Oxford

From Free net encyclopedia

This article is about the city of Oxford in England. For other cities and other meanings, see Oxford (disambiguation).
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: Template:Mmukscaled
ONS code:38UC
Demographics
Population:
- Total (2004 est.)
- within oxon
- Density		Ranked 113th
145,100

Ranked 1st
-3,183 / km²
Ethnicity:87.1% White
4.8% S.Asian
2.5% Afro-Carib.
1.8% Chinese
Politics
Image:Oxfordarms.PNG
Oxford City Council
http://www.oxford.gov.uk/
Leadership:Leader & Cabinet
Executive:Labour minority
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 BMW MINIs.

Contents

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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.

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.

Image:Image-OxfordCOA20050303CopyrightKaihsuTai.jpg Image:John Speed's map of Oxford, 1605..jpg

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.

Image:4516-Oxford-map-1510x1384.jpg

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 (from where students traditionally jump into the River Cherwell every May Day morning) 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.

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Twinning

Oxford is twinned with:

All of these are university towns.

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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.

Local bus services are largely provided by the Oxford Bus Company and Stagecoach South Midlands

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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. Image:OxfordBuilding.JPG Other notable attractions include:

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Religious sites

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Churches in central Oxford

Anglican:

  • St Bartholomew's Chapel, Bartlemas, Cowley Rd
  • Canning Crescent: St Luke, Canning Crescent
  • Christ Church Cathedral (Anglican), St Aldate's
  • Cowley Parish Church (St James), Beauchamp Lane,
  • New Osney, St Frideswide, Botley Road
  • St Aldate's, St. Aldate's
  • 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 (Opposite Debenhams)
  • St Michael at the North Gate, Cornmarket Street
  • St Thomas the Martyr, Becket Street
  • St Andrew, 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
  • St Alban the Martyr, Charles St
  • St Ebbe's, Pennyfarthing Place (off St Ebbe's)
  • St Cross, St Cross Road (near junction with Manor Road).
  • St John the evangelist, Vicarage Road
  • University Church of St Mary the Virgin, High Street

Catholic:

Baptist:

  • New Road Baptist Church, Bonn Square
  • Headington Baptist Church
  • Botley Baptist, Westminster Way
  • John Bunyan Baptist Church, Crowell Road
  • Woodstock Road Baptist
  • Albert Street Baptist

Other:

  • German Lutheran services at St Mary the Virgin, High Street
  • Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity and the Annuciation, 1 Canterbury Road (off Banbury Road)
  • Oxford Unitarians at Harris Manchester College Chapel, Mansfield Road
  • Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), 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 (OCC), 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
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Museums and galleries

Image:Oxford University Museum of Natural History.JPG University of Oxford:

Others:

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University buildings

Image:Oxford University Press.JPG (Other than the colleges)

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Open spaces

The floodplains for Oxford's two rivers reach right into the heart of the city, providing a wealth of green spaces.

Image:OxfordBoats.JPG

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Commercial areas

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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
  • Burton Taylor Theatre
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Traditional and historic pubs

Image:The Bear Oxford.JPG

  • The Eagle and Child
  • The Turf Tavern
  • The Lamb and Flag
  • The Bear
  • The Trout (at Godstow)
  • The King's Arms
  • The Chequers

and numerous others, catering for Town and Gown

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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.

Recently (2003) DIY grassroots non-corporate media has began to spread [3]. Independent and community newspapers include the Jericho Echo [4] and Oxford Prospect [5].

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Literature in Oxford

Well-known Oxford-based authors include:

Many English novels have been set partly or wholly in Oxford. They include:

See also the Literature section in the University of Oxford article.

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Other notable Oxonians

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Schools

Oxford and the surrounding area is home to an unusual number of highly academic schools, many of which receive pupils from around the world. Some of these are college schools, dating back centuries, which retain their links with the University and have kept the tradition of single sex education. Intellectual rivalry between the pupils of the different schools is frequent but generally good humoured.

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Geography

Oxford's latitude and longitude are Template:Coor dms (at Carfax Tower, which is usually considered the centre).

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Wards, neighbourhoods, and suburbs

Image:Oxford shark.jpg

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Politics in Oxford

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Oxford City Council

Despite stereotypes of Oxford being a conservative city, there are no Conservatives on the city council. Since the 2004 local elections, the council has been in minority administration by councillors from the Labour Party, with the Liberal Democrats being the official opposition. With 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 elected to serve wards with many housing estates in the south east of the city, such as Blackbird Leys. See Oxford Council election 2004 for further information.

Since 2002, elections have been held for Oxford City Council in even years, with each councillor serving a term of four years. Each electoral ward within Oxford is represented by two councillors, thus all wards elect one councillor at each election. Prior to 2002, the City Council was elected by thirds.

Partisan Composition
Year Labour Lib Dem Green IWCA Conservative Source
2002 29 15 3 1 0 [6]
2004 20 18 7 3 0 [7]
Present (As of 14 February 2006) 21 17 7 3 0
Partisan Control
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Westminster representation

Image:Hustings20050204 CopyrightKaihsuTai.jpg

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.

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Alternative Culture

There is also a large and vibrant alternative political culture mostly situated in East Oxford. Some examples are:

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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.

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See also


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External links

Template:Commons


Districts of South East England Image:Flag of England.svg

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Counties with multiple districts: Berkshire - Buckinghamshire - East Sussex - Hampshire - Kent - Oxfordshire - Surrey - West Sussex

Template:English Citiesar:أكسفورد bg:Оксфорд ca:Oxford cy:Rhydychen da:Oxford de:Oxford es:Oxford eo:Oksfordo fr:Oxford ko:옥스퍼드 hr:Oxford it:Oxford he:אוקספורד kw:Rysoghen la:Oxonia lt:Oksfordas nl:Oxford ja:オックスフォード no:Oxford pl:Oksford pt:Oxford ro:Oxford ru:Оксфорд scn:Oxford simple:Oxford sl:Oxford fi:Oxford sv:Oxford tr:Oxford

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