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Oxfordshire
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class="toccolours" style="border-collapse: collapse; float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em" border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" width="300"> | | Oxfordshire | | | | Geography | | Status | Ceremonial & Non-metropolitan county |
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| Region: | South East England |
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Area
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Discussion
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Encyclopedia
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 Whitehorse Hill, in the Vale of White Horse, reaching 856 feet (261m).
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.
| Year | Regional Gross Value Added | Agriculture | Industry | Services |
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| 1995 | 7,607 | 120 | 2,084 | 5,404 | | 2000 | 10,594 | 80 | 2,661 | 7,853 | | 2003 | 12,942 | 93 | 2,665 | 10,184 |
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.
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
Settlements by population
| Rank | Town | Population | Year | | 1 | Banbury | 52,000 | | 2 | Abingdon | 36,000 | | 3 | Bicester | 28,672 | | 4 | Witney | 23,765 | 2001 | | 5 | Didcot | 22,700 | | 6 | Kidlington | 17,000 | | 7 | Carterton | 14,000 | | 8 | Thame | 12,000 | | 9 | Henley on Thames | 10,513 | | 10 | Wantage | 9,767 | | 11 | Wallingford | 7,000 | | 12 | Chipping Norton | 5,972 | | 13 | Faringdon | 5,600 | | 14 | Watlington | 3,000 | |
Places of interest
- Abingdon County Hall Museum - housed in a 17th century County Hall building
- Ashdown House - 17th century country house in the Lambourn Downs
- Blenheim Palace and garden - UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Broughton Castle - 14th century fortified manor house
- Buscot Park, Buscot - 18th century country house and landscape garden
- Chastleton House - 17th century country house (limited access)
- Chiltern Hills - Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
- Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway - operated with steam and diesel locomotives
- Chipping Norton Museum
- Cholsey and Wallingford Railway
- Cotswold Wildlife Park and garden, Bradwell Grove, Holwell
- Cogges Manor Farm Museum, Witney - a living museum of country life
- Combe Mill Museum, Long Hanborough - working museum of stationary steam engines
- Cotswolds - Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
- Didcot Railway Centre - museum of the Great Western Railway
- Dorchester Abbey, Dorchester-on-Thames - 12th century church of former Augustinian abbey
- Champs Chapel Museum of East Hendred - village museum in a 15th century Carthusian chapel
- Great Coxwell Barn - 14th century Tithe barn
- Greys Court, Rotherfield Greys - 16th century country house
- Hampton Gay Manor - ruins of 16th century manor house (no website)
- Harcourt Arboretum, Nuneham Courtenay
- Heythrop Hall - 17th century country house: now a hotel, golf & country club
- Hook Norton Brewery - working Victorian "tower" brewery that offers guided tours
- St Katharine's church, Chiselhampton - 18th century parish church with original furnishings (no website, limited access)
- Kelmscott Manor - Home of William Morris
- Mapledurham Estate - 16th century country house and 15th century watermill
- Milton Manor House - 18th century country house
- Minster Lovell Hall - dovecote and ruins of 15th century manor house
- North Wessex Downs - Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
- Oxford
- Oxford Bus Museum and Morris Motors Museum, Long Hanborough
- Oxford Canal - 18th century "narrow" canal
- The Oxfordshire Museum,Woodstock
- The Ridgeway
- River and Rowing Museum, Henley-on-Thames
- River Thames
- Rollright Stones - megalithic stone circle and Whispering Knights burial chamber, near Little Rollright
- Rousham House - 17th century country house and landscape garden
- Rycote chapel - 15th century chapel with original furnishings
- St Mary's church, Iffley - 12th century romanesque parish church
- Shotover Country Park, Headington
- Spiceball Country Park, Banbury
- Stanton Harcourt manor house (limited access), with garden and 15th century chapel and Pope's Tower (no website)
- Stonor House - country house and 14th century chapel of the recusant Stonor family
- Swalcliffe Tithe Barn - 15th century
- Thame Museum
- Tolsey Museum, Burford (no website)
- Uffington White Horse, Uffington Castle and Wayland's Smithy burial chamber in the White Horse Hills
- Wallingford Museum
- Wheatley Windmill - 18th century tower mill
See also
- Oxford University (including links to the individual colleges).
- Oxford Canal
Further reading
- Philip Powell - The Geology of Oxfordshire (Dovecote Press, 2005) ISBN 1-904349-19-6
External links
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- - The place to discuss Oxfordshire issues
- Oxfordshire news, sport & information
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- A forum for people with a local interest brought together through freecycling.
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