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Oxford

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: ''This article is about the city of Oxford in England. For other cities and other meanings, see Oxford (disambiguation).'' {| border=1 cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" align="right" width="275" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" style=margin-left:10px |- !colspan=2 align=center bgcolor="#ff9999"|City of Oxford |- |align=center|Image:Oxford - Oxfordshire dot.png 115px|Oxford |align=center|Image:OxfordshireOxford.png 115px|Oxford
''Shown within Oxfordshire'' |- !colspan=2 bgcolor="#ff9999"|Geography |- |width="45%"|Status:||City (1542) |- |Regions of England Region:||South East England |- |Admin. County:||Oxfordshire |- |Surface area Area:
- Total||List of English districts by area Ranked 306th
1 E7 mÂ² 45.59 square kilometre kmÂ² |- |Admin. HQ:||Oxford |- | Grid reference: || {{mmukscaled|SP513061|100|SP 51 06}} |- |ONS coding system ONS code:||38UC |- !colspan=2 bgcolor="#ff9999"|Demographics |- |Population:
- Total (2004 est.)
- within oxon
- Density.html">List of English districts by population Ranked 113th
145,100

List of oxfordshire towns by population Ranked 1st
-3,183 / km² |- |Ethnicity:||87.1% White
4.8% S.Asian
2.5% Afro-Carib.
1.8% Chinese |- !colspan=2 bgcolor="#ff9999"|Politics |- |colspan=2 align=center|Image:Oxfordarms.PNG centre|170px
Oxford City Council
http://www.oxford.gov.uk/ |- |Local government in England#Councils and councillors Leadership:||Leader & Cabinet |- |Executive:||Labour Party (UK) Labour |- |MPs elected in the UK general election, 2005 MPs:||Evan Harris, Andrew Smith |} '''Oxford''' is a City status in the United Kingdom city and Non-metropolitan district local government district in Oxfordshire, England, with a population of 134,248 (2001 census). It is home to the University of Oxford, the oldest university in the English language English-speaking world. It is known as the "city of dreaming spires", a term coined by Matthew Arnold in reference to the harmonious architecture of the university buildings. The Oxford suburb of Cowley, Oxford Cowley has a long history of carmaking, and still produces BMW MINIs.

History
Oxford was first occupied in Anglo-Saxons Saxon times, and was initially known as "ford (river) Oxenaforda". It began with the foundations of St Frideswide's nunnery in the 8th century, and was first mentioned in written records in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for the year 912. In the 10th century Oxford became an important military frontier town between the kingdoms of Mercia and Wessex and was on several occasions raided by Danes. St Frideswide is the patron saint of both the city and university. The University of Oxford is first mentioned in 12th century records. Oxford's earliest colleges were University College, Oxford University College (1249), Balliol College, Oxford Balliol (1263) and Merton College, Oxford Merton (1264). Oxford Cathedral Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford is unique as a college chapel and cathedral in one foundation. Originally the Priory Church of St Frideswide, the building was extended and incorporated into the structure of the Cardinal's College shortly before its refounding as Christ Church in 1546, since which time it has functioned as the cathedral of the Diocese of Oxford. The relationship between "town and gown" has often been uneasy—several university students were killed in the St. Scholastica riot St Scholastica Day Riot of 1355. During the English Civil War, Oxford housed the court of Charles I of England Charles I in 1642, after the king was expelled from London, although there was strong support in the town for the Parliamentarian cause. The town yielded to Parliamentarian forces under Lord Fairfax General Fairfax in 1646. In 1790 the Oxford Canal connected the city with Coventry. The Duke's Cut was completed by the Duke of Marlborough in 1789 to link the new canal with the River Thames; and in 1796 the Oxford Canal company built their own link to the Thames, at Isis Lock. In the 1840s the Great Western Railway and London and North Western Railway linked Oxford with London. Image:Image-OxfordCOA20050303CopyrightKaihsuTai.jpg Coat-of-arms.html" title="Meaning of 250px 250px|thumb|right|Oxford [[Coat-of-arms
Motto: ''Fortis est veritas''
(Latin: "Truth is strong").html" title="Meaning of thumb|right|Oxford [[Coat-of-arms">250px|thumb|right|Oxford [[Coat-of-arms
Motto: ''Fortis est veritas''
(Latin: "Truth is strong")">thumb|right|Oxford [[Coat-of-arms">250px|thumb|right|Oxford [[Coat-of-arms
Motto: ''Fortis est veritas''
(Latin: "Truth is strong") Image:John Speed's map of Oxford, 1605..jpg thumb|250px|A map of Oxford, 1605. In the 19th century the controversy surrounding the Oxford Movement in the Anglican Church drew attention to the city as a focus of theological thought. Image:4516-Oxford-map-1510x1384.jpg thumb|left|Map of Oxford (1904) Oxford's Town Hall was built by Henry T. Hare, the foundation stone was laid on 6 July 1893 and opened by the future Edward VII of the United Kingdom King Edward VII on 12 May 1897. The site has been the seat of local government since the Guild Hall of 1292 and though Oxford is a city and a Lord Mayoralty, it is still called by its traditional name of "Town Hall". By the early 20th century Oxford was experiencing rapid industrial and population growth, with the printing and publishing industries becoming well established by the 1920s. Also during that decade the economy and society of Oxford underwent a huge transformation as William Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield William Morris established the Morris Motor Company to mass produce cars in Cowley, Oxford Cowley, on the south-eastern edge of the city. By the early 1970s over 20,000 people worked in Cowley at the huge Morris Motors and Pressed Steel Fisher plants. By this time Oxford was a city of two halves: the university city to the west of Magdalen Bridge (from where students traditionally jump into the River Cherwell every May Day morning) and the car town to the east. This led to the witticism that "Oxford is the left bank of Cowley". Cowley suffered major job losses in the 1980s and 1990s during the decline of British Leyland, but is now producing the successful New MINI for BMW. The influx of migrant labour to the car plants, recent immigration from south-east Asia, and a large student population, have given Oxford a notable cosmopolitan character, especially in the Headington, Jericho, Oxford Jericho and Cowley Road areas with their many bars, cafes, restaurants, clubs, ethnic shops and fast food outlets. On 6 May 1954 Roger Bannister, as a 25 year old medical student, ran the first authenticated sub-four minute mile at the Iffley Road running track in Oxford. Oxford's "other" university, Oxford Brookes University, formerly Oxford Polytechnic, based at Headington, was given its charter in 1991.

Twinning
Oxford is twinned with: *{{flagicon|Germany}} Bonn, Germany *{{flagicon|France}} Grenoble, France *{{flagicon|Nicaragua}} LeÃ³n, Nicaragua LeÃ³n, Nicaragua *{{flagicon|Netherlands}} Leiden, Netherlands *{{flagicon|Russia}} Perm, Russia All of these are university towns.

Transport
Oxford is located some 50 miles (80 km) north west of London; the cities are linked by the M40 motorway, which also links northwards to Birmingham. Rail connections include services to London (Paddington station Paddington), Bournemouth, Worcester, England Worcester (via the Cotswold Line), and Bicester. The city also has regular train services northwards to Birmingham, Coventry and the north. The railway service connecting Oxford and Cambridge, known as the Varsity Line, was discontinued in 1968. The Oxford Canal connects to the River Thames at Oxford. Oxford Airport at Kidlington offers business and general aviation services. Local bus services are largely provided by the Oxford Bus Company and Stagecoach South Midlands

Tourist attractions
Oxford has numerous major tourist attractions, many belonging to the university and colleges. As well as several famous institutions, the town centre is home to Carfax Tower and a historical themed ride, The Oxford Story. In the summer, Punt (boat) punting on the Thames (sometimes called the ''Isis'' as it flows through Oxford) and the River Cherwell Cherwell is popular. Image:OxfordBuilding.JPG Radcliffe Camera.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|250px|The [[Radcliffe Camera.html" title="Meaning of 250px|The [[Radcliffe Camera">thumb|250px|The [[Radcliffe Camera">250px|The [[Radcliffe Camera">thumb|250px|The [[Radcliffe Camera Other notable attractions include:

Religious sites
*Oxford Cathedral Christ Church Cathedral *The Church of St Mary the Virgin (the University Church) *Martyrs' Memorial

=Churches in central Oxford
= '''Anglican:''' * Bartlemas Chapel, Bartlemas, Cowley Rd * Canning Crescent: St Luke, Canning Crescent * Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church Cathedral (Church of England Anglican), St Aldate's * Cowley Parish Church (St James), Beauchamp Lane, * New Osney, St Frideswide, Botley Road * St Aldate's, St. Aldate's * St Clements, Marston Road * St Giles, 10 Woodstock Road * St Margaret, St Margaret's Road * St Mary Magdalen, Magdalen Street (Opposite Debenhams) * St Michael at the North Gate, Cornmarket Street * St Thomas the Martyr, Becket Street * St Andrew, Linton Road * St Barnabas, Cardigan Street * St Matthew, Marlborough Road * Parish Church of SS Mary and John, Cowley Road * Pusey House, St Giles, St Giles * St Alban the Martyr, Charles St * St Ebbe's, Oxford St Ebbe's, Pennyfarthing Place (off St Ebbe's) * St Cross, St Cross Road (near junction with Manor Road). * St John the evangelist, Vicarage Road * University Church of St Mary the Virgin, High Street '''Catholic:''' * Catholic Chaplaincy, Rose Place, St Aldate's * Dominican Order Blackfriars (Catholic) Dominican Order Dominican Priory, 64 St Giles' * St Aloysius Gonzaga, Woodstock Road * St Anthony of Padua, Headley Way * Greyfriars '''Baptist:''' * New Road Baptist Church, Bonn Square * Headington Baptist Church * Botley Baptist, Westminster Way * John Bunyan Baptist Church, Crowell Road * Woodstock Road Baptist * Albert Street Baptist '''Other:''' * German language German Lutheran services at St Mary the Virgin, High Street * Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity and the Annuciation, 1 Canterbury Road (off Banbury Road) * Oxford General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches Unitarians at Harris Manchester College, Oxford Harris Manchester College Chapel, Mansfield Road * Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), St Giles' * Columba St Columba's United Reformed Church, Alfred Street * The Salvation Army, Oxford Citadel, Albion Place * Wesley Memorial Methodist Church, New Inn Hall Street * Oxford Vineyard * Oxford Community Church (OCC), Osney Mead * Oxford Bible Church * Grace Springs Church * Living Faith international * The Methodist Church, Lime Walk * Sant Nirankari Mandal, Marston Road * Chinese Christian Church, 15 Gorse Leas * Holy Family Church, 1 Cuddesdon Way * Evangelical Free Church, Magdalen Road * Assemblies of God, Oxford, Bracegirdle Road * Rivers of Life Church, Marston * Elim Pentecostal, Botley Road

Museums and galleries
Image:Oxford University Museum of Natural History.JPG thumb|250px|Oxford University Museum of Natural History '''University of Oxford:''' * Ashmolean Museum, Britain's oldest museum * Pitt Rivers Museum * Oxford University Museum of Natural History Museum of Natural History, home of (the remains of) the Oxford Dodo * Museum of the History of Science, Oxford Museum of the History of Science, in Britain's oldest purpose-built museum building '''Others:''' * Museum of Oxford * Museum of Modern Art, Oxford Museum of Modern Art * Science Oxford

University buildings
Image:Oxford University Press.JPG thumb|250px|Oxford University Press (Other than the Colleges of the University of Oxford colleges) *The Bodleian Library *The Clarendon Building (often used as a set for film and television) *The Radcliffe Camera (one of several institutions named after John Radcliffe) *The Sheldonian Theatre *The Oxford University Press *University Offices (administration), Wellington Square

Open spaces
The floodplains for Oxford's two rivers reach right into the heart of the city, providing a wealth of green spaces. *The University Parks *The University of Oxford Botanic Garden University Botanic Garden *Christ Church Meadow, Oxford Christ Church Meadow *Port Meadow, Oxford Port Meadow *Mesopotamia, Oxford Mesopotamia *Angel & Greyhound Meadow, Oxford Angel & Greyhound Meadow *Cutteslowe Park, Oxford Cutteslowe Park *Florence Park Image:OxfordBoats.JPG Punt_(boat) thumb|250px|[[Punt (boat)|Punts in Oxford.html" title="Meaning of Punts.html" title="Meaning of thumb|250px|[[Punt (boat)|Punts">thumb|250px|[[Punt (boat)|Punts in Oxford">Punts.html" title="Meaning of thumb|250px|[[Punt (boat)|Punts">thumb|250px|[[Punt (boat)|Punts in Oxford

Commercial areas
*Cornmarket Street, Oxford *Turl Street, Oxford *Little Clarendon Street *Broad Street, Oxford *Oxford Covered Market *George Street, Oxford *The Clarendon Shopping centre *Westgate Shopping Centre

Theatres and cinemas
*Oxford Playhouse *New Theatre, George Street *Ultimate Picture Palace, Cowley Road *Phoenix Picturehouse, Walton Street *The Odeon Cinema, George Street *The Odeon Cinema, Magdalen Street

Traditional and historic pubs
Image:The Bear Oxford.JPG thumb|250px|Historic Pub "The Bear" *The Eagle and Child *The Turf Tavern *The Lamb and Flag *The Bear

Media and press
As well as the BBC national radio stations, Oxford and the surrounding area has several local stations, including BBC Radio Oxford, Fox FM, Passion 107.9 [http://www.passion1079.com/], and Oxide: Oxford Student Radio [http://www.oxfordstudentradio.com/] (which went on terrestrial radio at 87.7 MHz FM in late May 2005). A local TV station, Six TV: The Oxford Channel is also available. Popular local papers include the Oxford Mail, the Oxford Times, and the Oxford Star. Recently (2003) DIY grassroots non-corporate media has began to spread [http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/oxford/]. Independent and community newspapers include the Jericho Echo [http://www.jerichoecho.org.uk] and Oxford Prospect [http://www.oxfordprospect.co.uk].

Literature in Oxford
Well-known Oxford-based authors include: * Lewis Carroll (real name Charles Dodgson), Fellow of Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church. * Colin Dexter who wrote and set his Inspector Morse mystery the novel novels in Oxford. * Michael Innes (J. I. M. Stewart), of Christ Church College, Oxford Christ Church. * T. E. Lawrence, "Lawrence of Arabia", Oxford resident, undergraduate at Jesus College, Oxford Jesus, post-graduate at Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen. * C. S. Lewis, Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen. * Iris Murdoch, Fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford St Anne's * Philip Pullman who was an undergraduate at Exeter College, Oxford Exeter. * J. R. R. Tolkien, Professor of English at Merton College, Oxford Merton, and undergraduate at Exeter College, Oxford Exeter. * Ian McEwan, formerly an Oxford resident for many years. Many English novels have been set partly or wholly in Oxford. They include: * ''Jude the Obscure'' (1895) by Thomas Hardy (in which Oxford is thinly disguised as "Christminster"). * ''Zuleika Dobson'' (1911) by Max Beerbohm (Merton College, Oxford Merton). * ''Gaudy Night'' (1935) by Dorothy L. Sayers (Somerville College, Oxford Somerville). * ''Brideshead Revisited'' (1945) by Evelyn Waugh (Hertford College, Oxford Hertford). * ''His Dark Materials'' (1995 onwards) by Philip Pullman See also the Literature section in the University of Oxford article.

Other notable Oxonians
* Rowan Atkinson, Mr. Bean star * Noel Godfrey Chavasse, twice awarded the Victoria Cross * Mike Hailwood, motor cycle world champion * Tim Henman, Tennis player * Martin Keown, footballer * Martha Lane Fox, internet entrepreneur * Emma Watson, "Harry Potter" film actress * Thom Yorke, of band Radiohead

Schools
Oxford and the surrounding area is home to an unusual number of highly academic schools, many of which receive pupils from around the world. Some of these are college schools, dating back centuries, which retain their links with the University and have kept the tradition of single sex education. Intellectual rivalry between the pupils of the different schools is frequent but generally good humoured. *Abingdon School *Christ Church Cathedral School *The Dragon School *Headington School *Magdalen College School *New College School *D'Overbroecks College School *Oxford High School *Radley College *St Edward's School *St Helen and St Katharine

Geography
Oxford's latitude and longitude are 51Â°45'07" N and 1Â°15'28" W (at Carfax Tower, which is usually considered the centre).

Wards, neighbourhoods, and suburbs
Image:Oxford shark.jpg The Headington Shark thumb|The [[The Headington Shark|Oxford shark in Headington.html" title="Meaning of Oxford shark.html" title="Meaning of thumb|The [[The Headington Shark|Oxford shark">thumb|The [[The Headington Shark|Oxford shark in Headington">Oxford shark.html" title="Meaning of thumb|The [[The Headington Shark|Oxford shark">thumb|The [[The Headington Shark|Oxford shark in Headington * Barton * Binsey, Oxon Binsey * Blackbird Leys * Botley, Oxfordshire * Cowley, Oxford Cowley * East Oxford * Headington — home to the Oxford shark. * Littlemore * Jericho, Oxford Jericho * Marston, Oxfordshire Marston * North Oxford * Osney * Rose Hill, Oxford * Risinghurst * Summertown * Temple Cowley * Wolvercote * Woodfarm

Politics in Oxford

Oxford City Council
Despite stereotypes of Oxford being a conservative city, there are no Conservative Party (UK) Conservatives on the city council. Since the UK local elections, 2004 2004 local elections, the council has been in minority administration by councillors from the Labour Party (UK) Labour Party, with the Liberal Democrats being the official opposition. With 7 city councillors and 5 county councillors, Oxford is one of the UK cities with highest Green Party of England and Wales Green Party representation. The Independent Working Class Association also has councillors, mainly elected to serve wards with many housing estates in the south east of the city, such as Blackbird Leys. Since 2002, elections have been held for Oxford City Council in even years, with each councillor serving a term of four years. Each electoral ward within Oxford is represented by two councillors, thus all wards elect one councillor at each election. Prior to 2002, the City Council was elected by thirds. ;Partisan Composition {| class="wikitable" |- !Year !Labour !Lib Dem !Green !IWCA !Conservative !Source |- |2002 |29 |15 |3 |1 |0 |[http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/vote2002/local_elections/101.stm] |- |2004 |20 |18 |7 |3 |0 |[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/vote2004/locals/html/3730.stm] |- |Present (As of 14 February 2006) |21 |17 |7 |3 |0 |- |} ;Partisan Control *1974 – 1976: Labour Party (UK) Labour *1976 – 1980: Conservative Party (UK) Conservative *1980 – 2000: Labour Party (UK) Labour *2000 – 2002: No overall control *2002 – 2004: Labour Party (UK) Labour *2004 – ''Present'': No overall control

Westminster representation
Image:Hustings20050204 CopyrightKaihsuTai.jpg husting.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|A pre-election [[husting at the Oxford West and Abingdon constituency.html" title="Meaning of A pre-election [[husting">thumb|A pre-election [[husting at the Oxford West and Abingdon constituency">A pre-election [[husting">thumb|A pre-election [[husting at the Oxford West and Abingdon constituency The two MPs are Andrew Smith from the Oxford East (UK Parliament constituency) Oxford East constituency, erstwhile employment minister in the Labour government; and Evan Harris Dr Evan Harris from the Oxford West and Abingdon constituency, sometime Liberal Democrat spokesperson on health. At the United Kingdom general election, 2005 2005 general election, Oxford East became a marginal constituency marginal seat with a Labour majority over the Liberal Democrats of just 963. Oxford West & Abingdon, on the other hand, is a safe Lib Dem seat with Dr Harris enjoying a majority of just under 8,000.

Alternative Culture
There is also a large and vibrant alternative political culture mostly situated in East Oxford. Some examples are: * Oxford BOP Samba * Oxford Student Activist Network [http://osan.org.uk/|OSAN] * Undercurrents_(news) Undercurrents * OCSET * Campaign to Close Campsfield [http://www.closecampsfield.org.uk/] * Corporate Watch [http://www.corpwatch.org/] * ETC Group * Indymedia Oxford Indymedia [http://oxford.indymedia.org.uk/]

Parishes
Unusually for a compact urban district, Oxford has four civil parishes with parish councils - these are Blackbird Leys, Littlemore, Marston, Oxfordshire Old Marston and Risinghurst and Sandhills.

See also
*Bishop of Oxford *Earl of Oxford *Oxfam *Oxford Union *Oxford United F.C. *University of Oxford (including links to the individual colleges) *Radiohead
*:Category:Visitor attractions in Oxfordshire

External links
{{Commons|Oxford}}
- Oxford - 1911 EncyclopÃ¦dia Britannica article
- Oxford City Council official website
- Oxford City Council official tourism website
- Oxford City Guide — Comprehensive Guide
- Oxford web site
- Virtual Tour of Oxford
- Oxford University
- Oxford Information
- The Aliens' Guide to Oxford
- Mushroom Guide to Oxford
- The Oxford Guide: an Open Guide to Oxford
- OxOx:community-driven events and reviews site
- The Oxford shark
- Oxford weather
- Live Webcam in Oxford City
- General Detailed Map of Central Oxford
- Oxford Brookes University {{SE_England}} {{English Cities}} Category:Cities in England Category:Oxford * Category:Local government in Oxfordshire Category:English county towns Category:University towns Category:Shire districts bg:ÐžÐºÑ?Ñ„Ð¾Ñ€Ð´ ca:Oxford cy:Rhydychen da:Oxford de:Oxford es:Oxford eo:Oksfordo fr:Oxford ko:ì˜¥ìŠ¤í?¼ë“œ hr:Oxford it:Oxford he:×?×•×§×¡×¤×•×¨×“ kw:Rysoghen la:Oxonia lt:Oksfordas nl:Oxford ja:ã‚ªãƒƒã‚¯ã‚¹ãƒ•ã‚©ãƒ¼ãƒ‰ no:Oxford pl:Oksford pt:Oxford ro:Oxford ru:ÐžÐºÑ?Ñ„Ð¾Ñ€Ð´ scn:Oxford simple:Oxford sl:Oxford fi:Oxford sv:Oxford tr:Oxford Category:Oxfordshire Category:Cities in England Category:River Thames Category:University towns bg:ÐšÐ°Ñ‚ÐµÐ³Ð¾Ñ€Ð¸Ñ?:ÐžÐºÑ?Ñ„Ð¾Ñ€Ð´

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