| Oxford is a city and local government | | | | town yielded to Parliamentarian forces |
| district in Oxfordshire, England, with a | | | | under General Fairfax in 1646. It later |
| population of 134,248 (2001 census). It | | | | housed the court of Charles II during |
| is home to the University of Oxford, the | | | | the Great Plague of London in 1665-66. |
| oldest university in the | | | | Although reluctant to do so, he was |
| English-speaking world. | | | | forced to evacuate when the plague got |
| It is known as the "city of dreaming | | | | too close. |
| spires", a term coined by Matthew Arnold | | | | In 1790 the Oxford Canal connected the |
| in reference to the harmonious | | | | city with Coventry. The Duke's Cut was |
| architecture of the university | | | | completed by the Duke of Marlborough in |
| buildings. The River Thames runs through | | | | 1789 to link the new canal with the |
| Oxford, where for a distance of some 10 | | | | River Thames; and in 1796 the Oxford |
| miles it is known as the Isis. | | | | Canal company built their own link to |
| The Oxford suburb of Cowley has a long | | | | the Thames, at Isis Lock. In the 1840s, |
| history of carmaking and now produces | | | | the Great Western Railway and London and |
| the BMW MINI. | | | | North Western Railway linked Oxford with |
| Oxford was first occupied in Saxon | | | | London. |
| times, and was initially known as | | | | Motto: Fortis est veritas |
| "Oxenaforda". It began with the | | | | (Latin: "Truth is strong") |
| foundations of St Frideswide's nunnery | | | | A map of Oxford, 1605.In the 19th |
| in the 8th century, and was first | | | | century, the controversy surrounding the |
| mentioned in written records in the | | | | Oxford Movement in the Anglican Church |
| Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for the year 912. | | | | drew attention to the city as a focus of |
| In the 10th century Oxford became an | | | | theological thought. |
| important military frontier town between | | | | Oxford's Town Hall was built by Henry T. |
| the kingdoms of Mercia and Wessex and | | | | Hare, the foundation stone was laid on 6 |
| was on several occasions raided by | | | | July 1893 and opened by the future King |
| Danes. St Frideswide is the patron saint | | | | Edward VII on 12 May 1897. The site has |
| of both the city and university. | | | | been the seat of local government since |
| The prestige of Oxford is seen in the | | | | the Guild Hall of 1292 and though Oxford |
| fact that it received a charter from | | | | is a city and a Lord Mayoralty, it is |
| King Henry II, granting its citizens the | | | | still called by its traditional name of |
| same privileges and exemptions as those | | | | "Town Hall". |
| enjoyed by the capital of the kingdom; | | | | By the early 20th century, Oxford was |
| and various important religious houses | | | | experiencing rapid industrial and |
| were founded in or near the city. A | | | | population growth, with the printing and |
| grandson of King John established Rewley | | | | publishing industries becoming well |
| Abbey for the Cistercian Order; and | | | | established by the 1920s. Also during |
| friars of various orders (Dominicans, | | | | that decade, the economy and society of |
| Franciscans, Carmelites, Augustinians, | | | | Oxford underwent a huge transformation |
| and Trinitarians), all had houses at | | | | as William Morris established the Morris |
| Oxford of varying importance. | | | | Motor Company to mass produce cars in |
| Parliaments were often held in the city | | | | Cowley, on the south-eastern edge of the |
| during the thirteenth century, but this | | | | city. By the early 1970s over 20,000 |
| period also saw the beginning of the | | | | people worked in Cowley at the huge |
| long struggle between the town and the | | | | Morris Motors and Pressed Steel Fisher |
| growing university which ended in the | | | | plants. By this time Oxford was a city |
| subjugation of the former, and the | | | | of two halves: the university city to |
| extinction for centuries of the civic | | | | the west of Magdalen Bridge (from where |
| importance of Oxford. | | | | students traditionally jump into the |
| The University of Oxford is first | | | | River Cherwell every May Day morning) |
| mentioned in 12th century records. | | | | and the car town to the east. This led |
| Oxford's earliest colleges were | | | | to the witticism that "Oxford is the |
| University College (1249), Balliol | | | | left bank of Cowley". Cowley suffered |
| (1263) and Merton (1264). These colleges | | | | major job losses in the 1980s and 1990s |
| were established at a time when | | | | during the decline of British Leyland, |
| Europeans were starting to translate the | | | | but is now producing the successful New |
| writings of Greek philosophers. These | | | | MINI for BMW. |
| writings challenged European ideology | | | | The influx of migrant labour to the car |
| – inspiring scientific discoveries and | | | | plants, recent immigration from |
| advancements in the arts – as society | | | | south-east Asia, and a large student |
| began seeing itself in a new way. These | | | | population, have given Oxford a notable |
| colleges at Oxford were supported by the | | | | cosmopolitan character, especially in |
| Church in hopes to reconcile Greek | | | | the Headington and Cowley Road areas |
| Philosophy and Christian Theology. | | | | with their many bars, cafes, |
| Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford is | | | | restaurants, clubs, ethnic shops and |
| unique as a college chapel and cathedral | | | | fast food outlets. Oxford is one of the |
| in one foundation. Originally the Priory | | | | most diverse small cities in Britain |
| Church of St Frideswide, the building | | | | with more than 19.3% of the population |
| was extended and incorporated into the | | | | born outside of the UK and 23.2% from an |
| structure of the Cardinal's College | | | | ethnic minority group, including 12.9% |
| shortly before its refounding as Christ | | | | from a non-white ethnic minority ethnic |
| Church in 1546, since which time it has | | | | group (2001 Census) |
| functioned as the cathedral of the | | | | On 6 May 1954, Roger Bannister, as a 25 |
| Diocese of Oxford. | | | | year old medical student, ran the first |
| The relationship between "town and gown" | | | | authenticated sub-four minute mile at |
| has often been uneasy — several | | | | the Iffley Road running track in Oxford. |
| university students were killed in the | | | | Oxford's second university, Oxford |
| St Scholastica Day Riot of 1355. | | | | Brookes University, formerly the Oxford |
| During the English Civil War, Oxford | | | | School of Art, based on Headington Hill, |
| housed the court of Charles I in 1642, | | | | was given its charter in 1991 and has |
| after the king was expelled from London, | | | | been voted for the last five years the |
| although there was strong support in the | | | | best new university in the UK. |
| town for the Parliamentarian cause. The | | | | |