Radcliffe Square towards church of St Mary the Virgin

Catte Street looking up towards Parks Road

Catte Street is a historic street in central Oxford, England.Catte Street, off High Street, OxfordOxford History
UK.

Location

Catte Street runs north-south, continuing as Parks Road to the north (beyond a junction with Broad Street and Holywell Street). The street passes along the eastern side of

Radcliffe Square Radcliffe Square is a square in central Oxford, England. It is surrounded by historic Oxford University and college buildings. The square is cobbled, laid to grass surrounded by railings in the centre, and is pedestrianised except for access. ...

and forms a junction with the High Street to the south. At the northern end to the west is the

Clarendon Building Clarendon Building is an early 18th-century neoclassical building of the University of Oxford. It is in Broad Street, Oxford, England, next to the Bodleian Library and the Sheldonian Theatre and near the centre of the city. It was built between ...

on Broad Street, with the Sheldonian Theatre nearby. Just to the south is the

Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second ...

. To the east are the Modern History Faculty (formerly the Indian Institute building), and the

Bridge of Sighs The Bridge of Sighs (Italian: ''Ponte dei Sospiri'', vec, Ponte de i Sospiri) is a bridge in Venice, Italy. The enclosed bridge is made of white limestone, has windows with stone bars, passes over the Rio di Palazzo, and connects the New Priso ...

over

New College Lane New College Lane is a historic street in central Oxford, England, named after New College, one of the older Oxford colleges, adjacent to the north. In 2010, New College Lane was named Britain's fourth most picturesque street, as part of G ...

which is part of

Hertford College Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main gate to the Bodleian Library. The colle ...

. Further south on the east side is

All Souls College All Souls College (official name: College of the Souls of All the Faithful Departed) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Unique to All Souls, all of its members automatically become fellows (i.e., full members of ...

, a college with Fellows but no undergraduate students. To the west at the southern end are the Radcliffe Camera and the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, the main church of the University, on the High Street. The southern end of the street, by the junction with the High Street, has been pedestrianised, with a pavement, since 1973.

History

The name of this street was recorded as Kattestreete in the early 13th century, as Mousecatchers' Lane (''Vicus Murilegorum'') in 1442, and as Cat Street in the 18th century. In the mid-19th century it became Catherine Street. However, there was another street of this name in east Oxford and in 1930 the City Council changed the name to Catte Street, using a 15th-century spelling. Originally this street used to lead northwards as far as New College Lane, where the city wall blocked its way. The road north from here has become part of Catte Street, although the Modern History Faculty still gives its address as Broad Street nearby. In the mid-13th century the illuminator

William de Brailes William de Brailes (active c. 1230 – c. 1260) was an English Early Gothic manuscript illuminator, presumably born in Brailes, Warwickshire. He signed two manuscripts, and apparently worked in Oxford, where he is documented from 1238 to 1252, ...

owned property, and presumably had his workshop, next to St Mary's. The street was pedestrianised as a pavement at the south by the junction with the High Street in 1973.

Cultural associations

Catte Street is mentioned in Philip Pullman's fictional works, '' His Dark Materials'' trilogy and ''

Lyra's Oxford ''Lyra's Oxford'' is a 2003 novella by Philip Pullman depicting an episode involving the heroine of ''His Dark Materials'', Pullman's best-selling trilogy. ''Lyra's Oxford'' is set when Lyra Belacqua is 15, two years after the end of the trilog ...

''. The street inspired the name of a local 1970s jazz band, the "Catte Street Rhythm Wreckers".

Gallery

File:Catte Street, Oxford - view north 1981 - geograph.org.uk - 812858.jpg, View north up Catte Street from

towards Parks Road in the distance. File:Indian Institute.jpg, The Indian Institute at the north end of Catte Street to the east. File:Bridge-of-sighs.jpg, The

from Catte Street. File:Bodleian-library.jpg, The Radcliffe Camera from Catte Street. File:All Souls College Oxford 20040124.jpg, The ornamental railinged gate of

on the east side of Catte Street. File:Catte Street in front of All Souls College.jpg, The south end of Catte Street as seen from the University Church of St Mary the Virgin. File:Catte Street looking north from its southern end.jpg, Catte Street, looking north past the Radcliffe Camera from its southern, St Mary's, end. File:Catte Street North.jpg, alt=Catte Street looking South towards the Radcliffe Camera from outside Hertford College and the Bodleian Library which is the forground. There is a car on the street. , Catte Street looking South towards the Radcliffe Camera from outside

and the

References

External links

{{commons category, Catte Street, Oxford
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by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

and the Duke of Edinburgh, 1999 Streets in Oxford Cats in popular culture Hertford College, Oxford All Souls College, Oxford