Oxford
Categories: Cities in England | Oxford | Local government in Oxfordshire | English county towns | University towns
- This article is about the city of Oxford in England. See also other meanings, including other cities.
| City of Oxford | |
|---|---|
| Image:Oxford - Oxfordshire dot.png | Image:OxfordshireOxford.png Shown within Oxfordshire |
| Geography | |
| Status: | City (1542) |
| Region: | South East England |
| Admin. County: | Oxfordshire |
| Area: - Total | Ranked 306th 45.59 km² |
| Admin. HQ: | Oxford |
| Grid reference: | SP 51 06 |
| ONS code: | 38UC |
| Demographics | |
| Population: - Total (2003 est.) - Density | Ranked 117th 142,364 3,123 / 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: | Labour |
| MPs: | Evan Harris, Andrew Smith |
Oxford is a city and local government district in Oxfordshire, England, with a population of 134,248 (2001 census). 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 Oxford suburb of Cowley has a long history of carmaking, and still produces Minis.
Oxford is twinned with Bonn in Germany, Grenoble in France, León in Nicaragua, Leiden in the Netherlands, and Perm in Russia. All of these are university towns.
Contents |
History
Oxford was first occupied in Saxon times, and was initially known as "Oxanforda". 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.
The University of Oxford is first mentioned in 12th century records. Oxford's earliest colleges were University College (1249), Balliol (1263) and Merton (1264).
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, Jericho 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.
Transport
Oxford is located some 50 miles (80 km) north west of London; the cities are linked by the M40 motorway, which also links northwards to Birmingham.
Rail connections include services to London (Paddington), Bournemouth, Worcester (via the Cotswold Line), and Bicester. The city also has regular train services northwards to Birmingham, Coventry and the north. The railway service connecting Oxford and Cambridge, known as the Varsity Line, was discontinued in 1968.
The Oxford Canal connects to the River Thames at Oxford.
Oxford Airport at Kidlington offers business and general aviation services.
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. In the summer, punting on the Thames (sometimes called the Isis as it flows through Oxford) and the Cherwell is popular.
Other notable attractions include:
Religious sites
- Christ Church Cathedral
- The Church of St Mary the Virgin (the University Church)
- Martyrs' Memorial
Churches in central Oxford
- Blackfriars (Roman Catholic) Dominican Priory, 64 St Giles
- Christ Church Cathedral (Anglican), St Aldates
- German Lutheran at St Mary the Virgin, High Street
- New Road Baptist Church, Bonn Square
- Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity and the Annuciation, 1 Canterbury Road (off Banbury Road)
- Religious Society of Friends (Quaker)
- Roman Catholic chaplaincy, Rose Place, St Aldate's
- St Aldate's (Anglican)
- St Aloysius (Roman Catholic), Woodstock Road
- St Columba's United Reformed Church, Alfred Street
- St Cross (Anglican)
- St Ebbe's (Anglican), Pennyfarthing Place, off St Ebbe's
- St Giles' (Anglican), St Giles'
- St Mary Magdalen (Anglican) Magdalen Street
- St Mary the Virgin University Church
- St Michael-at-the-Northgate (Anglican)
- The Salvation Army, Oxford Citadel, Albion Place
- Wesley Memorial Methodist Church, New Inn Hall Street
Museums and galleries
- Ashmolean Museum - University of Oxford
- Pitt Rivers Museum - University of Oxford
- Oxford University Museum of Natural History, home of (the remains of) the Oxford Dodo
- Museum of Modern Art
- University Museum of the History of Science
University buildings
(Other than the colleges)
- The Bodleian Library
- The Clarendon Building (often used as a set for film and television)
- The Radcliffe Camera (one of several institutions named after John Radcliffe)
- The Sheldonian Theatre
- The Oxford University Press
- University Offices (administration), Wellington Square
Open spaces
The floodplains for Oxford's two rivers reach right into the heart of the city, providing a wealth of green spaces.
- The University Parks
- The University Botanic Garden
- Christ Church Meadow
- Port Meadow
- Mesopotamia
- Angel & Greyhound Meadow
- Cutteslowe Park
- Florence Park
Commercial areas
Theatres and cinemas
- Oxford Playhouse
- New Theatre, George Street
- Ultimate Picture Palace, Cowley Road
- Phoenix Picturehouse, Walton Street
- The Odeon Cinema, George Street
- The Odeon Cinema, Magdalen Street
Traditional and historic pubs
- The Eagle and Child
- The Turf Tavern
- The Lamb and Flag
- The Bear
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 [1], and Oxide: Oxford Student Radio [2] (which went on terrestrial radio at 87.7 MHz FM in late May 2005). A local TV station, Six TV: The Oxford Channel is also available.
Popular local papers include the Oxford Mail, the Oxford Times, and the Oxford Star. OxfordProspect http://www.oxfordprospect.co.uk
Recently (2003) DIY grassroots non-corporate media has began to spread. [3]. Community newspapers include the Jericho Echo.
Literature in Oxford
Well-known Oxford-based authors include:
- Lewis Carroll (real name Charles Dodgson), Fellow of Christ Church.
- Colin Dexter who wrote and set his Inspector Morse mystery novels in Oxford.
- Michael Innes (J. I. M. Stewart), of Christ Church.
- C. S. Lewis, Fellow of Magdalen.
- Iris Murdoch, Fellow of St Anne's
- Philip Pullman who was an undergraduate at Exeter.
- J. R. R. Tolkien, Professor of English at Merton.
Many English novels have been set partly or wholly in Oxford. They include:
- Jude the Obscure (1895) by Thomas Hardy (in which Oxford is thinly disguised as "Christminster").
- Zuleika Dobson (1911) by Max Beerbohm (Merton).
- Gaudy Night (1935) by Dorothy L. Sayers (Somerville).
- Brideshead Revisited (1945) by Evelyn Waugh (Hertford).
See also the Literature section in the University of Oxford article.
Geography
Oxford's latitude and longitude are 51°45'07" N and 1°15'28" W (at Carfax Tower, which is usually considered the centre).
Wards, neighbourhoods, and suburbs
- Blackbird Leys
- Botley, Oxfordshire
- Cowley
- East Oxford
- Headington - home to the Oxford shark.
- Littlemore
- Jericho
- Marston
- North Oxford
- Osney
- Risinghurst
- Summertown
- Temple Cowley
- Wolvercote
Politics in Oxford
Despite stereotypes of Oxford being a conservative city, there are no Conservatives on the city council. Since the local election in mid-2004, the council has been in minority administration by councillors from the Labour Party, with the Liberal Democrats being the official opposition. At 7 city councillors and 5 county councillors, Oxford is one of the UK cities with highest Green Party representation. The Independent Working Class Association also has councillors, mainly from wards with many housing estates in the southeast, such as Blackbird Leys.
The two MPs are Andrew Smith from the Oxford East constituency, erstwhile employment minister in the Labour government; and Dr Evan Harris from the Oxford West and Abingdon constituency, sometime Liberal Democrat spokesperson on health. At the 2005 general election, Oxford East became a marginal seat with a Labour majority over the Liberal Democrats of just 963. Oxford West & Abingdon, on the other hand, is a safe Lib Dem seat with Dr Harris enjoying a majority of just under 8,000.
There is also a large and vibrant alternative political culture mostly situated in East Oxford. Some examples are:
- Oxford BOP Samba
- Oxford Student Activist Network [[4]]
- Undercurrents
- OCSET
- Campaign to Close Campsfield [[5]]
- Corporate Watch [[6]]
- ETC Group
- Oxford Indymedia (Oxford Indymedia)
Parishes
Unusually for a compact urban district, Oxford has four civil parishes with parish councils - these are Blackbird Leys, Littlemore, Old Marston and Risinghurst and Sandhills.
Images of Oxford
 The Oxford Town Hall |
University Church of St Mary the Virgin (Anglican) |
The Saxon Tower at the church of St Michael-at-the-Northgate. The tower is one of the oldest surviving structures in the city. |
 A map of central Oxford |
See also
- Bishop of Oxford
- Earl of Oxford
- Oxfam
- Oxford Union
- Oxford United F.C.
- University of Oxford (including links to the individual colleges)
External links
- Oxford City Council official web site
- Oxford City Council official tourism web site
- Virtual Tour of Oxford
- Oxford Information
- The Aliens' Guide to Oxford
- Mushroom Guide to Oxford
- The Oxford Guide: an Open Guide to Oxford
- Unofficial Oxford City Guide
- OxOx:community-driven events and reviews site
- The Oxford shark
- Oxford weather
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