This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2008)

An Oxford Bus Mercedes-Benz Citaro in Oxford
Slogan	"We're all about Oxford"
Founded	1881
Headquarters	Oxford
Service area	Oxfordshire, England
Service type	Mainly urban bus services
Destinations	Abingdon, Didcot, Kidlington, Oxford. Express services to London, Heathrow, Gatwick
Fleet	149
Operator	Go-Ahead Group
Web site	www.oxfordbus.co.uk

Oxford Bus Company is a bus operator serving the city and surrounding area of Oxford, England and is the trading name of City of Oxford Motor Services Ltd. It is now a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group. The company operates five different brands.

In 2011 and 2012 The Go-Ahead Group acquired Thames Travel and Carousel Buses respectively and brought the companies under the management of Oxford Bus Company, effectively merging the three companies together^[1]

Oxford is one of the few UK cities where such free and unsubsidised competition (as envisaged by the architects of bus deregulation in the 1980s) still exists. Similarly the X90 London coaches compete with the Stagecoach in Oxfordshire's Oxford Tube service. This unusual level of both service and competition is facilitated by Oxford's status as a prestigious university city and the consequent large numbers of young, affluent but car-less inhabitants, assisted by Oxford’s pro-public transport Balanced Transport Policy of 1973 and Oxford Transport Strategy of 1993. As of 2006 public transport use in the city was six times the national average.^[2]. However, the competition led to route inefficiencies and lack of ticket interoperability between bus operators. In 2010 it was announced that a quality contract had been agreed between the two principal bus operators and the County Council leading to joint timetabling and ticketing.^[3]

History[link]

A horse-drawn tram system first operated in Oxford from 1881.^[4] Its operation was taken over in 1906 by the City of Oxford Electric Tramway Company Ltd. This did not in fact electrify the tramway, but over the period 1913-14, and under threat of competition from William Morris (later Lord Nuffield), replaced the trams by Daimler Motor Company buses.^[5]

In 1921 the company was renamed City of Oxford Motor Services Ltd and continued to expand its operations into the surrounding countryside. From the 1930s the company was controlled by British Electric Traction with a large Great Western Railway shareholding. Most of the fleet comprised AEC vehicles in the traditional red livery with green and maroon relief.

On becoming a subsidiary of the National Bus Company in 1969, moves towards greater integration of city and country services began. In 1971 the Oxford to London coach operator South Midland (established as South Midland Transport & Touring Company Ltd in 1921), which had been controlled by the neighbouring Thames Valley Traction company, was transferred to City of Oxford and the fleet name for the entire operation became Oxford South Midland. A particularly acute problem for the operator was the competition for staff with Morris Motors LImited whose works was located close to the Oxford garage. One solution was the move to one person operation of buses during the 1970s.^[6] Following several trials, the Oxford company has operated the city’s pioneering park and ride bus services since 1978, the year in which the London express service on its present routing began.

In 1983 the operation was split into separate Oxford and South Midland units. The Oxford Bus Company was allocated the Oxford city services and the London routes, and South Midland was allocated the remainder of the network. Both companies were subject to management buyouts. The South Midland company was soon resold to Thames Transit (later Stagecoach) who introduced minibus competition, countered by the Oxford Bus Company under the brand name Oxford City Nipper.

In 1990 the Oxford Bus Company acquired the High Wycombe operations of the Bee Line, and ran them under the Wycombe Bus brand name. OBC was sold to the Go-Ahead Group in 1994. In 2000 Go-Ahead sold the High Wycombe operations to Arriva, who dropped the Wycombe Bus brand. In Oxford the name City Line was used before the present branding was adopted in 2000. The company's long-standing main depot site in Cowley Road, Oxford was abandoned in 2004 in favour of a new works in Watlington Road.^[7]

Recently, the Oxford Bus Company have replaced some of its older buses with the Mercedes-Benz O530 Citaro. Another 11 arrived at the end of 2006; these were "Euro V", a higher specification than at that date demanded by European emission standards.

Brands[link]

Oxford Bus Company currently operates services under five distinct brands:

Brand	Used for	Services	Image
Oxford Bus Company / "City"	Local buses in and around Oxford. The "City" name has been introduced recently for the most frequent services, and the name appears on the sides of buses. At first designated to specific routes (i.e. "city 5") most buses now only display the general name.	City 2, City 3, City 4/4A/4B/4C, City 5, City 6, City 8, City 9, City 13, City 23, City 35, City X2, City X3
Park & Ride	Express buses from the well-developed network of peripheral park and ride car parks around the city.	300, 400, 500
X90 London	Express coaches between Oxford and London	X90
Airline	Express coaches between Oxford and London Heathrow or London Gatwick airports.	LHR LGW OXF
BROOKESbus	Local buses serving the campuses and halls of Oxford Brookes University (previously run by Stagecoach Oxfordshire).	U1 (NU1), U4, U5 (NU5), U5X

Fleet[link]

This article is outdated. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. Please see the talk page for more information. (March 2012)

The fleet consists approximately 168 operational vehicles as of July 2012, consisting a wide variety of bus makes and types. The fleet is about 56% single-deck and 19% double-deck. Coaches make up around 25% of the fleet.

The single-deck fleet contains a number of types. Three comparatively rare Dennis Dart SLF/Wright Crusaders were new in 1998. Two large batches of Volvo B10BLE/Wright Renowns in 1999 and 2000 total 21 of the type. In late 2002, the first of a batch of 5 Mercedes-Benz Citaros arrived for new park and ride service 500 to the recently opened Water Eaton site. Following a fleet reshuffle which saw service 500 receive double decker buses, this fleet now all carry the standard 'city' livery. The original batch can be distinguished by the protruding destination display, all other examples in the fleet have swept back versions. A year later in December 2003 a further batch of 11 Citaros arrived, branded for routes X3 to Abingdon. Another batch of 10 arrived in December 2005 for route 2, followed by another 11 in December 2006. 11 more arrived in January 2008. The 2006 batch onwards is to the new Citaro design for the Euro 4 engine, although the Oxford examples are to Euro 5 specification. Half of the 2006 and the 2008 batch are branded for routes X3 and X13, which meant that the second batch were debranded and now work in generic livery.

The double-deckers in the fleet are Dennis Trident 2s. A batch of 20 with Alexander ALX400 bodywork entered service in 1999. These were some of the first examples of the type. Originally 14 of the batch operated on park and ride services but are now being phased out in favour of 17 new diesel/electric hybrid ADL Enviro400H models^[8]. In 2007, 8 Tridents with Plaxton President bodywork were transferred from Go North East for use on route 35/35A. These are restricted to certain routes as they are too high to fit under the Oxford station railway bridge.

Also the double-decker fleet includes 31 Scania N230UD with Alexander Dennis Enviro400 bodywork used for Brookes Bus services.

The large coach operation uses almost 40 vehicles. The X90 service uses a a fleet of Volvo B12B/Plaxton Panthers new in 2007 & 2008 and refurbished in 2011. The airline service uses a fleet of Scania K360EBs with Plaxton Panther bodywork, new in 2011.

Fleet summary[link]

Coaches
Chassis	Count	Body type	Image(s)
Scania K114	12	Irizar Century
Volvo B12B	6	Jonckheere Mistral
Volvo B12B	19	Plaxton Panther
Double-deck
Chassis	Count	Body type	Image(s)
Dennis Trident 2	20	Alexander ALX400
Dennis Trident 2	4	Plaxton President
Scania N230UD	31	Alexander Dennis Enviro400
Single-deck
Chassis	Count	Body type	Image(s)
Volvo B10BLE	31	Wright Renown
Mercedes-Benz Citaro	48	Integral

See also[link]

• Oxford Bus Museum
• Oxford to London coach route
• List of bus operators of the United Kingdom

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Oxford Bus Company

• Oxford Bus Company website

v t e Go-Ahead Group United Kingdom bus companies Anglian Bus Brighton & Hove Carousel Buses Go-Ahead London Blue Triangle Docklands Buses London Central London General Go North East Go South Coast Bluestar Marchwood Motorways Uni-link Southern Vectis Wilts & Dorset Damory Coaches Tourist Group Hedingham Omnibuses Konectbus Metrobus Oxford Bus Company Plymouth Citybus Thames Travel United Kingdom railway companies (as Govia) London Midland Southeastern Southern including Gatwick Express Defunct UK operations Aviance UK East Thames Buses Meteor Solent Blue Line Thames Trains Thameslink (Govia)

v t e Bus companies operating in South East England Berkshire Arriva Shires & Essex · Courtney Buses · First Berkshire & The Thames Valley · Fleet Buzz · Reading Transport (Newbury Buses, Reading Buses) · Stagecoach in Hampshire · Thamesdown Transport · Thames Travel · Wilts & Dorset (services) Buckinghamshire Arriva Shires & Essex · Carousel Buses · First Berkshire & The Thames Valley · First London · Stagecoach East · MK Metro East Sussex Arriva Southern Counties · Brighton & Hove · Compass Travel · Countryliner · Cuckmere Community Bus · Metrobus · Renown Coaches · Southdown PSV · Stagecoach South East (Stagecoach in Hastings, Stagecoach in Eastbourne) Hampshire AMK Mini Coaches · Bluestar · Brijan Tours · Cango · Countryliner · Damory · Emsworth & District · First Hampshire & Dorset · Fleet Buzz · Marchwood Motorways · Reading Transport (Newbury Buses, Reading Buses) · Stagecoach South (Stagecoach in Hampshire, Stagecoach in Hants & Surrey, Stagecoach in Portsmouth, Stagecoach in the South Downs) · Uni-link · Velvet · Wilts & Dorset (services) · Xelabus Hertfordshire Arriva Shires & Essex · Arriva London · Centrebus · Excel Passenger Logistics · Metroline · S.M. Coaches · Stagecoach East · Sullivan Buses · Woottens Luxury Travel · Uno · Isle of Wight Southern Vectis (list of routes, Island Breezers) Kent Arriva Southern Counties · Countryliner · Kent Top Travel · The Kings Ferry · Metrobus · Nu-Venture · Stagecoach South East · Sullivan Buses Oxfordshire Arriva Shires & Essex · Oxford Bus Company · Reading Transport (Newbury Buses, Reading Buses) · Stagecoach Oxfordshire · Thamesdown Transport · Thames Travel Surrey Abellio Surrey · Arriva Guildford & West Surrey · Arriva London · Atbus · Compass Travel · Countryliner · Countywide Travel · Epsom Coaches (Quality Line) · First Berkshire & The Thames Valley · Fleet Buzz · London General · Metrobus · Metroline · Safeguard Coaches · Southdown PSV · Stagecoach South (Stagecoach in Hampshire, Stagecoach in Hants & Surrey) · Sullivan Buses · Sunray Travel · Transdev London · West Sussex Arriva Southern Counties (Arriva Guildford & West Surrey, New Enterprise Coaches) · Big Lemon · Brighton & Hove · Compass Travel · Countryliner · Emsworth & District · Flights Hallmark · Minerva Accord · Metrobus · Southdown PSV · Stagecoach South (Stagecoach in Hampshire, Stagecoach in Hants & Surrey) National Megabus · National Express

Oxford
—  City  —
Oxford skyline viewed from Boars Hill
Coat of arms of Oxford City Council
Nickname(s): "the City of Dreaming Spires"
Motto: "Fortis est veritas" "Truth is strength"
Shown within Oxfordshire
Coordinates: 51°45′7″N 1°15′28″W / 51.75194°N 1.25778°W / 51.75194; -1.25778
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Constituent country	England
Region	South East England
Ceremonial county	Oxfordshire
Admin HQ	Oxford City Centre
Founded	8th century
Town charter
City status	1542
Government
• Type	City
• Governing body	Oxford City Council
• Lord Mayor – Deputy Lord Mayor	Cllr Elise Benjamin (2010–2011) (Green Party)
• Sheriff of Oxford	Jean Fooks (LD)
• Executive – Council Leader	Labour Cllr Bob Price
• MPs	Nicola Blackwood (C) Andrew Smith (L)
Area
• Total	17.60 sq mi (45.59 km2)
Population (2010 est.)
• Total	153,700 (ranked 121st of 326)
• Density	8,500/sq mi (3,270/km2)
• Ethnicity (2005 estimates)	73.0% White British 9.1% Other White 5.7% South Asian 3.0% Black 2.9% Chinese 2.7% Mixed Race 1.9% Other 1.8% White Irish
Demonym	Oxonian
Time zone	GMT (UTC0)
• Summer (DST)	BST (UTC+1)
Postcode	OX
Area code(s)	01865
ISO 3166-2	GB-OXF
ONS code	38UC
OS grid reference	SP513061
NUTS 3
Website	www.oxford.gov.uk

Oxford ⁱ/ˈɒksfəd/^[1] is a city in central southern England, the home of the University of Oxford. The city is the county town of Oxfordshire, and forms a district within the county. It has a population of just under 165,000, of whom 153,900 live within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles (80 km) north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames (also sometimes known as the Isis locally) run through Oxford and meet south of the city centre.

Oxford has a diverse economic base. Its industries include motor manufacturing, education, publishing and a large number of information technology and science-based businesses.

Buildings in Oxford demonstrate an example of every English architectural period since the arrival of the Saxons, including the iconic, mid-18th century Radcliffe Camera. Oxford is known as the "city of dreaming spires", a term coined by poet Matthew Arnold in reference to the harmonious architecture of Oxford's university buildings. The University of Oxford is the oldest university in the English-speaking world.^[2]

History[link]

The Radcliffe Camera

Oxford was first settled in Saxon times, and was initially known as "Oxenaforda", meaning "Ford of the Oxen"; fords were more common than bridges at that time.^[3] It began with the foundation of an oxen crossing in the early 900 AD period. 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.

Oxford was heavily damaged during the Norman Invasion of 1066. Following the conquest, the town was assigned a governor, Robert D'Oyly, who ordered the construction of Oxford Castle to confirm Norman authority over the area. The castle has never been used for military purposes and its remains survive to this day. D'Oyly set up a monastic community in the castle consisting of a chapel and living quarters for monks (St George in the Castle). The community never grew large but it earned its place in history as one of the oldest places of formal education in Oxford. It is there that in 1139 Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote his History of the Kings of Britain, a compilation of Arthurian legends.^[4]

In 1191, a city charter stated in Latin,^[5]

"Be it known to all those present and future that we, the citizens of Oxford of the Commune of the City and of the Merchant Guild have given, and by this, our present charter, confirm the donation of the island of Midney with all those things pertaining to it, to the Church of St. Mary at Oseney and to the canons serving God in that place.

"Since, every year, at Michaelmas the said canons render half a mark of silver for their tenure at the time when we have ordered it as witnesses the legal deed of our ancestors which they made concerning the gift of this same island; and besides, because we have undertaken on our own part and on behalf of our heirs to guarantee the aforesaid island to the same canons wheresoever and against all men; they themselves, by this guarantee, will pay to us and our heirs each year at Easter another half mark which we have demanded; and we and our heirs faithfully will guarantee the aforesaid tenement to them for the service of the aforesaid mark annually for all matters and all services.

"We have made this concession and confirmation in the Common council of the City and we have confirmed it with our common seal. These are those who have made this concession and confirmation."

(There follows a list of witnesses, ending with the phrase, "... and all the Commune of the City of Oxford.")

Oxford's prestige was enhanced by its charter granted by 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 (Dominicans, Franciscans, Carmelites, Augustinians, and Trinitarians), all had houses at Oxford of varying importance. Parliaments were often held in the city during the 13th century. The Provisions of Oxford were instigated by a group of barons led by Simon de Montfort; these documents are often regarded as England's first written constitution.

The University of Oxford is first mentioned in 12th century records. As the University took shape, friction between the hundreds of students living where and how they pleased led to a decree that all undergraduates would have to reside in approved halls^{[citation needed]}. Of the hundreds of Aularian houses that sprang up across the city, only St Edmund Hall (c 1225) remains. What put an end to the halls was the emergence of colleges. Oxford's earliest colleges were University College (1249), Balliol (1263) and Merton (1264). 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 to see itself in a new way. These colleges at Oxford were supported by the Church in the hope of reconciling Greek Philosophy and Christian Theology. The relationship between "town and gown" has often been uneasy – as many as 93 students and townspeople were killed in the St Scholastica Day Riot of 1355.

The sweating sickness epidemic in 1517 was particularly devastating to Oxford and Cambridge where it killed half of both cities' populations, including many students and dons.^[6]

Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford is unique in combining a college chapel and a 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 when it has functioned as the cathedral of the Diocese of Oxford.

The Oxford Martyrs were tried for heresy in 1555 and subsequently burnt at the stake, on what is now Broad Street, for their religious beliefs and teachings. The three martyrs were the bishops Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley, and the Archbishop Thomas Cranmer^{[citation needed]}. The Martyrs' Memorial stands nearby, round the corner to the North on St. Giles.

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 the Siege of Oxford of 1646. It later housed the court of Charles II during the Great Plague of London in 1665–66. Although reluctant to do so, he was forced to evacuate when the plague got too close. The city suffered two serious fires in 1644 and 1671.^[7]

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 its own link to the Thames, at Isis Lock. In 1844, the Great Western Railway linked Oxford with London via Didcot and Reading,^[8][9] and other rail routes soon followed.

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.

Photochrom of the High Street, 1890–1900

Oxford 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, the building 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 Morris Motors Limited 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 Mini for BMW on a smaller site. A large area of the original car manufacturing facility at Cowley was demolished in the 1990s and is now the site of the Oxford Business Park.^[10]

The influx of migrant labour to the car plants and hospitals, recent immigration from south 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. Oxford is one of the most diverse small cities in Britain with the most recent population estimates for 2005.^[11] showing that 27% of the population were from ethnic minority groups, including 16.2% from non-white ethnic minority ethnic groups (ONS). These figures do not take into account more recent international migration into the city, with over 10,000 people from overseas registering for National Insurance Numbers in Oxford in 2005/06 and 2006/07.^[12]

On 6 May 1954, Roger Bannister, a 25 year old medical student, ran the first authenticated four-minute mile at the Iffley Road running track in Oxford. Although he had previously studied at Oxford University, Bannister was studying at St Mary's Hospital Medical School in London at the time.

Oxford's second university, Oxford Brookes University, formerly the Oxford School of Art, then Oxford Polytechnic, based at Headington Hill, was given its charter in 1991 and has been voted for the last ten years the best new university in the UK.^{[citation needed]} It was named to honour the school's founding principal, John Henry Brookes.

Geography[link]

Oxford's latitude and longitude are 51°45′07″N 1°15′28″W / 51.75194°N 1.25778°W / 51.75194; -1.25778Coordinates: 51°45′07″N 1°15′28″W / 51.75194°N 1.25778°W / 51.75194; -1.25778 or grid reference SP513061 (at Carfax Tower, which is usually considered the centre).

Location[link]

Destinations from Oxford

	Worcester	Banbury	Bicester, Milton Keynes
	Cheltenham		High Wycombe, Aylesbury
		Oxford    East
	Wantage, Swindon	Didcot, Newbury, Reading	Slough, Windsor

Climate[link]

Oxford has a maritime temperate climate ("Cfb" by the Köppen system). Precipitation is uniformly distributed throughout the year and is provided mostly by weather systems that arrive from the Atlantic. The lowest temperature ever recorded in Oxford was −16.6 °C (2.1 °F) in January 1982. The highest temperature ever recorded in Oxford is 35.6 °C (96 °F) in August 2003 during the 2003 European heat wave.

The average conditions below are from the Radcliffe Meteorological Station. It boasts the longest series of temperature and rainfall records for one site in Britain. These records are continuous from January, 1815. Irregular observations of rainfall, cloud and temperature exist from 1767.^[13]

Economy[link]

Oxford has a diverse economy, which includes manufacturing, publishing and science-based industries as well as education, research and tourism.^[15]

Carmaking[link]

Oxford has been an important centre of motor manufacturing since Morris Motors was established in the city in 1910. The principal production site for Mini cars, now owned by BMW, is in the Oxford suburb of Cowley.

Publishing[link]

Oxford University Press, a department of the University of Oxford, is based in the city, although it no longer operates its own paper mill and printing house. The city is also home to the UK operations of Wiley-Blackwell, and several smaller publishing houses.

Science and technology[link]

The presence of the university has given rise to many science and technology based businesses, including Oxford Instruments, Research Machines and Sophos. The university established Isis Innovation in 1987 to promote technology transfer. The Oxford Science Park was established in 1990, and the Begbroke Science Park, owned by the university, lies north of the city.

Brewing[link]

There is a long history of brewing in Oxford. Several of the colleges had private breweries, one of which, at Brasenose, survived until 1889. In the 16th century brewing and malting appear to have been the most popular trades in the city. There were breweries in Brewers Street and Paradise Street, near the Castle Mill Stream.

The development of Oxford's railway links after the 1840s and the rapid expansion of Oxford supported expansion of the brewing trade in Oxford.^[16] As well as expanding the market for Oxford's brewers, railways enabled brewers further from the city to compete for a share of its market.^[16] By 1874 there were nine breweries in Oxford and 13 brewers' agents in Oxford shipping beer in from elsewhere.^[16] The nine breweries were: Flowers & Co in Cowley Road, Hall's St Giles Brewery, Hall's Swan Brewery (see below), Hanley's City Brewery in Queen Street, Le Mills's Brewery in St. Ebbes, Morrell's Lion Brewery in St Thomas Street (see below), Simonds's Brewery in Queen Street, Weaving's Eagle Brewery (by 1869 the Eagle Steam Brewery) in Park End Street and Wootten and Cole's St. Clement's Brewery.^[16]

The Swan's Nest Brewery, later the Swan Brewery, was established by the early 18th century in Paradise Street, and in 1795 was acquired by William Hall.^[17] The brewery became known as Hall's Oxford Brewery, which acquired other local breweries. Hall's Brewery was acquired by Samuel Allsopp & Sons in 1926, after which it ceased brewing in Oxford.^[18]

Morrell's, the Oxford based regional brewery was founded in 1743 by Richard Tawney. He formed a partnership in 1782 with Mark and James Morrell, who eventually became the owners.^[19] After an acrimonious family dispute this much-loved brewery was closed in 1998,^[20] the beer brand names being taken over by the Thomas Hardy Burtonwood brewery,^[21] while the 132 tied pubs were bought by Michael Cannon, owner of the American hamburger chain Fuddruckers, through a new company, Morrells of Oxford.^[22] The new owners sold most of the pubs on to Greene King in 2002.^[23] The Lion Brewery was converted into luxury apartments in 2002.^[24]

Bellfounding[link]

The Taylor family of Loughborough had a bell-foundry in Oxford between 1786 and 1854.^[25]

Shopping[link]

• Broad Street
• Clarendon Shopping Centre
• Cornmarket Street
• George Street
• Golden Cross
• The High Street
• Little Clarendon Street
• Queen Street, Oxford
• The Covered Market
• Turl Street
• Westgate Shopping Centre
• Oxford Castle
• Gloucester Green

Outside the City Centre:

• Banbury Road, Summertown, Oxford
• Botley Road, Oxford
• Cowley Retail Park, Cowley, Oxford
• Cowley Road, Oxford
• Iffley Road, Oxford
• London Road, Headington, Oxford
• North Parade, Oxford
• St Clement's, Oxford
• Templars Square shopping centre, Cowley, Oxford
• Walton Street, Jericho, Oxford
• New Botley

Theatres and cinemas[link]

• Burton Taylor Theatre, Gloucester Street
• New Theatre, George Street
• Odeon Cinema, George Street
• Odeon Cinema, Magdalen Street
• Old Fire Station Theatre, George Street
• Oxford Playhouse, Beaumont Street
• Pegasus Theatre, Magdalen Road
• O'Reilly Theatre, Blackhall Road
• Phoenix Picturehouse, Walton Street
• Ultimate Picture Palace, Cowley Road
• Vue Cinema, Grenoble Road

Landmarks[link]

The spires of Oxford facing Christ Church to the south (Christ Church Cathedral on the left and Tom Tower on the right)

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 the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, both of which offer views over the spires of the city. Many tourists shop at the historic Covered Market. In the summer punting on the Thames/Isis and the Cherwell is popular.

The main quadrangle of University College

View from Carfax Tower

Oxford University Museum of Natural History

The Malmaison Hotel in Oxford Castle

The University of Oxford[link]

The University of Oxford is the oldest university in the English speaking world^[26] and one of the most famous and prestigious higher education institutions of the world, averaging five applications to every available place, and attracting 40% of its academic staff and 15% of undergraduates from overseas.^[27] It is currently ranked as fifth-best university in the world, according to QS World Rankings,^[28] behind its main UK rival, Cambridge, in first place.

Oxford is renowned for its tutorial-based method of teaching, with students attending an average of one one-hour tutorial a week.^[27]

Aerial view of Oxford city centre.

The city centre[link]

As well as being a major draw for tourists (9.1 million in 2008, similar in 2009),^[29] Oxford city centre has many shops, several theatres, and an ice rink. The historic buildings make this location a popular target for film and TV crews.

The city centre is relatively small, and is centred on Carfax, a cross-roads which forms the junction of Cornmarket Street (pedestrianised), Queen Street (semi-pedestrianised), St Aldate's and The High. Cornmarket Street and Queen Street are home to Oxford's various chain stores, as well as a small number of independent retailers, one of the longest established of which is Boswells, which was founded in 1738.^[30] St Aldate's has few shops but has several local government buildings, including the Town Hall, the city police station and local council offices. The High (the word street is traditionally omitted) is the longest of the four streets and has a number of independent and high-end chain stores, but mostly University and College buildings.

There are two small shopping centres in the city centre: The Clarendon Centre^[31] and The Westgate Centre.^[32] The Westgate Centre is named for the original West Gate in the city wall, and is located at the west end of Queen Street. It is quite small and contains a number of chain stores and a supermarket. The Westgate Shopping Centre is to undergo a large and controversial refurbishment; the plans involve tripling the size of the centre to 750,000 sq ft (70,000 m²), a new 1,335 space underground car park and 90 new shops and bars, including a 230,000 sq ft (21,000 m²) John Lewis department store. There is to be a new and improved transport system, a complete refurbishment of the existing centre and the surrounding Bonn Square area. The development plans include a number of new homes, and completion is expected in 2011, although this is being delayed due to the current financial climate.

Blackwell's Bookshop is a large bookshop which claims the largest single room devoted to book sales in the whole of Europe, the cavernous Norrington Room (10,000 sq ft).

Other attractions[link]

• Ashmolean Museum
• Bodleian Library
• Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford
• The Headington Shark
• Modern Art Oxford
• Museum of the History of Science
• Oxford Botanic Garden
• Pitt Rivers Museum
• Sheldonian Theatre
• St. Mary The Virgin Church

Parks and nature walks[link]

Oxford is a very green city, with several parks and nature walks within the ring road, as well as several sites just outside the ring road. In total, 28 Nature Reserves exist within or just outside of Oxford ring road, including:

• University Parks
• Mesopotamia
• Rock Edge Nature Reserve
• Lye Valley
• South Parks
• C. S. Lewis Nature Reserve
• Shotover Nature Reserve
• Port Meadow

Urban redevelopment[link]

The Westgate redevelopment is just part of a wider scheme proposed by the city council. This scheme includes a total redesign of the centre of Oxford to "pedestrianise" the city. The scheme, entitled Transform Oxford, is only a blueprint for public consultation at this stage, but county council officials are confident it will go ahead.

One of the key elements is the pedestrianisation of Queen Street, with bus stops removed next summer to make way for the eventual complete removal of buses from the street.

Pedestrianisation schemes in George Street and Magdalen Street should follow in the summer of 2010, with the removal of traffic from Broad Street the same year a possibility.

In 2011, highways engineers plan to remodel the Frideswide Square junctions near the railway station, removing traffic lights and introducing roundabouts to improve the traffic flow.

Transport[link]

Air[link]

A Stagecoach bus behind an Oxford Bus Company park-and-ride bus in Oxford.

In addition to the larger airports in the region, Oxford is served by nearby London Oxford Airport, in Kidlington. The airport is also home to Oxford Aviation Academy, an airline pilot flight training centre, and several private jet companies.

Buses[link]

The bus services are mainly provided by the Oxford Bus Company and Stagecoach Oxfordshire. Other operators include Thames Travel, Arriva Shires & Essex and several smaller companies.

Oxford has 5 park and ride sites with bus links to the city centre:

• Pear Tree (bus 300)
• Redbridge (bus 300)
• Seacourt (bus 400)
• Thornhill (bus 400)
• Water Eaton (bus 500)

There are also bus services to the John Radcliffe Hospital (from Thornhill/Water Eaton) and to the Churchill and Nuffield Hospitals (from Thornhill).

Hybrid buses, which use battery power with a small diesel generator, began to be used in Oxford on 15 July 2010, on Stagecoach Oxfordshire's Route 1 (Cowley, Blackbird Leys), followed by other routes.^[33]

Coach[link]

The Oxford to London coach route offers a frequent coach service to London. The X90 (formerly the Oxford Espress [sic]) is operated by the Oxford Bus Company. The Oxford Tube is operated by Stagecoach Oxfordshire. The Oxford Bus Company also runs the Airline services to Heathrow and Gatwick airports.

There is a bus station at Gloucester Green, used mainly by the London and airport buses, National Express coaches, and other long-distance buses including route X5 to Milton Keynes and Cambridge.

Rail[link]

Oxford railway station

In 1844, the Great Western Railway linked Oxford with London (Paddington) via Didcot and Reading;^[8][9] in 1851, the London and North Western Railway opened their own route from Oxford to London (Euston), via Bicester, Bletchley and Watford;^[34] and in 1864 a third route, also to Paddington, running via Thame, High Wycombe and Maidenhead, was provided;^[35] this was shortened in 1906 by the opening of a direct route between High Wycombe and London (Paddington) via Denham.^[36] The distance from Oxford to London was 78 miles (125.5 km) via Bletchley; 63.5 miles (102.2 km) via Didcot and Reading; 63.25 miles (101.8 km) via Thame and Maidenhead;^[37] and 55.75 miles (89.7 km) via Denham.^[36] Of these, only the original route via Didcot is still in use for its full length, although portions of each of the others remain.

There were also routes to the north and west. The line to Banbury was opened in 1850,^[38] and was extended to Birmingham in 1852;^[39] a route to Worcester opened in 1853.^[40] A branch to Witney was opened in 1862,^[41] which was extended to Fairford in 1873.^[42] The line to Witney and Fairford closed in 1962, but the others remain open.

Oxford has had three main railway stations. The first was opened at Grandpont in 1844,^[43] but this was a terminus, inconvenient for routes to the north;^[38] it was replaced by the present station on Park End Street in 1852 with the opening of the Birmingham route.^[39] Another terminus, at Rewley Road, was opened in 1851 to serve the Bletchley route;^[44] this station closed in 1951.^[45] There have also been a number of local railway stations, all of which are now closed.

Oxford railway station is half a mile (about 1 km) west of the city centre. The station is served by numerous routes, including CrossCountry services to as far away as Manchester and Edinburgh, First Great Western (who operate the station) services to London Paddington and other destinations such as Worcester and occasional Chiltern Railways services to Birmingham. The present station opened in 1852. Oxford is the junction for a short branch line to Bicester, which is being extended to form the East-West Rail Link to Milton Keynes, providing a passenger route avoiding London. The Varsity Line between Oxford and Cambridge is planned to link Bedford with a short gap to be reconstructed to Sandy then a rail link between the two cities will be restored via Hitchin.

River and canal[link]

Oxford was historically an important port on the River Thames, with this section of the river being called The Isis; the Oxford-Burcot Commission in the 17th century attempted to improve navigation to Oxford.^[46] Iffley Lock and Osney Lock lie within the bounds of the city. In the eighteenth century the Oxford Canal was built to connect Oxford with the Midlands.^[47]

Commercial traffic has given way to recreational use of the river and canal. Oxford was the original base of Salters Steamers and there is a regular service from Folly Bridge downstream to Abingdon and beyond.

• River Thames

A roads[link]

The city has a ring road that consists of the A34, the A40, A4142 and the A423. It is mostly dual carriageway and was completed in 1966.

The main roads that lead out of Oxford are:

• A34 – which leads to Bicester, the M40 north, Birmingham and Manchester to the north (although since the M40's completion it has disappeared north of Oxford and only re-emerged some 50 miles (80 km) northwards at Solihull), and Didcot, Newbury and Winchester to the south. Since the completion of the Newbury by-pass in 1998, the A34 has been entirely grade separated dual carriageway all the way from Bicester to Winchester.
• A40 – which leads to London and High Wycombe (as well as the M40 motorway south) to the east, and Cheltenham, Gloucester and south Wales to the west.
• A44 – which begins in Oxford and leads to Worcester, Hereford and Aberystwyth.
• A420 – which also begins in Oxford and leads to Bristol passing Swindon and Chippenham.

The M40 extension

Motorway[link]

The city is served by the M40 motorway, which connects London to Birmingham. The M40 approached Oxford in 1974 (the first section through Buckinghamshire opened in 1967) and went from London to Waterstock where the A40 continued to Oxford. When the M40 extension to Birmingham was completed in January 1991, a mile of the old motorway became a spur as the extension curved sharply north. The M40 comes no closer than 10 miles (16 km) away from the city centre, curving to the east of Otmoor. The M40 meets the A34 to the north of Oxford, the latter now being in two parts, the A34 restarting near Solihull, while the A41 (which previous passed through Banbury and Warwick) restarts in the same area.

Education[link]

Schools[link]

Oxford is home to wide range of schools many of which receive pupils from around the world. There are two University choral foundation schools, Christ Church Cathedral School and New College School, established to educate the boy choristers of the chapel choirs, and have kept the tradition of single sex education. Magdalen College School was also a school for choristers but later became a grammar school and then independent school. St Edward's is another leading independent HMC member school and is the one of the few fully co-educational public schools in the county. Other independent schools in Oxford include Oxford High School, Rye St Antony School and Headington School (all girls only), St. Clare's, Oxford (co-ed, international school), Greene's Tutorial College (post-GCSE) and two prep schools, Dragon School and Emmanuel Christian School.

Examination results in state-run Oxford schools are consistently below the national average and regional average. However, results in the city are improving with 44% of pupils gaining 5 grades A*-C in 2006.^[48] The city and its suburbs are served by two academies, three state schools and a voluntary-aided Catholic school.

Tertiary[link]

There are two universities in Oxford, the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University, as well as the further education institution Ruskin College. Oxford is also now home to the international headquarters of the SAE Institute, the world's largest creative media college.

Media[link]

As well as the BBC national radio stations, Oxford and the surrounding area has several local stations, including BBC Oxford, Heart Thames Valley, Glide FM and Jack FM on 106.8 along with Oxide: Oxford Student Radio^[49] (which went on terrestrial radio at 87.7 MHz FM in late May 2005). A local TV station, Six TV: The Oxford Channel was also available but closed in April 2009.^[50] 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 (compact; weekly), its sister papers The Oxford Mail (tabloid; daily) and The Oxford Star (tabloid; free and delivered), and Oxford Journal (tabloid; weekly free pick-up). Oxford is also home to several advertising agencies.

Daily Information (known locally as Daily Info) is an events and advertising news sheet which has been published since 1964 and now provides a connected website.

Nightshift is a monthly local free magazine that has covered the Oxford music scene since 1991.^[51]

In 2003 DIY grassroots non-corporate media has begun to spread.^[52] Independent and community newspapers include the Jericho Echo^[53] and Oxford Prospect.^[54]

Culture[link]

Literature and film[link]

Well-known Oxford-based authors include:

• Oscar Wilde a nineteenth century poet and author who attended Oxford from 1874 to 1878.
• John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir attended Brasenose College. Best known for his The Thirty-nine Steps, authored 32 novels and many more volumes of history, poetry and essays.
• Susan Cooper who is best known for her The Dark Is Rising Sequence
• Lewis Carroll (real name Charles Lutwidge Dodgson), Student and Mathematical Lecturer of Christ Church.
• Colin Dexter who wrote and set his Inspector Morse detective novels in Oxford. Colin Dexter still lives in Oxford.
• John Donaldson (d.1989), a poet resident in Oxford in later life.
• Siobhan Dowd Oxford resident; who was an undergraduate at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford.
• Kenneth Grahame educated at St. Edward's School, Oxford
• Michael Innes (J. I. M. Stewart), of Christ Church.
• P. D. James who lives part-time in Oxford.
• T. E. Lawrence, "Lawrence of Arabia", Oxford resident, undergraduate at Jesus, postgraduate at Magdalen.
• C. S. Lewis, student at University College and Fellow of Magdalen.
• Alex Ryan, formerly an Oxford resident for many years.
• Iris Murdoch, Fellow of St Anne's.
• Iain Pears, undergraduate at Wadham and Oxford resident, whose novel An Instance of the Fingerpost is set in the city.
• Philip Pullman who was an undergraduate at Exeter.
• Dorothy L. Sayers who was an undergraduate at Somerville.
• J. R. R. Tolkien, undergraduate at Exeter and later professor of English at Merton
• John Wain, undergraduate at St John's and later Professor of Poetry at Oxford University 1973–78
• Charles Williams, editor at Oxford University Press.
• Brian Aldiss who lives in Oxford.

Oxford appears in the following works:

• "The Scarlet Pimpernel"
• "Harry Potter" (all the films to date)
• The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica by James A. Owen
• Jude the Obscure (1895) by Thomas Hardy (in which Oxford is thinly disguised as "Christminster").
• Zuleika Dobson (1911) by Max Beerbohm.
• Gaudy Night (1935) by Dorothy L. Sayers.
• Brideshead Revisited (1945) by Evelyn Waugh.
• A Question of Upbringing (1951 ) by Anthony Powell
• Second Generation (1964 novel) by Raymond Williams
• Young Sherlock Holmes (1985) by Steven Spielberg
• Where The Rivers Meet (1988) trilogy set in Oxford by John Wain
• All Souls (1989) by Javier Marías
• The Children of Men (1992) by P. D. James.
• Doomsday Book (1992) by Connie Willis
• His Dark Materials (1995 onwards) by Philip Pullman
• "Tomorrow Never Dies" (1997)
• "The Saint" (1997)
• "102 Dalmatians" (2000)
• Endymion Spring (2006) by Matthew Skelton
• The Oxford Murders (2008)
• The Oxford Virus (2010) by Adam Kolczynski
• Mr. Nice (2010) The story of Howard Marks
• X-Men: First Class (2011)

Music[link]

Oxford, and its surrounding towns and villages, have produced many successful bands and musicians. The most notable Oxford act is Radiohead, who hail from nearby Abingdon, though other well known local bands include Supergrass, Ride, Swervedriver, Talulah Gosh and more recently, Young Knives, Foals and Stornoway. These and many other bands from over 30 years of the Oxford music scene's history feature in the documentary film Anyone Can Play Guitar.

In 1997, Oxford played host to Radio 1's Sound City, with acts such as Bentley Rhythm Ace, Embrace, Spiritualized and DJ Shadow playing in various venues around the city.^[55]

Sport[link]

The town's leading football club, Oxford United, are currently in League Two, the fourth tier of league football, and have enjoyed great success in the past in the upper reaches of the football league. They were elected to the Football League in 1962, reached the Third Division after three years and the Second Division after six, and most notably reached the First Division in 1985 – a mere 23 years after joining the Football League. They spent three seasons in the top flight, winning the Football League Cup a year after promotion. The next 18 years that followed relegation in 1988 saw their fortunes decline gradually, though a brief respite in 1996 saw them win promotion to the new (post Premier League) Division One in 1996 and stay there for three years. They suffered relegation to the Football Conference in 2006, staying there for four seasons before returning to the Football League in 2010. They play at the Kassam Stadium (named after former chairman Firoz Kassam), which is situated near the Blackbird Leys housing estate and has been their home since relocation from the Manor Ground in 2001. The club's notable former managers include Ian Greaves, Jim Smith, Maurice Evans, Brian Horton and Denis Smith. Notable former players include John Aldridge, Ray Houghton, Tommy Caton, Matt Elliott, Nigel Jemson and Dean Whitehead.

Oxford City F.C. is a semi-professional football club, separate from Oxford United. It plays in the Southern Football League Premier Division. Oxford City Nomads F.C. are another semi-professional football club, who ground share with Oxford City F.C. and play in the Hellenic league. Oxford Harlequins RFC is the city's main rugby team and plays in the National 3 South West league.

Oxford Cheetahs motorcycle speedway team has raced at Cowley Stadium on and off since 1939. The Cheetahs competed in the Speedway Elite League and then the Speedway Conference League until 2007, when stadium landlords Greyhound Racing Association apparently doubled the rent.^{[citation needed]} Speedway is not currently running in Oxford.

There are several field hockey clubs based in Oxford. The Oxford Hockey Club (formed after a merger of City of Oxford HC and Rover Oxford HC in 2011) plays most of its home games on the pitch at Oxford Brookes University, Headington Campus, and also uses the pitches at Headington Girls' School and Iffley Road. Oxford Hawks has two astroturf pitches at Banbury Road North, by Cutteslowe Park to the north of the city.

Oxford City Stars is the local Ice Hockey Team which plays at Oxford Ice Rink. There is a senior/adults’ team^[56] and a junior/children’s team.^[57]

Oxford is also home to the Oxford City Rowing Club which is situated near Donnington Bridge.

International relations[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2012)

Oxford is twinned with:

• Bonn, Germany
• Grenoble, France^[58]
• Leiden, Netherlands
• León, Nicaragua
• Perm, Russia
• Umeå, Sweden
• Saskatoon, Canada

See also[link]

England portal

Gallery[link]

• 

  The Sheldonian Theatre in 2009

• 

  Keble College, one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford

• 

  Night view of High Street with Christmas lights - one of Oxford's main streets

• 

  Floral display in Oxford city centre in 2001

• 

  All Souls College looking east up the High Street from St Mary's Church

• 

  The Bridge of Sighs links sections of Hertford College as seen from Catte Street leading into New College Lane.

• 

  The University Church of St Mary the Virgin as seen from Radcliffe Square.

• 

  A view of Broad Street, Oxford, showing the main entrances to Trinity and Balliol Colleges, and obliquely, the frontage of Exeter College from the Sheldonian Theatre.

• 

  Carfax Tower at Carfax, the confluence of the High Street, Cornmarket and St Aldate's streets in what is considered by many to be the centre of the city.

• 

  The High Street as viewed from St Mary's, looking east, with Magdalen College in the distant background.

• 

  Merton College as viewed from the Oriel Square entrance to Merton Street.

References[link]

Notes