97-479: The Burdett-Coutts Memorial Sundial is a structure built in the churchyard of Old St Pancras , London, in 1877–79, at the behest of Baroness Burdett-Coutts . The former churchyard included the burial ground for St Giles-in-the-Fields , where many Catholics and French émigrés were buried. The graveyard closed to burials in 1850, but some graves were disturbed by a cutting of the Midland Railway in 1865 as part of
194-536: A Middlesex magistrate, former chairman of the Middlesex County Council and amateur historian and archaeologist. Sharpe had proposed, in a book first published in 1919, that the area of the county of Middlesex had in Roman times been subject to the form of land division known as centuriation , marked out by roads in a regular grid pattern covering the whole county. Sharpe noted, when plotting his gridlines, that
291-460: A "vulgar Tradition", and suggested that there was confusion with the ancient church with the same dedication in the grounds of St Augustine's Abbey in Canterbury , which was said to have been converted from a pagan temple by Augustine in 598. In 1870 local historian Samuel Palmer reported "This old and venerable church is said to be the first Christian place of worship in the county of Middlesex in
388-494: A Roman period establishment was argued by local historian Charles Lee in 1955, who wrote: There can be little doubt that a Roman encampment was situated opposite the site of St Pancras Church about this period, and that the church is on the site of a Roman Compitum, which served as a centre of public worship and public meeting... It seems probable that the Roman Compitum at St Pancras was adapted to Christian worship shortly after
485-843: A ban on private vehicles during daytime hours on weekdays and Saturdays (in place since the 1970s), widened pavements and improved pedestrian crossings. Oxford Street runs for approximately 1.2 mi (1.9 km) and is entirely within the City of Westminster . The road begins at St Giles Circus as a westward continuation of New Oxford Street, meeting Charing Cross Road , Tottenham Court Road (next to Tottenham Court Road station ). It runs past Rathbone Place , Wardour Street and Great Portland Street to Oxford Circus , where it meets Regent Street . From there it continues past New Bond Street , Bond Street station and Vere Street , ending at Marble Arch . The route continues as Bayswater Road and Holland Park Avenue towards Shepherd's Bush . The road
582-449: A centre of protest against the lack of suitable accommodation in central London. In 2015, building work began to convert it into residential flats, with development initially expected to finish in 2017. The restoration and conversion was completed in March 2018. Much as had been the case at its original opening, the refurbished tower remains largely empty, with few windows lit in the evenings,
679-462: A cluster of taller tower blocks provided office space. Begun in 1959 the work was largely completed within two years; it was one of the largest post-war redevelopment projects to be undertaken in the West End. From August 1963 until April 1968 part of Oxford Street had to be closed to traffic so that Oxford Circus tube station could be rebuilt to incorporate the new Victoria line , which began serving
776-522: A flagship Next store was opened on the site. The principal Topshop store by Oxford Circus shut in late 2020 after its parent company, Arcadia Group went into administration. A year later, following the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant , the Government introduced new lockdown restrictions, which caused problems with businesses along Oxford Street, which had been hampered by the pandemic since
873-510: A km away). The old building lost its status as the parish church when the New Church was consecrated in 1822, and became a chapel of ease . As it stood in the early 19th century, the church consisted of an unaisled nave , a chancel without a chancel arch and a western tower. The south porch had served as a vestry since the 18th century. By 1847 the Old Church was derelict, but in view of
970-527: A live music venue since 24 October 1942. It was thought to be safe from bombing threats because of its underground location, and played host to jazz musicians, including Glenn Miller . It was renamed the London Jazz Club in 1948, and subsequently the Humphrey Lyttelton Club after he took over the lease in the 1950s. Louis Armstrong played at the venue during this time. It became a key venue for
1067-457: A major coaching route, there were several obstacles along it, including the bridge over the Tyburn. A turnpike trust was established in 1721 to improve upkeep of the road. It became notorious as the route taken by prisoners on their final journey from Newgate Prison to the gallows at Tyburn. Spectators jeered as the prisoners were carted along the road, and could buy rope used in the executions from
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#17328697055711164-447: A new vestry was added on the north side. The whole exterior of the church was refaced or reworked. The enlargement and the addition of galleries increased the capacity of the church from about 120 to 500. There were further restorations in 1888 by Arthur Blomfield with the reredos by C E Buckeridge ; in 1925 when the plaster ceiling and the side galleries were removed, and in 1948 following Second World War bomb damage . The building
1261-479: A number of ancient parish churches appeared to be on or close to intersections, or at least on road alignments. He concluded that these churches must therefore stand on the sites of pagan compita , and represent the deliberate conversion of pagan temples to Christian use by early missionaries to the Middle Saxons in the 7th century. St Pancras Old Church is one of those marked on Sharpe's map. In 597, Pope Gregory
1358-535: A retail location, with many British retail chains having their flagship stores on the street, and has a number of listed buildings . Unlike nearby shopping streets such as Bond Street , it has retained an element of downmarket trading alongside more prestigious retail stores. Generally speaking, the eastern end of Oxford Street features a higher proportion of more downmarket retailers, fast food restaurants and souvenir shops whilst more exclusive and upmarket stores can be found towards its western end which passes close to
1455-570: A solo show at the church. St Pancras Old Church is frequently mentioned in the Bryant and May detective series by author Christopher Fowler . 51°32′05.63″N 00°07′48.68″W / 51.5348972°N 0.1301889°W / 51.5348972; -0.1301889 Oxford Street Oxford Street is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London , running from Tottenham Court Road to Marble Arch via Oxford Circus . It marks
1552-530: A tomb for his wife and himself in the churchyard, which is now Grade I listed . This mausoleum may have provided the inspiration for the design by Giles Gilbert Scott of the iconic red telephone boxes . Other people associated with the churchyard include the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley and the future Mary Shelley , who planned their 1814 elopement over meetings at the grave of her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, mentioned above. Charles Dickens mentions it by name in his 1859 novel A Tale of Two Cities , making it
1649-699: A trefoil Gothic arch around a relief sculpture (busts of two saints, St Giles and St Pancras , and of two allegorical figures depicting a youthful Morning with a cockerel and a more aged Night with a star and a crescent moon). The inscriptions on four marble panels include the Beatitudes from the Gospel of St Matthew , chapter 5, verses 3 to 9, and a religious poem. The tower stands on a square plinth of Portland stone, which rests on an octagonal base of three steps made from red Mansfield sandstone. The steps are decorated with mosaic panels, mostly stylised flowers. The structure
1746-413: Is a polished marble stone at the entrance to the church, a collaboration between and a gift from the poet Jeremy Clarke and the sculptor Emily Young . It is inscribed: "And I am here / in a place / beyond desire or fear", an extract from the long poem "Praise" by Clarke. This impressive monument was erected in 1877 when the northern half of the churchyard was formalised as a public park, clearing most of
1843-400: Is itself Grade II listed, and includes the tomb of Sir John Soane . St Pancras Old Church is also Grade II* listed. North West side: North East side: 51°32′07″N 0°07′51″W / 51.53540°N 0.13087°W / 51.53540; -0.13087 St Pancras Old Church St Pancras Old Church is a Church of England parish church on Pancras Road, Somers Town , in
1940-571: Is now Kentish Town (further north in St Pancras parish). The reasons for this were probably the vulnerability of the plain around the church to flooding (the River Fleet , which is now underground, runs through it) and the availability of better wells at Kentish Town, where there is less clay in the soil. Richard Granger is named as parson of the church of St Pancras, in 1446. After the Reformation
2037-708: Is part of the University of the Arts London , formerly the London Institute. The Salvation Army opened Regent Hall , its first Central London venue, at Nos. 275–279 Oxford Street in 1882. It served as a base for poverty relief , street missions and a Salvation Army band . Rebuilt in 1959–1960, the hall remains in Salvation Army use. The cosmetics retailer Lush opened a store in 2015. Measuring 9,300 sq ft (860 m ) and containing three floors, it
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#17328697055712134-576: Is surrounded by iron railings which create a square enclosure, with a Portland stone animal statue at each of the four corners, two lions and two dogs. The dogs may be modelled on Greyfriars Bobby , or possibly an animal owned by Burdett-Coutts herself. The railings also bear a plaque to Johann Christian Bach , buried in a pauper's grave nearby. The monument became a Grade II listed building in February 1993, upgraded to Grade II* in September 2016. The garden
2231-570: Is the company's largest retail premises. Two large hotels dominate the western (Marble Arch) end of the street: the red brick Mount Royal Hotel (now the Amba) was built in 1933–1934 to a design by Francis Lorne ; while the Portland stone -fronted Cumberland Hotel, by F. J.Wills, opened in 1933 (it was renamed the Hard Rock Hotel in 2018). Oxford Street has several Grade II listed buildings. In addition,
2328-658: Is within the London Congestion Charging Zone . It is part of the A40 , most of which is a trunk road running from London to Fishguard (via Oxford , Cheltenham , Brecon and Haverfordwest ). Like many roads in Central London that are no longer through routes, it is not signposted with that number. Numerous bus routes run along Oxford Street, including the 55, 73, 94, 98, 159, 390 and Night Buses N8, N55, N73, N98 and N207. {{{annotations}}} Oxford Street follows
2425-521: The Bishop of Fulham (currently Jonathan Baker ). The church contains the grave of Samuel Cooper (or Cowper), the miniaturist, against its east wall. The churchyard, which is the largest green space in the locality, is managed by the London Borough of Camden . It has some fine mature trees, and was restored in the first few years of the 21st century. The graveyard served not only as a burial place for
2522-582: The Chevalier d'Éon , Sir John Soane , John Flaxman , Sir John Gurney , and James Leoni . The monument was designed by George Highton of Brixton. It was manufactured by H Daniel and Co, a firm of masons from Highgate, and includes relief carvings by Signor Facigna. It comprises a tall square tower in a decorated Gothic style, topped by a tall Portland limestone pinnacle bearing a sundial, supported by columns of pink Shap granite and grey Cornish granite to either side of four inscribed marble plaques, each topped by
2619-642: The London Borough of Camden . Somers Town is an area of the ancient parish and later Metropolitan Borough of St Pancras . Dedicated to the Roman martyr Saint Pancras , the patron saint of children, it is reputed to be one of the oldest sites of Christian worship in England , but this is not supported by strong evidence. St Pancras Old Church, which was largely rebuilt in the Victorian era , should not be confused with St Pancras New Church (1819–1822) about 860 metres (940 yd) away on Euston Road . The building served
2716-451: The Midland Railway 's London terminus, St Pancras station . More burials were removed in 2002. The churchyard was reopened in June 1877 as St Pancras Gardens, following the movement to allow conversion of disused burial grounds into public gardens. Angela Burdett-Coutts , an important local benefactress, laid the foundation stone of the memorial sundial she had presented. A recent addition
2813-474: The Northern line thirty years later). Development continued through the first half of the 20th century, with Bourne & Hollingsworth opening in 1902. When Waring & Gillow opened their new store in 1906 it became the first West End store to occupy an entire city block . Selfridges opened on 15 March 1909 at No. 400; it promptly had a 'transformative influence on Britain's retail scene, elevating
2910-558: The Sex Pistols , the Damned and the Buzzcocks . The Flying Horse (formerly The Tottenham) is a Grade II* listed pub at No. 6 Oxford Street, near Tottenham Court Road. It was built in the mid-19th century and is the last remaining pub in the street, which once had 20. The London College of Fashion has an Oxford Street campus on John Prince's Street near Oxford Circus. The college
3007-508: The hangman in taverns. By about 1729, the road had become known as Oxford Street. Development began in the 18th century after many surrounding fields were purchased by the Earl of Oxford . In 1739, a local gardener, Thomas Huddle, built property on the north side. After Lord Oxford's death the estate was inherited by his daughter the Duchess of Portland ; it then passed down to successive dukes as
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3104-615: The trad jazz revival, hosting gigs by Chris Barber and Acker Bilk . It was renamed the 100 Club in 1964 after Roger Horton bought a stake, adding an alcohol licence for the first time. The venue hosted gigs by several British rock bands, including the Who , the Kinks and the Animals . It was an important venue for punk rock in the UK and hosted the first British punk festival on 21 September 1976, featuring
3201-513: The 250th anniversary of Wollstonecraft's birth were held by various groups, both inside the church and at the gravestone. In the 17th and 18th centuries, many foreign dignitaries and aristocrats were buried in the graveyard; they are commemorated on the Burdett-Coutts Memorial Sundial , an elaborate memorial commissioned by the philanthropist Angela Burdett-Coutts, 1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts . The architect John Soane designed
3298-656: The Central London Railway (now the Central line of the London Underground), which runs under Oxford Street for part of its course, began in 1896, which necessitated the development of four new station buildings on or near the street, at Marble Arch , Bond Street , Oxford Circus and Tottenham Court Road . Of the three chief engineers of the project, only Benjamin Baker lived to see the railway completed. On 27 June 1900,
3395-640: The Great sent Augustine of Canterbury at the head of a group of 40 monks intending to promote the re-establishment of Christianity in England. Pope Gregory sent Augustine with relics of St Pancras, and the first church Augustine established, was dedicated to St Pancras and located in Canterbury , the capital of the Kingdom of Kent . Some traditions also ascribe the establishment of the St Pancras Old Church, or its dedication to St Pancras, with Augustine's mission and
3492-654: The Metropolitan Police, was killed while defusing a bomb planted by the IRA in the basement toilet of a Wimpy Bar on Oxford Street. The IRA also detonated a bomb at the John Lewis department store in December 1992, along with another in nearby Cavendish Square , injuring four people. The human billboard Stanley Green began selling on Oxford Street in 1968, advertising his belief in the link of proteins to sexual libido and
3589-539: The Portland Estate, before becoming the Howard de Walden Estate in 1879 (by way of the 5th Duke 's sister). The Howard de Walden Estate progressively sold off its Oxford Street holdings (which lay on the north side between Marylebone Lane and Wells Street ) in the first half of the twentieth century. Other landowning estates held sway over the western end of Oxford Street: most of the northern side west of Duke Street
3686-462: The Portman Estate. The Pantheon , a place for public entertainment, opened at No. 173 in 1772. The street became popular for entertainment including bear-baiters , theatres and public houses . However, it was not attractive to the middle and upper classes due to the nearby Tyburn gallows and the notorious St Giles rookery , or slum. The gallows were removed in 1783, and by the end of
3783-574: The Prince of Wales (who became King Edward VII the following year) ceremonially opened the line and public services began on 30 July. The line's route below Oxford Street made it the first railway to provide a direct service to the theatre and shopping areas of the West End and the City. The Bakerloo line came to Oxford Circus on 10 March 1906, and the Hampstead line to Tottenham Court Road on 22 June 1907 (it became
3880-557: The UK's high streets. The frontage to Oxford Street was, on completion, the largest shop façade in London. Marks & Spencer has two stores on Oxford Street. The first, Marks & Spencer Marble Arch, is at the junction with Orchard Street; it was opened in 1930. The second branch, which opened eight years later, is between Regent Street and Tottenham Court Road, on the former site of the Pantheon. Both premises were significantly expanded in
3977-455: The West End, particularly Oxford Street. Many buildings were damaged, either from direct hits or subsequent fires, including four department stores: John Lewis, Selfridges, Bourne & Hollingsworth and Peter Robinson. George Orwell wrote in his diary for 24 September that Oxford Street was "completely empty of traffic, and only a few pedestrians", and saw "innumerable fragments of broken glass". John Lewis caught fire again on 25 September and
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4074-485: The activity or ambience of its namesake; but in its central section a number of original 1840s stuccoed buildings have survived, providing a glimpse of its former character. Centre Point , at the corner of New Oxford Street and Charing Cross Road, was one of London's first skyscrapers; it was designed by property developer Harry Hyams and opened in 1966. It failed to find a suitable tenant and remained empty for many years before being occupied by squatters who used it as
4171-464: The axis of Oxford Street eastwards from St Giles Circus. Previously, the route into the City of London had deviated southwards at this point, to skirt around the ancient settlement of St Giles with its leper hospital . The building of the new street involved much slum clearance , but did not entirely eradicate the notorious old rookeries. Once a fashionable shopping street, a preponderance of office buildings has led to New Oxford Street no longer sharing
4268-561: The building and references in the Domesday Book suggest the site was in use during the Anglo-Saxon period. As early as 1593 the cartographer John Norden had commented in his Speculum Britanniae that the dilapidated St Pancras church looked older than St Paul's Cathedral . By the 18th century there seems to have been a local belief that St Pancras was of very great age, perhaps the oldest church in England. Information panels outside
4365-407: The case until their withdrawal from the UK market in 2001). It is notable that all the aforementioned department stores were or are on the north side of the street. Whether this was down to a preference for south-facing shop fronts, or there being better access routes to the north for deliveries and services, or something akin to coincidence remains an open question. Some large stores were opened on
4462-490: The century, Oxford Street was built up from St Giles Circus to Park Lane , containing a mix of residential houses, shops and places of entertainment. Oxford Circus was designed as part of the development of Regent Street by the architect John Nash in 1810. It was later rebuilt (the four quadrants of the circus as seen today were designed by Sir Henry Tanner and constructed between 1913 and 1928). The Pantheon closed as an entertainment venue in 1814 (twenty years later it
4559-461: The church today state that it "stands on one of Europe’s most ancient sites of Christian worship, possibly dating back to the early 4th century" and has been a "site of prayer and meditation since 314 AD". A vicar of the church claimed (at some point prior to 1870) to have seen a document in the Vatican Library that placed the foundation to the 4th century, during the Roman period. The case for
4656-566: The composers Carl Friedrich Abel and Johann Christian Bach , the eighteenth child of Johann Sebastian Bach , and the sculptor John Flaxman . William Franklin , the illegitimate son of Benjamin Franklin and last colonial Governor of New Jersey , was interred here in 1814. There is a spousal memorial tomb for philosophers and writers Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin , though their remains are now in Bournemouth . In 2009, commemorations of
4753-487: The concept of a department store as a social and cultural institution open to everyone, with innovative window dressing, exceptional customer service and masterly advertising'. Shoemakers Lilley & Skinner acquired the lease of 358–360 Oxford Street in 1914; they later expanded into Nos. 356–366, reputedly becoming the world's largest shoe store in 1921. In 1922 C&A purchased Nos. 376–384 (before long C&A had three stores on Oxford Street, which remained
4850-481: The dangers therein. He regularly patrolled the street with a placard headlined "less passion from less protein", and advertised his pamphlet Eight Passion Proteins with Care until his death in 1993. His placards are now housed in the British Museum . The opening of Britain's first out-of-town shopping centre at Brent Cross in 1976 prompted experiments with mall-style shopping precincts on Oxford Street. West One
4947-589: The destruction of the Palm Court Restaurant. The basement was converted to a communications base, with a dedicated line run along Oxford Street to Whitehall . The line allowed British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to make secure and direct telephone calls to the US President Franklin D. Roosevelt . The store was damaged again on 6 December 1944 after a V2 rocket exploded on nearby Duke Street, causing its Christmas tree displays to collapse into
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#17328697055715044-430: The eighth or ninth century." An earlier vicar is said to have claimed to have seen in the Vatican Library a manuscript mentioning that St Pancras church was built in the 9th century (in addition to the other clergyman who claimed to have found reference to a Roman era establishment). When the church was rebuilt in 1847, builders found some evidence of Anglo-Saxon period church activity and some re-used Roman tiles in
5141-421: The entire block between that street and Marylebone Lane, and was housed (from 1870) in a new building designed by Horace Jones and Octavius Hansard. What would now be called department stores began to appear on Oxford Street in the 1870s (the rebuilt Marshall & Snelgrove being one of the first). John Lewis started in 1864 in small shop at No. 132; he took on an adjacent property in 1878, and over
5238-499: The group's "Mad Day Out". The video for Lene Lovich 's 1979 hit "Bird Song" was filmed in the church and churchyard. In 2013, British R&B singer Sam Smith performed two concerts at the church. The live version of "I've Told You Now" was included on deluxe editions of their album In the Lonely Hour . On 24 September 2014, singer Claudia Brücken , best known for her work with German electronic group Propaganda , performed
5335-408: The growth of population in the southern part of the parish, it was decided to restore it. ( Victorian restoration of churches is not what we understand today by the phrase building restoration .) The architect of the alterations was Alexander Dick Gough . The old tower was removed, allowing the nave to be extended westwards, and a new tower was built on the south side. The south porch was removed, and
5432-495: The isolation and decay of the church made it a tempting resort for Catholics : indeed, it was said that the last bell which tolled for the Mass in England was at St Pancras. St Pancras (and to a lesser degree Paddington Church ) were the only places in London where Roman Catholics were permitted to be buried. Among the several Catholics buried in the churchyard was Johann Christian Bach , youngest son of Johann Sebastian Bach . His name
5529-424: The large ancient parish of St Pancras , which stretched from a point a short distance north of Oxford Street , northward to Highgate . By some traditions, the church has been a site of Christian worship since AD 314, but as with most parish churches, especially the older ones, there is little documentary or archaeological evidence to allow the first use of the site to be dated. Remnants of medieval features in
5626-400: The late 1830s, remarks that almost all the street, save for the far western end, was primarily retail. Peter Robinson opened his draper's shop at 103 Oxford Street in the 1830s; by the 1890s the shop had expanded to fill the entire block between Great Portland Street and Regent Street. Likewise Marshall & Snelgrove opened on Vere Street in 1837; within 40 years it had expanded to fill
5723-440: The latter brand was withdrawn. It remained Topshop's flagship store until 2021 when (the parent company Arcadia having gone into administration) it closed. From 1970 to 1991, the fourth floor of this building was occupied by AIR Studios recording production facilities. Ikea announced they would open a store on the former TopShop site in 2023. However, this was later pushed back to the following year. The music retailer HMV
5820-538: The location of body snatching to provide corpses for dissection at medical schools, a common practice at the time. Burials in the churchyard eventually ceased under the Extramural Interment Act in 1854, and St Pancras and Islington Cemetery was opened in East Finchley. In the mid-1860s, the young Thomas Hardy was in charge of the excavation of part of the graveyard in the course of the construction of
5917-428: The lumps and bumps in the fields to the west of the church that Stukeley interpreted as a Roman camp were actually traces of the original medieval village of St Pancras, before the centre of the settlement moved north to the area now known as Kentish Town. Lee's use of the word compitum , properly a Roman temple or shrine situated at a crossroads, indicates his indebtedness to the work of Montagu Sharpe (1856–1942),
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#17328697055716014-414: The materials used in the wall, leaving no doubt but that the original church had been a Norman structure which had been at some time completely rebuilt and part used as building material in the reconstruction. In the early Middle Ages there was a centre of population in the vicinity of what is now known as the old church. However, in the 14th century the focus of population is thought to have shifted to what
6111-474: The medieval church revealed Roman tiles in the fabric of its tower and an inscribed altar stone dated to AD 625 (other sources estimate an AD 600 date ), which might suggest an early 7th-century foundation. The original cemetery around the church appears to have been sub-circular like many late Saxon cemeteries These archaeological findings seem to go some way to countering the 18th century London historian William Maitland , who dismissed links to Augustine's era as
6208-553: The most popular destinations in London for tourists, with an annual estimated turnover of over £1 billion. It forms part of a shopping district in the West End of London , along with other streets including Covent Garden , Bond Street and Piccadilly . The New West End Company, formerly the Oxford Street Association, oversees stores and trade along the street; its objective is to make the place safe and desirable for shoppers. The group has been critical of overcrowding and
6305-537: The next twenty years expanded further and began rebuilding. Dan Harries Evans opened a small draper's shop at No. 147 in 1879; as D H Evans the business swiftly expanded, taking in more than a dozen properties either side of Old Cavendish Street and becoming one of London's largest drapery establishments by the mid-1890s. At the same time, smaller independent retailers continued to thrive alongside their larger counterparts, specialising in all sorts of different goods, trades and services. Meanwhile, construction of
6402-450: The notional boundary between the areas of Fitzrovia and Marylebone to the north, with Soho and Mayfair to its immediate south. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, with around half a million daily visitors, and as of 2012 had approximately 300 shops. It is designated as part of the A40 , a major road between London and Fishguard , though it is not signed as such, and traffic is regularly restricted to buses and taxis. The road
6499-548: The opening of the nearby St Pancras International station with a bilingual service and a twinning with the Church of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, Paris , near the Gare du Nord , Paris . In 2013 an official appeals project was launched to raise the funds necessary to preserve the church and grounds. As a traditional Anglo-Catholic church that rejects the ordination of women as priests and bishops, it receives alternative episcopal oversight from
6596-518: The parishioners but also for Roman Catholics from all around London. They included many French refugees (émigrés), especially priests, who had fled the Revolution , one of them the spy Chevalier d'Éon . Notable people buried in the churchyard include the notorious colonial administrator Joseph Wall who was executed for cruelty in 1802. The famous vampire writer ( "The Vampyre" published in 1819) and physician John William Polidori (buried in 1821),
6693-451: The previous year. An analyst at GlobalData said the street "has been forever changed by the closure, or in some cases, downsizing of long-standing department stores". The House of Fraser store closed in January 2022 as a result. New Oxford Street was built in 1847, in accordance with a plan of James Pennethorne , to link the eastern end of Oxford Street with High Holborn . It extends
6790-651: The quality of shops and has clamped down on abusive traders, who were then refused licences. Several British retail chains regard their Oxford Street branch as the flagship store. In 1919 Marshall & Snelgrove merged with Debenhams (which had opened in nearby Wigmore Street in 1778). The Oxford Street store continued to trade as Marshall & Snelgrove until 1972, when the rebuilt premises were reopened as Debenhams. (Debenhams' flagship Oxford Street store closed in 2021.) The London flagship store of House of Fraser began as D. H. Evans in 1879; its current premises were designed by Louis Blanc and opened in 1937. It
6887-479: The relics he brought. J. Carter Rendell (vicar 1912–26) argued that a medieval altar slab marked with five consecration crosses , found during the 19th-century building works, could be dated to the 6th century. Phil Emery and Pat Miller discuss the archaeological history of the site in 'Archaeological findings at the site of the St Pancras Burial Ground and its vicinity': The 1847 reconstruction of
6984-454: The rest in darkness, despite at least half its units being sold. This has led to its being called one of London's "ghost towers". Oxford Street is home to a number of major department stores and flagship retail outlets, containing over 300 shops as of 2012. It is the most frequently visited shopping street in Inner London, attracting over half a million daily visitors in 2014, and is one of
7081-481: The restoration of religious freedom in 313 (taking its name from the recently-martyred Pancras). Lee's "Roman encampment" was "Caesar’s Camp at Pancras called the Brill", identified by the antiquary William Stukeley in the 1750s. However, some at least of Stukeley's contemporaries could see no trace of this camp, and considered that Stukeley had let his imagination run away with him. Gillian Tindall has suggested that
7178-641: The route of a Roman road , the Via Trinobantina, which linked Calleva Atrebatum (near Silchester , Hampshire ) with Camulodunum (now Colchester ) via London and became one of the major routes in and out of the city. Between the 12th century and 1782, it was variously known as Tyburn Road (after the River Tyburn that crossed it north to south), Uxbridge Road (the name still used for the road between Shepherd's Bush and Uxbridge ), Worcester Road and Oxford Road. Tyburn , near where Marble Arch now stands,
7275-457: The second half of the 20th century. Topshop was conceived in the 1960s as a youth brand for Peter Robinson , and a sizeable Topshop department was opened within the flagship store on Oxford Street (which had been rebuilt in the 1920s as part of the Oxford Circus improvements). Gradually Topshop took over more of the premises, operating alongside Peter Robinson for a time in the 1970s before
7372-472: The smaller gravestones. It lists stones lost to this and earlier clearances for the railways. See Lysons 2016 On 6 July 1811, the composer and pianist Muzio Clementi married Emma Gisborne. On 28 July 1968, The Beatles were photographed in the churchyard grounds, in a famous series of pictures designed to promote the single " Hey Jude " and the White Album . A memorial bench bears a plaque commemorating
7469-401: The south side of the street in the 20th century: Woolworths opened its first West End store at No. 311 in 1925, followed by a handful of others in the 1930s (for example Littlewoods , which opened its first Central London store at Nos. 207–213 in 1937, later expanding into Nos. 197–205; it was rebuilt in the early 1960s but closed in the early 2000s). By the 1930s the street
7566-752: The station on 7 March 1969, its official opening. In September 1973 a shopping-bag bomb was detonated by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) at the offices of the Prudential Assurance Company , injuring six people. A second bomb was detonated by the IRA next to Selfridges in December 1974, injuring three people and causing £1.5 million worth of damage. Oxford Street was again targeted by the IRA in August 1975; an undiscovered bomb that had been booby trapped exploded without any injuries. On 26 October 1981 Kenneth Howorth , an explosives officer with
7663-429: The street outside. Damage was repaired, and the shop reopened the following day. After its main store was destroyed, John Lewis operated from properties on the other side of Holles Street (i.e. to the east) until the completion of its new store to the west. Relinquishing these properties then enabled it to purchase the whole of the west site. Subsequently the entire block between Holles Street and John Prince's Street
7760-413: The streetscape from the early 20th century, the most imposing of all being Selfridges (which opened in 1909). The street suffered heavy bombing during World War II , and several longstanding stores including John Lewis & Partners were completely destroyed and rebuilt from scratch. Despite competition from out-of-town shopping centres and online retailers , Oxford Street remains in high demand as
7857-425: The walls. They were able to identify that the church building they were replacing was mainly late Tudor with elements of earlier structures incorporated. According to a Victorian architect, Robert Lewis Roumieu , involved in the works: The old church was principally late Tudor. When it was pulled down to be rebuilt, several small Norman columns, pilaster piers and other remains of a Norman edifice were found among
7954-538: The wealthy Mayfair district. Some of adjacent Tottenham Court Road's famous electronics stores have spread onto its eastern extremity. The annual switching on of Christmas lights by a celebrity has been a popular event since 1959. As a popular retail area and main thoroughfare for London buses and taxis, Oxford Street has suffered from traffic congestion , pedestrian congestion, a poor safety record and pollution. Various traffic management schemes have been implemented by Transport for London (TFL) and others, including
8051-413: The works to construct its terminus at St Pancras railway station . The churchyard was acquired by the parish authorities in 1875 and reopened as a public park in June 1877. The high Victorian Gothic memorial was built from 1877 and unveiled in 1879. The obelisk acts as a memorial to people buried near the church whose graves were disturbed; the names of over 70 of them are listed on the memorial, including
8148-409: Was a place of public execution from 1388 to 1783 and a set of gallows stood here. On Ralph Aggas' "Plan of London", published in the 16th century, the road is described partly as "The Waye to Uxbridge" followed by "Oxford Road", showing rural farmland at the present junction of Oxford Street and Rathbone Place. By 1678 it was known as the "King's Highway", and the "Road To Oxford" by 1682. Though
8245-558: Was almost entirely retail, a state that still obtains today. However, unlike nearby streets such as Bond Street and Park Lane, there remained a seedy element including street traders and prostitutes. Gradually, as the century progressed, the independent retailers began to be replaced by chain stores . During the Second World War , Oxford Street was bombed several times. Overnight and in the early hours of 17 to 18 September 1940, 268 Heinkel He 111 and Dornier Do 17 bombers targeted
8342-566: Was and is owned by the Portman Estate ; while facing it (on the southern side) most of the land west of Davies Street was and is part of the Grosvenor estate . John Rocque's Map of London , published in 1746, shows urban buildings as far as North Audley Street (on the south side) and Marylebone Lane (on the north side), but only intermittent rural property beyond. Further development to the west occurred between 1763 and 1793, when building began on
8439-666: Was designated a grade II* listed building on 10 June 1954, That year also saw the former parish of Christ Church Somers Town (destroyed in the 1940 Blitz) merged into that of St Pancras Old Church, followed by that of St Matthew's Oakley Square in 1956. The church has a chaplaincy to the nearby St Pancras Hospital and from 2003 to 2023 it formed part of the Old St Pancras Parish (which also included St Michael's Church, Camden Town , St Mary's Church, Somers Town and St Paul's Church, Camden Square - all four are now independent parishes again). On 11 December 2007 it marked
8536-530: Was developed by the Grosvenor Estate on the corner of Davies Street as part of the rebuilding of Bond Street tube station for the Jubilee line in 1979; it opened the following year. In 1986 The Plaza shopping centre was opened within the walls of the former Bourne & Hollingsworth department store building (dating from 1925–1928), the latter having closed three years earlier. The Plaza itself closed in 2016 and
8633-429: Was erected in four stages over a twenty-two year period, having been designed by a combination of architects including D. H. Burnham & Company , Frank Atkinson , Sir John Burnet and Thomas Tait . Its construction was influenced by American high rise technology: steel framing and reinforced concrete were employed to create a large and adaptable retail space, and their use was subsequently widely adopted across
8730-483: Was misspelled in the burial register as John Cristian Back. The church fell into disrepair and towards the end of the 18th century services were only held there on one Sunday each month; on other weeks, the same congregation would use a chapel in Kentish Town. 18th and early 19th century urban expansion led to the construction of the capacious St Pancras New Church on what was then the "New Road" ( Euston Road , about
8827-431: Was opened at No. 363 Oxford Street in 1921 by Sir Edward Elgar ; the premises were twice rebuilt by Joseph Emberton in the moderne style, first in 1935 and then again in 1938–1939 (following a fire). The Beatles made their first recording in London in 1962, when they cut a 78 rpm demo disc in the store. A larger store at No. 150 (site of the old Princess's Theatre) was opened in 1986 by Bob Geldof , and
8924-537: Was originally part of the Via Trinobantina, a Roman road between Essex and Hampshire via London. It was known as Tyburn Road through the Middle Ages when it was notorious for public hangings of prisoners at Tyburn Gallows . It became known as Oxford Road and then Oxford Street in the 18th century, and began to change from residential to commercial and retail use, attracting street traders, confidence tricksters and prostitution. Department stores began to dominate
9021-518: Was reduced to a shell. It remained a bomb site for the remainder of the war and beyond, finally being demolished and rebuilt between 1958 and 1960. Peter Robinson partially reopened on 22 September, though the main storefront remained boarded up. The basement was converted into studios for the BBC Eastern Service. Orwell made several broadcasts here from 1941 to 1943. Selfridges was bombed again on 17 April 1941, suffering further damage, including
9118-922: Was reopened as a covered bazaar ); this prompted another bazaar (across the road at No. 150) to close, and in 1836 the Princess's Theatre opened on the site. Oxford Street changed in character from residential to retail towards the end of the 18th century. Recording an evening visit to the street in 1786, Sophie von La Roche described a multitude of shops lit by Argand lamps behind 'handsome glass windows': confectioners, fruiterers, watchmakers, silversmiths, 'spirit booths' (selling strong drink), glass shops, china shops, silk shops, lamp shops and others. There were also clothing retailers of various sorts, and furniture-makers (such as Gillow & Co. , established in 1769). Street vendors sold tourist souvenirs during this time. A plan in Tallis's London Street Views , published in
9215-525: Was sold by the Howard de Walden Estate to Land Securities for redevelopment: designed by T. P. Bennett & Partners, it would provide small units of retail accommodation either side of a central flagship department store (namely British Home Stores , until its closure in 2016). Atop the Oxford Street frontage a six-storey block was constructed to house the London College of Fashion , behind which
9312-465: Was the first department store in the UK with escalators serving every floor. It retained the D. H. Evans name until 2001, when it was rebranded as House of Fraser (the name of the parent company ). House of Fraser closed in 2022. Selfridges, Oxford Street , the second-largest department store in the UK and the flagship of the Selfridges chain, has been trading in Oxford Street since 1909. The building
9409-444: Was the largest music shop in the world, at 60,000 sq ft (6,000 m ). As well as music and video retail, the premises supported live gigs in the store. Because of financial difficulties, the store closed in 2014, with all retail moving to No. 363 (which itself closed in 2020). In November 2023 the store at No. 363 was reopened, branded as 'The HMV Shop'. The 100 Club , in the basement of No. 100, has been run as
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