125-535: The Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway (OW&WR) was a railway company in England. It built a line from Wolvercot Junction near Oxford to Worcester , Stourbridge , Dudley and Wolverhampton , as well as some branches. It was know locally as the "Old worse & worse". Its main line was opened in stages between 1852 and 1853. When the West Midland Railway (WMR) was formed by amalgamation in 1860,
250-538: A Stourbridge bank failed, and the £24,000 deposited there by the OW&;WR was lost. A contractor called Marchant was constructing the Campden Tunnel, but in 1851, believing that he was owed money by the OW&WR, ceased work. Parson and Peto decided to occupy the tunnel works and seize Marchant's plant by force, and went there with a gang of workmen. Brunel became involved and he too tried to seize Marchant's equipment, but
375-578: A branch line to Stratford from Honeybourne . The company experienced considerable difficulty over land acquisition, and two extensions of time had to be sought; the line did not open until 11 July 1859. The branch started northwards from Honeybourne, and there were intermediate stations at Long Marston and Milcote , and the Stratford terminus was in Sanctuary Lane. The line was single-track, with sharp curves because of its intended minor branch status. In
500-479: A combined capacity of 1,695 seats. Hybrid buses began to be used in Oxford in 2010, and their usage has been expanded. In 2014 Oxford Bus introduced a fleet of 20 new buses with flywheel energy storage on the services it operates under contract for Oxford Brookes University . Most buses in the city now use a smartcard to pay for journeys and have free WiFi installed. The Oxford to London coach route offers
625-470: A footbridge were reconstructed by 1893. The methods of Parson and Peto clashed with Brunel's principles as an engineer, and he resigned as engineer of the OW&WR on 17 March 1852. He was succeeded as engineer by John Fowler . The Evesham to Stourbridge section of line was practically ready in March 1852 and a date of 1 May 1852 had been fixed for the opening of that part of the line. The financial resources of
750-621: A frequent coach service to London. The Oxford Tube is operated by Stagecoach West and the Oxford Bus Company 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 Bedford and Stagecoach Gold route S6. Among cities in England and Wales, Oxford has
875-458: A full public service on 3 May 1852. There were four services between Stourbridge and Evesham , taking a little over two hours; in addition there were two short workings between Stourbridge and Kidderminster, and two Sunday services. All this was done with six second hand locomotives. At first only a single line was available, but by July a double line was opened between Norton Junction and Evesham. Joy had no proper workshop facilities and had to use
1000-451: A further £850,000 of capital in 6% preference shares. He began negotiations with George Carr Glyn and Samuel Carter of the London and North Western Railway but with mixed success. The contractors Peto and Betts were contractors for the construction as well as Treadwells. Samuel Morton Peto was associated with a solicitor named John Parson, and he and Peto were elected to the board. Parson arranged an agreement (on 21 February 1851) that
1125-545: A great many locations of industry. The proposed line fell naturally into the Great Western Railway's area of dominance, and Brunel was commissioned to undertake a survey for a broad gauge line. A prospectus was issued on 22 May 1844; the capital of the company was to be £1,500,000, and negotiations were in hand to lease the line on completion to the Great Western Railway. In fact this was provisionally agreed in September;
1250-454: A local blacksmith for repairs to the engines at first; in fact he did some of the specialist metalwork jobs himself. A proper workshop was finally available to him by March 1855. The Stourbridge to Dudley section was opened to goods traffic on 16 November 1852, and passenger traffic followed on 20 December 1852; at first this was single line north of Brettell Lane. By now the company was able to order locomotives to its own specification, and by
1375-812: A magistrate had been called and the Riot Act was read. In the small hours of 23 July 1851 a large force was mustered by Brunel in the absence of the magistrates and a violent skirmish took place, during which Marchant and his men were routed. There were six timber viaducts, and 57 timber bridges in all, designed by Brunel, on the OW&WR main line. Structures with at least one span over 60 feet (18.3 m) or more than five spans, were, from south to north, at Aldington, Evesham, Fernhill, Fladbury, Hoo Brook (Kidderminster), Blakedown, Stambermill, Parkhead, Tipton (over Birmingham Canal), Dasiey Bank, Bilston (occupation road), Bilston Viaduct, Bilston Quarry, Gibbets Lane, George Street, Tramway Overbridge, and Holyhead turnpike. All except
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#17328443916391500-543: A mistake. In November 2022, Mogford announced that his hospitality group The Oxford Collection had joined up with Oxford Business Action Group (OBAG), Oxford High Street Association (OHSA), ROX (Backing Oxford Business), Reconnecting Oxford, Jericho Traders, and Summertown traders to launch a legal challenge to the new bus gates. The city is served by the M40 motorway , which connects London to Birmingham . The M40 approached Oxford in 1974, leading from London to Waterstock , where
1625-483: A new company, Morrells of Oxford. The new owners sold most of the pubs on to Greene King in 2002. The Lion Brewery was converted into luxury apartments in 2002. Oxford's first legal distillery , the Oxford Artisan Distillery , was established in 2017 in historic farm buildings at the top of South Park . The Taylor family of Loughborough had a bell-foundry in Oxford between 1786 and 1854. This
1750-556: A new research annexe; its staff have been involved with the teaching of anthropology at Oxford since its foundation, when as part of his donation General Augustus Pitt Rivers stipulated that the university establish a lectureship in anthropology. Bushbury Bushbury is a suburban village and ward in the City of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands , England. It lies two miles north-east of Wolverhampton city centre, divided between
1875-471: A notice to Companies House which entered the company into insolvency on 5 November 2013, giving a better indication of the future for the company. On 23 December 2013, a fire started in the empty Strykers building, a blaze which took around 100 firefighters to control and all but destroyed the building. Bulldozers were quickly brought to the scene to flatten the remainder. According to the Express & Star ,
2000-412: A pristine Stradivarius violin, regarded by some as one of the finest examples in existence. The University Museum of Natural History holds the university's zoological , entomological and geological specimens. It is housed in a large neo-Gothic building on Parks Road , in the university's Science Area . Among its collection are the skeletons of a Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops , and
2125-463: A third route, also to Paddington, running via Thame , High Wycombe and Maidenhead , was provided; this was shortened in 1906 by the opening of a direct route between High Wycombe and London Paddington by way of Denham . 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; and 55.75 miles (89.7 km) via Denham. Only
2250-610: A transhipment point. The waters were muddied by a possible change of heart by the GJR. They had relied on the London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR) for access to London, but relationships had soured when the L&;BR planned amalgamation with the Manchester and Birmingham Railway . Fearing that this would bypass their own line, the GJR flirted with the idea of converting to the broad gauge, or at least mixed gauge. This would give it access to London over
2375-465: A working arrangement with the Great Western Railway. When the shareholders were asked to ratify this, at Parson's urging they insisted on a clause requiring the GWR to purchase the line after four years. Although this would be at a heavy discount of £30 for every £50 face value OW&WR share, the GWR noted that the market price of the OW&WR shares was £15 and falling, and declined the proposal. At this time
2500-495: Is 2014, with an average of 11.8 °C (53 °F) and the coldest is 1879, with a mean temperature of 7.7 °C (46 °F). The sunniest month on record is May 2020, with 331.7 hours and December 1890 is the least sunny, with 5.0 hours. The greatest one-day rainfall occurred on 10 July 1968, with a total of 87.9 mm (3.46 in). The greatest known snow depth was 61.0 cm (24.0 in) in February 1888. The city centre
2625-471: Is a small selection of the many notable buildings in Oxford. 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 the ring road, including: In addition to the larger airports in the region, Oxford is served by nearby Oxford Airport , in Kidlington . The airport
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#17328443916392750-698: Is also home to CAE Oxford Aviation Academy and Airways Aviation airline pilot flight training centres, and several private jet companies. The airport is also home to Airbus Helicopters UK headquarters. Direct trains run from Oxford station to London Paddington where there is an interchange with the Heathrow Express train links serving Heathrow Airport . Passengers can change at Reading for connecting trains to Gatwick Airport . Some CrossCountry trains run direct services to Birmingham International , as well as to Southampton Airport Parkway further afield. Bus services in Oxford and its suburbs are run by
2875-466: Is just outside the city, at the park and ride site near Kidlington . The present railway station opened in 1852. Oxford is the junction for a short branch line to Bicester , a remnant of the former Varsity line to Cambridge . This Oxford–Bicester line was upgraded to 100 mph (161 km/h) running during an 18-month closure in 2014/2015 – and is scheduled to be extended to form the planned East West Rail line to Milton Keynes. East West Rail
3000-544: Is now strongly discouraged, and largely prevented, from using the city centre. The Oxford Ring Road or A4142 (southern part) surrounds the city centre and close suburbs Marston , Iffley , Cowley and Headington ; it consists of the A34 to the west, a 330-yard section of the A44 , the A40 north and north-east, A4142/ A423 to the east. It is a dual carriageway , except for a 330-yard section of
3125-504: Is proposed to continue through Bletchley (for Milton Keynes Central ) to Bedford , Cambridge, and ultimately Ipswich and Norwich , thus providing alternative route to East Anglia without needing to travel via, and connect between, the London mainline terminals. Chiltern Railways operates from Oxford to London Marylebone via Bicester Village , having sponsored the building of about 400 metres of new track between Bicester Village and
3250-509: Is relatively small and is centred on Carfax , a crossroads which forms the junction of Cornmarket Street (pedestrianised), Queen Street (mainly pedestrianised ), St Aldate's and the High Street ("the High"; blocked for through traffic). Cornmarket Street and Queen Street are home to Oxford's chain stores, as well as a small number of independent retailers, one of the longest established of which
3375-703: Is the Bushbury Working Mens Club - as above this is now a KFC . Despite the Electric Construction Company closing in September 1985, there is still a club bearing its name on Showell Road, the ECC Sports & Social Club. Gone is the Oxley Arms, previously on Bushbury Lane, it was demolished during the 1990s. Other closed pubs included Butler's Arms which stood on the corner of Kempthorne Avenue and Bushbury Lane. Although long since replaced by
3500-524: Is the base of a preaching cross, believed to date to the 10th or 11th century having been placed by the Earl of Mercia. Other buildings of historical significance include the 17th century Northycote Farm on Underhill Lane. The area, along with a wide tract of Mercia, was assigned by William the Conqueror to Ansculf de Picquigny , who built a motte and bailey fortress at Dudley . By 1087, the time of Domesday Book,
3625-451: Is the county town. Founded in the 8th century, it was granted city status in 1542. The city is located at the confluence of the rivers Thames (locally known as the Isis ) and Cherwell . It had a population of 163,257 in 2022. It is 56 miles (90 km) north-west of London , 64 miles (103 km) south-east of Birmingham and 61 miles (98 km) north-east of Bristol . The city is home to
3750-458: Is to make way for a new housing estate. It was reported that around 1000 people attended the demolition. However the factory clock tower is expected to be retained as part of the redevelopment. Bushbury lies approximately two miles north of Wolverhampton City Centre. Despite the heavy industrialisation of the area, Bushbury remains a gateway to the Staffordshire countryside. While one end of
3875-635: The OW&;WR , by-passing the L&;BR . Webster says that this alarmed the L&BR , but "whether the Grand Junction Board ever seriously contemplated relaying their tracks with the broad gauge is extremely doubtful." The next issue was that the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway had been built passing at some distance from Worcester, a fact that had caused resentment in the city. A spur at Abbots Wood between
Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway - Misplaced Pages Continue
4000-516: The Express & Star . Following the closure, local rumours suggested the bowling alley had closed permanently, closed temporarily for redecoration or was closed in the short term while the owners decided what to do. Enquiries made by the Express and Star revealed no response from the owner, Garland Leisure Limited, suggesting that nobody really had a clue what was going on. Garland Leisure Limited issued
4125-599: The Bushbury North and Bushbury South and Low Hill wards . Bushbury also lies near to the villages of Coven , Featherstone and Four Ashes which are in South Staffordshire . Bushbury is a mixed area of private and council owned houses, built since the 1920s, and lies in the shadow and on the slope of Bushbury Hill. Bushbury was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as 'Biscopsberie'. Toponymists believe that
4250-1056: The Castle Mill Stream . The rapid expansion of Oxford and the development of its railway links after the 1840s facilitated expansion of the brewing trade. 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. By 1874 there were nine breweries in Oxford and 13 brewers' agents in Oxford shipping beer in from elsewhere. 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
4375-540: The Chiltern Main Line southwards in 2014. The route serves High Wycombe and London Marylebone, avoiding London Paddington and Didcot Parkway . In 1844, the Great Western Railway linked Oxford with London Paddington via Didcot and Reading ; in 1851, the London & North Western Railway opened its own route from Oxford to London Euston , via Bicester , Bletchley and Watford ; and in 1864
4500-558: The Gorsebrook area. The remaining remnant of the ECC is the sports and social club on Showell Road. The Stafford Road was only made into a dual carriageway during the 1930s, and this saw much of the terraced and older housing on the left hand side as you travel from Wolverhampton towards Stafford, demolished to make way for the road. However a short section of Stafford Road was single carriageway between Bushbury Lane and Five Ways Island. This gap
4625-490: The Great Western Railway (West Midland Amalgamation) Act 1863 ( 26 & 27 Vict. c. cxiii) of 13 July 1863 and the effective date was 1 August 1863. On 14 November 1858 the OW&WR opened a line from a junction at Kingswinford to a canal basin at Bromley. The branch was about a mile long. It was later extended to the Earl of Dudley's Railway at Pensnett. The Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway (Amendment) Act 1846 ( 9 & 10 Vict. c. cclxxviii) authorised
4750-571: The London and North Western Railway . This was encouraged by Parson who still wished to ally the line with the LNWR, and trains could now run to Wolverhampton over that company's line from Tipton. There was a delay in getting running powers into Oxford station over the GWR, as successors to the Oxford and Rugby Railway. These were eventually agreed on 4 August 1853; at the same time the GWR was allowed running powers between Priestfield and Cannock Road Junction at Wolverhampton. (Its line connecting at Priestfield
4875-512: The Midland Railway , and linked with the Bristol and Gloucester Railway , forming a through route to Bristol , although with a break of gauge at Gloucester initially. The opening of these lines gave an enormous impetus to the heavy industry of the areas they served, representing a considerable move forward from the canal-based transport that had formerly been a near-monopoly. At the same time,
5000-486: The Oxford Bus Company and Stagecoach West as well as other operators including Arriva Shires & Essex and Thames Travel . Oxford has one of the largest urban park and ride networks in the United Kingdom. Its five sites, at Pear Tree, Redbridge , Seacourt , Thornhill, Water Eaton and Oxford Parkway have a combined capacity of 4,930 car parking spaces, served by 20 Oxford Bus Company double decker buses with
5125-455: 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 event information 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
Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway - Misplaced Pages Continue
5250-524: The Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway (Improvements and Branches) Act 1855 ( 18 & 19 Vict. c. clxxxi), and the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway (Extension of Time) Act 1856 ( 19 & 20 Vict. c. cxxxvii), amending the route, and construction did not begin until 1858. At 40 miles in extent, it was the longest OW&WR branch, and it finally opened to traffic on 1 February 1862, by which time
5375-605: The University of Oxford , the oldest university in the English-speaking world ; it has buildings in every style of English architecture since late Anglo-Saxon . Oxford's industries include motor manufacturing, education, publishing, science, and information technologies. The history of Oxford in England dates back to its original settlement in the Saxon period . Originally of strategic significance due to its controlling location on
5500-517: The Westgate Oxford . The Westgate Centre is named for the original West Gate in the city wall, and is at the west end of Queen Street . A major redevelopment and expansion to 750,000 sq ft (70,000 m ), with a new 230,000 sq ft (21,000 m ) John Lewis department store and a number of new homes, was completed in October 2017. Blackwell's Bookshop is a bookshop which claims
5625-432: The railway mania , now at its height, meant that the £1.5 million estimate they had used would be inadequate, and he asked the GWR to increase its rent in proportion to the anticipated cost, thought to be £2.5 million at least. The GWR was not immediately opposed to this, and the OW&WR may have understood that the GWR had formally agreed. The OW&WR board improperly represented to prospective shareholders that
5750-815: The 1970s and 1980s, leaving behind a city which had developed far beyond the university town of the past. Oxford's latitude and longitude are 51°45′07″N 1°15′28″W / 51.75194°N 1.25778°W / 51.75194; -1.25778 , with Ordnance Survey grid reference SP513061 (at Carfax Tower , which is usually considered the centre). Oxford is 24 miles (39 km) north-west of Reading , 26 miles (42 km) north-east of Swindon , 36 miles (58 km) east of Cheltenham , 43 miles (69 km) east of Gloucester , 29 miles (47 km) south-west of Milton Keynes , 38 miles (61 km) south-east of Evesham , 43 miles (69 km) south of Rugby and 51 miles (82 km) west-north-west of London . The rivers Cherwell and Thames (also sometimes known as
5875-586: The A40 continued to Oxford. When the M40 extension to Birmingham was completed in January 1991, it curved sharply north, and a mile of the old motorway became a spur. The M40 comes no closer than 6 miles (10 km) away from the city centre, curving to pass to the east of Otmoor . The M40 meets the A34 to the north of Oxford. There are two universities in Oxford, the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University , as well as
6000-421: The A40 where two residential service roads adjoin, and was completed in 1966. The main roads to/from Oxford are: On 28 February 2022 a zero-emission pilot area became operational in Oxford city centre. Zero-emission vehicles can be used without incurring a charge but all petrol and diesel vehicles (including hybrids) incur a daily charge if they are driven in the zone between 7am and 7pm. A consultation on
6125-456: The Bushbury area. Diamond Bus service 65 skirts the northern fringe of Bushbury serving Wednesfield , Northicote Farm and Bushbury Crematorium . This hourly Mon-Sat service also provides a link to New Cross Hospital without requiring a change of bus. Select Bus service 67 operates three times daily Mon-Fri between Wolverhampton and Cannock . Today, Bushbury has no pubs and 1 club. On
6250-571: The Campden tunnel and received fatal injuries from the overdue train. Three more inspections took place before opening was sanctioned and passenger operation started on 4 June 1853. The line between Evesham and Wolvercot Junction was soon doubled, but the second track was narrow (standard) gauge, contrary to the authorising act. Parson took a combative line when this was queried by the Board of Trade, and this resulted in their obtaining an injunction against use of
6375-695: The Eagle Steam Brewery) in Park End Street and Wootten and Cole's St. Clement's Brewery. 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. 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. Morrell's
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#17328443916396500-405: The GWR guaranteed 4% interest on the whole construction cost whatever that might prove to be, and this led to soured relations between the two companies for a long period later on. (In August 1847 when the OW&WR found itself once again embarrassed financially, it asked the GWR to raise the interest rate to 5%, increasing the bad feeling.) In 1847, a review of the northern termination of the line
6625-449: The GWR to do so, but the Board of Trade had no power to compel them. Matters stalled for the time being. When the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway was built, its route avoided Worcester by some distance, and this remained a sore point with the city. The Midland Railway had taken over the B&;GR in 1846. The OW&WR proposed route crossed the B&GR line at Abbot's Wood, and by agreement
6750-563: The GWR. After some failed parliamentary bills for a new line from north of Oxford to London, they managed to get approval for the Buckinghamshire Junction Railway , more usually known as the Yarnton Loop, a short link between Yarnton and a junction with the London and North Western Railway's line from Oxford to Bletchley . This opened on 1 April 1854, from which time OW&WR trains ran to London Euston via Bletchley. This
6875-510: The Great Western Railway took over narrow ( standard ) gauge railways around Shrewsbury, and its attitude to narrow gauge traffic began to soften. This gradual process resulted, in February 1858, in the GWR relaxing its hostility to the use of the narrow gauge on the OW&WR and the abandonment of the broad gauge rails. This needed legislative approval, and this was gained in the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway Act 1859 ( 22 & 23 Vict. c. lxxvi) in February 1859. On 14 June 1860,
7000-545: The Isis locally, supposedly from the Latinised name Thamesis ) run through Oxford and meet south of the city centre. These rivers and their flood plains constrain the size of the city centre. Oxford has a maritime temperate climate ( Köppen : Cfb ). 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
7125-516: The London and North Western Railway and the Midland Railway would work the OW&WR as a 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,435 mm ) standard gauge line - Carter was solicitor to both of these major companies. This was in conflict with the company's authorising act, and in May 1851 a group of shareholders secured a restraining order preventing this "illegal act". Parson soon agreed
7250-490: The Midland Railway built a short spur between the two lines and laid narrow (standard) gauge track on the OW&WR alignment as far as a temporary station at Tallow Hill, near Shrub Hill in Worcester. It was in effect a single line branch; it opened to Midland Railway trains on 5 October 1850. There were five trains to Bristol daily and six to Birmingham (Curzon Street); the latter journey took over two hours. On 18 February 1852,
7375-550: The OW&WR had amalgamated into the West Midland Railway. There was considerable, and diverse, industry on the route which was much stimulated by the railway from the outset. Later, weekend leisure and tourism also featured heavily, especially from 1900 to 1950. Oxford Oxford ( / ˈ ɒ k s f ər d / ) is a cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire , England, of which it
7500-479: The OW&WR joined with the Worcester and Hereford Railway and the Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway , together forming the West Midland Railway . The effective date was 1 July 1860. The OW&WR was the major partner in the new company. The enthusiasm for amalgamation went further, and in 1861 the OW&WR and the GWR agreed that amalgamation was desirable. The arrangement was authorised by an act of Parliament,
7625-406: The OW&WR started running. Hitherto there had been a through service to Euston over the Yarnton Loop, but that ceased on the same day. The OW&WR obtained the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway Act 1859 ( 22 & 23 Vict. c. lxxvi) to build a branch line from Chipping Campden Junction to Bourton-on-the-Water . Morton Peto was the contractor, and the line opened on 1 March 1862. It
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#17328443916397750-567: The OW&WR was opened, Chipping Norton was a flourishing wool town, five miles from the line, but there was no station on the line to serve it. William Bliss, owner of the biggest mill in the town repeatedly requested the OW&WR to provide a station near the town, but without success. Bliss met with Sir Morton Peto, a director of the OW&WR and the two men agreed to finance a branch line themselves, with some contribution by other local businesspeople. The line from Chipping Norton Junction, later named Kingham , opened on 10 August 1855. In 1854,
7875-546: The OW&WR was the dominant partner, but the West Midland company amalgamated with the Great Western Railway (GWR) in 1863. Several branches and extensions were built in the West Midlands, and the main line was developed as an important trunk route. Much of the original main line is in use at present. In 1841 the GWR opened its first main line between London and Bristol . It was engineered by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and
8000-503: The Oxford music scene since 1991. Oxford is home to many museums , galleries , and collections, most of which are free of admission charges and are major tourist attractions . The majority are departments of the University of Oxford . The first of these to be established was the Ashmolean Museum , the world's first university museum , and the oldest museum in the UK. Its first building
8125-799: The United Kingdom, after the British Library . The Bodleian Library is a legal deposit library, which means that it is entitled to request a free copy of every book published in the United Kingdom. As such, its collection is growing at a rate of over three miles (five kilometres) of shelving every year. As well as the BBC national radio stations , Oxford and the surrounding area has several local stations, including BBC Radio Oxford , Heart South , Destiny 105 , Greatest Hits Radio and Hits Radio Oxfordshire , along with Oxide: Oxford Student Radio (which went on terrestrial radio at 87.7 MHz FM in late May 2005). A local TV station , Six TV : The Oxford Channel,
8250-459: The act also authorised a further million pounds of capital, to be raised by preference shares. As the economy was recovering from the post-mania depression, the French Revolution of 1848 plunged public confidence into turmoil, and for the time being construction ceased due to lack of money. A shareholders' committee was appointed, alarmed at the repeated deferral of construction, and opening of
8375-586: The area belonged to Ansculf's son, William Fitzansculph. He had installed in Bushbury a tenant called Robert, who also held lands from him in Penn , Ettingshall , Moseley and Oxley . In medieval times, Bushbury was divided into several manors, each with a manor house - Bushbury, Essington , Moseley, Elston, Showell (Seawall or Sewell from an earlier unrecorded Old English name - likely Seofan Wealles meaning 'Seven Wells'), Oxley, Wobaston (Wybaston - from an early unrecorded Old English name - likely Wigbeald's tun). Into
8500-405: The area include Moreton School . The Northicote School was formerly located in this area, where previous headteacher Geoff Hampton received a Knighthood in 1998 in recognition of his services to the improvement of the school and his services to education. In 2008, the iconic blue and yellow Goodyear chimney was demolished, as part of wider work to clear a section of the Goodyear site, which
8625-461: The area is often used by film and TV crews. Aside from the city centre, there are several suburbs and neighbourhoods within the borders of the city of Oxford, including: Oxford is at the centre of the Oxford Green Belt , which is an environmental and planning policy that regulates the rural space in Oxfordshire surrounding the city, aiming to prevent urban sprawl and minimize convergence with nearby settlements. The policy has been blamed for
8750-739: The city of Oxford was a county borough , independent from the county council. Oxford City Council meets at the Town Hall on the street called St Aldate's in the city centre. The current building was completed in 1897, on a site which had been occupied by Oxford's guildhall since the 13th century. Most of Oxford is an unparished area , but there are four civil parishes within the city's boundaries: Blackbird Leys , Littlemore , Old Marston , and Risinghurst and Sandhills . Oxford's economy includes manufacturing, publishing and science-based industries as well as education, sports, entertainment, breweries, research and tourism. Oxford has been an important centre of motor manufacturing since Morris Motors
8875-413: The city, and built its first permanent postwar houses at the Underhill Estate near Bushbury in the late 1940s. The large Bushbury Cemetery/Crematorium is in Underhill Lane. The cemetery was opened in 1949 with 40 acres, with planning permission for extension sought in 2012. The crematorium, with two chapels, east and west, designed by local architect Richard Twentyman , was opened in 1954. Schools in
9000-468: The company had long been exhausted and the acquisition of the necessary rolling stock was beyond it. A contractor, C. C. Williams, was engaged to work the line and he appointed a young locomotive engineer, David Joy to be his superintendent. Joy took the post on 19 April and now scrambled to get hold of locomotives. He found four, one six-coupled long-boiler engine in good condition, and three small contractors' engines. A special service duly opened on 1 May and
9125-466: The corner of Elston Hall Lane and Wood Lane was The Woodbine, which spent time under the name the 'Red Rooster' in the early 2000s before reverting to The Woodbine - this is now closed and boarded up. On Northwood Park estate was a newer Banks's pub, the King Charles - this has now been demolished. On Bushbury Lane, close to its Stafford Road junction - though not strictly a 'pub' in the traditional sense
9250-477: The early 19th century, Bushbury was very rural, with a population of just 488 in 1801, but this was to change with the coming of the railways and increasing industry in the 19th century, with large housing estates transforming the area completely from the 1920s onwards. Following the First World War , a number of aircraft manufacturers set up or relocated plants from the south of the country to take advantage of
9375-401: The end of 1852 eleven out of an order of twenty engines had arrived from R and W Hawthorn . The passenger engines were of the 2-4-0 type and the goods engines were 0-6-0. All the OW&WR rolling stock was narrow (standard) gauge. The part of the line between Wolvercot Junction and Evesham was nearing completion and was planned to open on 21 April 1853, as a mixed gauge single line. When there
9500-509: The end of September 1855, with all the Midland intermediate stations on their old main line between Abbotswood and Stoke Works Junctions closing permanently. In January 1851, a further special shareholders' meeting was held. Lord Ward, newly elected as chairman, told the meeting that it was time for the OW&WR to take control of its own destiny, forsaking reliance on others (meaning the GWR); and raising
9625-538: The following year, 1860, the Stratford on Avon Railway line from Hatton to Stratford opened to its own independent station in Stratford. Both stations were inconveniently sited for the town, and despite tensions between the GWR and the OW&WR, agreement was reached to connect the two routes and provide a central station. This was completed on 24 July 1863. The line was doubled in 1907 - 1908. On 1 October 1861, through passenger trains from Wolverhampton to Paddington over
9750-671: The industrial area of the Black Country were already served, by the London and Birmingham Railway of 1838, and the Grand Junction Railway (GJR). The GJR had opened in 1837, and ran north from Birmingham, skirting Wolverhampton to reach the Liverpool and Manchester Railway . Approaching Birmingham from the south was the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway , opened in 1840; it bypassed Worcester at some distance. In 1845 it became part of
9875-400: The introduction of a wider zero-emission zone is expected in the future, at a date to be confirmed. Oxford has eight bus gates, short sections of road where only buses and other authorised vehicles can pass. Six further bus gates are currently proposed. A council-led consultation on the traffic filters ended on 13 October 2022. On 29 November 2022, Oxfordshire County Council cabinet approved
10000-494: The introduction on a trial basis, for a minimum period of six months. The trial will begin after improvement works to Oxford railway station are complete, which is expected to be by October 2024. The additional bus gates have been controversial; Oxford University and Oxford Bus Company support the proposals but more than 3,700 people have signed an online petition opposing the new traffic filters for Marston Ferry Road and Hollow Way, and hotelier Jeremy Mogford has argued they would be
10125-538: The labour supply, and this, coupled with the opening of the Goodyear tyre plant, significantly industrialised the area. In 1927, the Goodyear Tyre and Rubber Company opened its Bushbury plant. Twelve years later, it was employing 1700, many of which were Bushbury men. Previous to this, many of Bushbury's population was employed at either the Electric Construction Company, or one of the railway companies operating nearby in
10250-489: The large rise in house prices in Oxford, making it the least affordable city in the United Kingdom outside of London, with estate agents calling for brownfield land inside the green belt to be released for new housing. The vast majority of the area covered is outside of the city, but there are some green spaces within that which are covered by the designation, such as much of the Thames and river Cherwell flood-meadows , and
10375-534: The largest single room devoted to book sales in the whole of Europe, the Norrington Room (10,000 sq ft). 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 Brewer Street and Paradise Street , near
10500-452: The lease term was to be 999 years; the GWR would pay a rent of 3.5% on the capital plus 50% of the profits. The necessary bill incorporating the company went to the 1845 session of Parliament, and received royal assent as the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway Act 1845 ( 8 & 9 Vict. c. clxxxiv) on 4 August 1845. The Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway Act 1845 required
10625-469: The limited network generated a demand for further lines serving areas remote from the existing lines, and if possible competition. Against this background, there was considerable interest in a railway crossing the Black Country to Wolverhampton , its largest town. A line from Oxford could be made, running through Worcester , Kidderminster and Stourbridge to Wolverhampton, and this would connect into
10750-473: The line. They thought that a further £1.5 million would be needed to complete the line, and they recommended a drastic curtailment of the extent of the construction for the time being. The Board of Trade heard of this and sent Captain Simmons to investigate. His report of 27 November 1849 resulted in the Board of Trade instructing the Great Western Railway to complete the line itself. The 1845 act had authorised
10875-648: The most complete remains of a dodo found anywhere in the world. It also hosts the Simonyi Professorship of the Public Understanding of Science , currently held by Marcus du Sautoy . Adjoining the Museum of Natural History is the Pitt Rivers Museum , founded in 1884, which displays the university's archaeological and anthropological collections, currently holding over 500,000 items. It recently built
11000-462: The name comes from the Old English 'biscop' (bishop) and 'burh' (fortification), so Bushbury possibly means 'Bishops fortification'. St. Mary's Church lies on Bushbury Lane. In the chancel of the church can be found the 'Founders Arch', this is actually the tomb of Sir Hugh de Byshbury who is reputed to have built the church (chancel) in the 15th century. Just beyond the south door in the churchyard
11125-416: The original ( Didcot ) route is still in use for its full length, portions of the others remain. There were also routes to the north and west. The line to Banbury was opened in 1850, and was extended to Birmingham Snow Hill in 1852; a route to Worcester opened in 1853. A branch to Witney was opened in 1862, which was extended to Fairford in 1873. The line to Witney and Fairford closed in 1962, but
11250-724: The others remain open. 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. Iffley Lock and Osney Lock lie within the bounds of the city. In the 18th century the Oxford Canal was built to connect Oxford with the Midlands . Commercial traffic has given way to recreational use of
11375-402: The owner was said to be 'devastated' and 'didn't know what to do' with the remaining large strip of land, which is located at the end of a residential street, directly opposite the newly constructed KFC fast food restaurant. Bushbury steam locomotive depot accommodated London, Midland and Scottish Railway and British Railways London Midland Region locomotives, until its closure in 1966, at
11500-507: The pool of Oxford University students and graduates, and, especially for EFL education , use their Oxford location as a selling point. 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
11625-512: The river and canal. Oxford was the original base of Salters Steamers (founded in 1858), which was a leading racing-boatbuilder that played an important role in popularising pleasure boating on the Upper Thames. The firm runs a regular service from Folly Bridge downstream to Abingdon and beyond. Oxford's central location on several transport routes means that it has long been a crossroads city with many coaching inns , although road traffic
11750-428: The running powers over the OW&WR from Priestfield; these were the only regular broad gauge trains to run on the OW&WR, ceasing in October 1868. (In 1864 to 1867 there was a passenger service between Wolverhampton GWR and Manchester via Bushbury Junction; this was the only regular passenger service to use the section of line.) Early in 1855, the company terminated the working arrangement with C. C. Williams. When
11875-458: The second highest percentage of people cycling to work. Oxford railway station is half a mile (about 1 km) west of the city centre. The station is served by CrossCountry services to Bournemouth and Manchester Piccadilly ; Great Western Railway (who manage the station) services to London Paddington , Banbury and Hereford ; and Chiltern Railways services to London Marylebone . Oxford has had three main railway stations. The first
12000-465: The section from Droitwich to Stoke Works Junction, on the Birmingham and Gloucester line (now owned by the Midland Railway) was opened, completing the Worcester loop for the Midland. Now all their Gloucester to Birmingham passenger trains ran via Worcester and Droitwich, leaving their own main line to goods traffic and a very light local connecting service. This too was reduced and was discontinued from
12125-612: The specialist further and higher education institution Ruskin College that is part of the University of West London in Oxford. The Islamic Azad University also has a campus near Oxford. The University of Oxford is the oldest university in the English-speaking world, and one of the most prestigious higher education institutions of the world, averaging nine applications to every available place, and attracting 40% of its academic staff and 17% of undergraduates from overseas. In September 2016, it
12250-519: 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 a common practice. As well as being a major draw for tourists (9.1 million in 2008, similar in 2009) , Oxford city centre has many shops, several theatres and an ice rink. There are two small shopping malls in the city centre: the Clarendon Centre and
12375-508: The spot that Bushbury Lane crosses the railway line to Stafford. Two Loco Superintendents of the Wolverhampton sheds are buried near to each other in St. Mary's churchyard. One is George Armstrong the other is Henry Simpson. Following the closure of Bushbury's suburban rail station , buses provide public transport in and around the area. National Express West Midlands Routes 2, 25, 32, and 33 serve
12500-557: The suburb is dominated by the former Goodyear plant and surrounding factories, the other end contains areas of greenery in Northwood Park, and playing fields adjacent to Bee Lane. Beeches Farm still operates at the rear of St. Mary's Church. There was a former AMF bowling alley in Bushbury, called Strykers . During the 1990s, it was home to a Quasar laser arena and a SEGA World arcade. In October 2013, Strykers closed its doors in 'mysterious circumstances', according to local newspaper,
12625-643: The town. A heavily ecclesiastical town, Oxford was greatly affected by the changes of the English Reformation , emerging as the seat of a bishopric and a full-fledged city. During the English Civil War , Oxford housed the court of Charles I and stood at the heart of national affairs. The city began to grow industrially during the 19th century, and had an industrial boom in the early 20th century, with major printing and car-manufacturing industries. These declined, along with other British heavy industry, in
12750-563: The track gauge to be the same as on the GWR: the broad gauge , but with qualifications. The line was to start from a junction off the mixed gauge Oxford and Rugby Railway immediately north of Oxford, at Wolvercot Junction. However, at the northern end it was to terminate by a junction on to the Grand Junction Railway at Bushbury Junction . The Grand Junction was a solidly narrow (standard) gauge railway, and any "junction" must have been
12875-457: The track was on the broad gauge , in contrast to most of the railways already in existence in Great Britain. The broad gauge would, Brunel argued, give greater stability to trains running at speed. In 1844 a branch line from Didcot to Oxford was opened, preparatory to extending the GWR system into the West Midlands . It too was designed by Brunel, and used the broad gauge. Birmingham and
13000-422: The two lines would enable B&GR trains to reach Worcester, and it was contemplated that a connecting line from Droitwich to the B&GR line at Stoke Works would form a loop line for the B&GR. The B&GR was a narrow (standard) gauge line, and the loop line would need to be mixed gauge. In 1846, Francis Rufford , the chairman of the OW&WR saw that the inflation of construction costs brought about by
13125-527: The unapproved track. On 18 March 1854 the line reverted to mixed gauge single line, and Parson refused for some time to comply with the BoT requirement. At length the second line was reopened on 20 March 1855 when a broad gauge rail had been installed, and the line was doubled as far as Campden. On 1 December 1853, the line opened between Dudley and Tipton , which included a curve to join the Stour Valley Line of
13250-600: The upper reaches of the River Thames at its confluence with the River Cherwell , the town grew in national importance during the early Norman period , and in the late 12th century became home to the fledgling University of Oxford . The city was besieged during The Anarchy in 1142. During the Middle Ages Oxford had an important Jewish community, of which David of Oxford and his wife Licoricia of Winchester were prominent members. The university rose to dominate
13375-583: The village of Binsey , along with several smaller portions on the fringes. Other landscape features and places of interest covered include Cutteslowe Park and the mini railway attraction, the University Parks , Hogacre Common Eco Park, numerous sports grounds, Aston's Eyot , St Margaret 's Church and well, and Wolvercote Common and community orchard. There are two tiers of local government covering Oxford, at district and county level: Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council . From 1889 to 1974
13500-426: Was Boswell's , founded in 1738. The store closed in 2020. St Aldate's has few shops but 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. The historic buildings mean
13625-412: Was 1788, with 336.7 mm (13.26 in) of rainfall. The wettest year was 2012, with 979.5 mm (38.56 in). The wettest month on record was September 1774, with a total fall of 223.9 mm (8.81 in). The warmest month on record is July 1983, with an average of 21.1 °C (70 °F) and the coldest is January 1963, with an average of −3.0 °C (27 °F). The warmest year on record
13750-492: Was 8 miles (13 km) in length and had one intermediate station serving Stow-on-the-Wold , although that station was inconveniently sited for its community. In 1853, a nominally independent company, sponsored by the OW&WR, obtained its authorising Act to construct the Severn Valley Railway, from Hartlebury on the OW&WR through Bewdley , Bridgnorth and Ironbridge to Shrewsbury. Further acts were secured,
13875-591: Was also available but closed in April 2009; a service operated by That's TV , originally called That's Oxford (now That's Oxfordshire), took to the airwaves in 2015. The city is home to a BBC Television newsroom which produces an opt-out from the main South Today programme broadcast from Southampton . Local papers include The Oxford Times (compact; weekly), its sister papers the Oxford Mail ( tabloid ; daily) and
14000-641: Was an earth slip near Campden tunnel this was postponed to 7 May, but Captain Galton of the Board of Trade refused to sanction passenger opening as the broad gauge track was incomplete, as was the junction at Wolvercot. A special excursion for the Directors was run anyway on 7 May. On the return journey to Oxford the excursion was running late and the Cheltenham Chronicle reported that a signalman Charles Marles had entered
14125-598: Was erected in 1678–1683 to house a cabinet of curiosities given to the University of Oxford in 1677. The museum reopened in 2009 after a major redevelopment. It holds significant collections of art and archaeology, including works by Michelangelo , Leonardo da Vinci , Turner , and Picasso , as well as treasures such as the Scorpion Macehead , the Parian Marble and the Alfred Jewel . It also contains " The Messiah ",
14250-520: Was established in 1990, and the Begbroke Science Park , owned by the university, lies north of the city. Oxford increasingly has a reputation for being a centre of digital innovation, as epitomized by Digital Oxford. Several startups including Passle, Brainomix, Labstep, and more, are based in Oxford. The presence of the university has also led to Oxford becoming a centre for the education industry. Companies often draw their teaching staff from
14375-519: Was established in the city in 1910. The principal production site for Mini cars, owned by BMW since 2000, is in the Oxford suburb of Cowley . The plant, which survived the turbulent years of British Leyland in the 1970s and was threatened with closure in the early 1990s, also produced cars under the Austin and Rover brands following the demise of the Morris brand in 1984, although the last Morris-badged car
14500-571: Was founded in 1743 by Richard Tawney. He formed a partnership in 1782 with Mark and James Morrell, who eventually became the owners. After an acrimonious family dispute the brewery was closed in 1998. The beer brand names were taken over by the Thomas Hardy Burtonwood brewery, while the 132 tied pubs were bought by Michael Cannon, owner of the American hamburger chain Fuddruckers , through
14625-509: Was made; rather than simply join the Grand Junction at Bushbury, a spur would be added to reach a proposed joint station at Wolverhampton, shared with the Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Dudley Railway and the Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway . This was authorised by the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway (Deviation) Act 1848 ( 11 & 12 Vict. c. cxxxiii) of 14 August 1848;
14750-402: Was not yet ready.) The OW&WR had contemplated not proceeding with the construction between Tipton and Wolverhampton, but the GWR relied on part of it to reach the Shrewsbury line, and in this case Parson relented and arranged for the line to be built. Parson and Peto had long been manipulating to find a route to London independent of the Great Western Railway, a fact which naturally annoyed
14875-502: Was opened at Grandpont in 1844, but this was a terminus, inconvenient for routes to the north; it was replaced by the present station on Park End Street in 1852 with the opening of the Birmingham route. Another terminus, at Rewley Road , was opened in 1851 to serve the Bletchley route; this station closed in 1951. There have also been a number of local railway stations, all of which are now closed. A fourth station, Oxford Parkway ,
15000-581: Was produced there in 1982. 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 , Elsevier and several smaller publishing houses. 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
15125-563: Was ranked as the world's number one university, according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings . Oxford is renowned for its tutorial -based method of teaching. The University of Oxford maintains the largest university library system in the United Kingdom, and, with over 11 million volumes housed on 120 miles (190 km) of shelving, the Bodleian group is the second-largest library in
15250-551: Was rebuilt as dual carriageway in the late 1980s. The industry led to rapid housebuilding in the 1930s, and also made the area a significant target for German bombers in the Second World War . A combination of good fortune and foresight led to a major German bombing raid, shortly after the blitz in Coventry , to be cancelled. After the end of World War II in 1945, Wolverhampton council erected 400 prefabricated bungalows across
15375-474: Was something of a Pyrrhic victory as the route was very lengthy. The service was discontinued in September 1861. On 13 April 1854, a broad gauge train travelled the entire length of the main line between Oxford and Wolverhampton, and on 1 July that same year the last section of the OW&WR was opened to passengers, between Tipton and Cannock Road Junction; this followed the opening to goods which had taken place in April 1854. The Low Level station at Wolverhampton
15500-512: Was unfinished, and for a time some OW&WR passenger trains continued to use the LNWR Stour Valley line. On 14 November 1854, the Great Western Railway opened its line between Birmingham Snow Hill and Wolverhampton Low Level. It joined the OW&WR at Priestfield. A mixed gauge link was opened from Cannock Road Junction to Stafford Road Junction. From this time, GWR passenger trains ran from Paddington and Birmingham to Wolverhampton, using
15625-599: Was −17.8 °C (0.0 °F) on 24 December 1860. The highest temperature ever recorded in Oxford is 38.1 °C (101 °F) on 19 July 2022. The average conditions below are from the Radcliffe Meteorological Station . It has 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 cover, and temperature exist since 1767. The driest year on record
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