Oxford
- This is about the city of Oxford in England. See also Other cities named Oxford.
| Oxford
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| Oxford (city and lord mayoralty) |
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| Motto: Fortis est veritas (Latin: "Truth is strong") |
Oxford is a city in Oxfordshire, England, with a population of 134 248 (2001 census). Its latitude and longitude are 51°45'07" N and 1°15'28" W (at Carfax Tower, which is usually considered the centre). It is home to the University of Oxford, the oldest university in the English-speaking world.
It is known as the "city of dreaming spires", a term coined by Matthew Arnold for the harmonious architecture of the university buildings. A major point of lasting interest is the sometimes uneasy relationship between "town and gown", which in 1355 resulted in a riot in which several university students were killed (the St Scholastica Day Riot). Unlike its great rival, Cambridge, Oxford is an industrial city, particularly associated with car manufacture in the suburb of Cowley.
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2 Features 3 Literature in Oxford 4 See also 5 External links |
Oxford was first occupied in Saxon times, and was initially known as "Oxanforda". 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.
The University of Oxford is first mentioned in 12th century records. Oxford's earliest colleges were University College 1249, Balliol 1263 and Merton 1264.
During the English Civil War, Oxford housed the court of Charles I in 1642, after the king was expelled from London, although there was strong support in the town for the Parliamentarian cause. The town yielded to Parliamentarian forces under General Fairfax in 1646.
Oxford's Town Hall was built during the reign of Queen Victoria. Though Oxford has city status and is a Lord Mayoralty, the seat of the city council 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 a major car-building industry was begun by the Morris Motor Company.
On 6 May 1954 Roger Bannister, a student at Pembroke College, ran the first authenticated sub-four minute mile at the Iffley Road track in Oxford.
A map of central Oxford
The Saxon Tower at the church of St Michael-at-the-Northgate. The tower is one of the oldest surviving structures in the city
Major tourist attractions and important buildings include:
Colin Dexter wrote and set his Inspector Morse mystery novels in Oxford.
Famous Oxford-based authors include:
History
Features
Literature in Oxford
The Oxford English Dictionary is published by Oxford University Press.
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University of Oxford (including links to the
individual colleges).See also