a clipper ship. Built in 1869, she served as a merchant vessel , and then as a training ship until being put on public display in 1954...
". The north end of the building is fully glazed, allowing plenty of natural light into the rink.
The rink offers public and
discoDisco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
. Both group and individual lessons in figure skating and ice dance are available from
BITABita is a female name of Persian origin meaning unique....
qualified instructors.
In February 2009, the Oxford City Council awarded the contract to manage leisure in Oxford. Since March 31, 2009, all of Oxford Leisure, including the Oxford Ice Rink has been run by Fusion-Lifestyle Ltd.
http://www.oxford.gov.uk/news/index.cfm/current/1/item/3350 This assured the future of the rink for the duration of the contract with Fusion, who will oversee the refurbishment of the facility.
http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/yourtown/oxford/4384328.Blackbird_Leys_to_get_new___7m_pool/ http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/8198400.Future_of_ice_rink_looks_assured/
Figure skating
Figure skatingFigure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...
clubs based at the rink include:
Ice hockey
Oxford Ice Rink is the home to several
ice hockeyIce hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
teams including:
External links