Ferry Hinksey Road is a road in west

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, leading south from the

Botley Road Botley Road is the main road into the centre of Oxford, England from the west. It stretches between Botley, on the Oxford Ring Road ( A34) to the west of the city, and Frideswide Square at the junction with Oxford railway station, close t ...

. The road leads to the

Osney Mead Osney or Osney Island (; an earlier spelling of the name is ''Oseney'') is a riverside community in the west of the city of Oxford, England. In modern times the name is applied to a community also known as Osney Town astride Botley Road, just we ...

Industrial Estate to the east, started in 1961. To the east is

Osney Ditch The Osney Ditch is a side channel of the River Thames at Oxford, England. It is one of the principal watercourses in west Oxford. The ditch leaves Bulstake Stream just east of Binsey Lane and then rejoins the main stream of the Thames south o ...

History

The road is named after the village of

Ferry Hinksey North Hinksey is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England, immediately west of Oxford. The civil parish includes the large settlement of Botley, effectively a suburb of Oxford. North Hinksey was part of Berkshire until the 1974 bo ...

, now known as

North Hinksey North Hinksey is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England, immediately west of Oxford. The civil parish includes the large settlement of Botley, effectively a suburb of Oxford. North Hinksey was part of Berkshire until the 1974 bo ...

, on the other side of

Hinksey Stream Hinksey Stream is a branch of the River Thames to the west of the city of Oxford, England. It starts as Seacourt Stream (also known as Wytham Stream), which leaves the Thames at a bifurcation north of the village of Wytham, and rejoins the riv ...

, one of the branches of the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

in Oxford. There was once a punt ferry that operated over

Bulstake Stream Bulstake Stream, also spelt Bullstake Stream, is a backwater of the River Thames at Oxford, England. The stream leaves the main stream of the Thames at a river junction known as Four Rivers, at the south west corner of Fiddler's Island oppos ...

. The most notable path between Oxford and North Hinksey, a continuation of Ferry Hinksey Road, is a metalled

bridleway A bridle path, also bridleway, equestrian trail, horse riding path, ride, bridle road, or horse trail, is a trail or a thoroughfare that is used by people riding horses, riding on horses. Trails originally created for use by horses often now s ...

and

cycle track A cycle track, separated bike lane or protected bike lane (sometimes historically referred to as a sidepath) is an exclusive bikeway that has elements of a separated path and on-road bike lane. A cycle track is located within or next to the ro ...

, variously known as Willow Walk and Ruskin's Ride. The latter is named after

John Ruskin John Ruskin (8 February 1819 20 January 1900) was an English writer, philosopher, art critic and polymath of the Victorian era. He wrote on subjects as varied as geology, architecture, myth, ornithology, literature, education, botany and politi ...

(1819–1900) who used to pass this way between Ferry Hinksey and Oxford, where he was the first

Slade Professor of Fine Art The Slade Professorship of Fine Art is the oldest professorship of art and art history at the universities of Cambridge, Oxford and University College, London. History The chairs were founded concurrently in 1869 by a bequest from the art collecto ...

from 1869. The path was originally built in 1876–77 by Aubrey Harcourt (1852–1904), a major local landowner, but was not made open to the public until 1922. There is also a smaller unmade path which begins alongside the large back garden of The Fishes and crosses Hinksey Stream by a bridge at the site of the old ferry, which linked Ferry Hinksey with Oxford. The ferry ceased operation in 1928. The various streams are now crossed by small bridges. A 'Ferry Cottage' still remains. A poem called ''Ferry Hinksey'' by

Laurence Binyon Robert Laurence Binyon, CH (10 August 1869 – 10 March 1943) was an English poet, dramatist and art scholar. Born in Lancaster, England, his parents were Frederick Binyon, a clergyman, and Mary Dockray. He studied at St Paul's School, London ...

(1869–1943) describes the bucolic nature of the area before Osney Mead Industrial Estate was developed.

Buildings and companies

Arup Associates Arup (officially Arup Group Limited) is a British multinational professional services firm headquartered in London which provides design, engineering, architecture, planning, and advisory services across every aspect of the built environmen ...

designed the building for the ''

Oxford Mail ''Oxford Mail'' is a daily tabloid newspaper in Oxford, England, owned by Newsquest. It is published six days a week. It is a sister paper to the weekly tabloid ''The Oxford Times''. History The ''Oxford Mail'' was founded in 1928 as a success ...

'' and ''

Times Time is the continued sequence of existence and events, and a fundamental quantity of measuring systems. Time or times may also refer to: Temporal measurement * Time in physics, defined by its measurement * Time standard, civil time specific ...

'' in 1970–2. West Oxford Community Primary School, formerly West Oxford First School, is also located here.

Holywell Press Holywell Press Ltd is a family printing and publishing company based in Oxford, England. The firm was established in 1890 by Harry Burrows and Jack Doe. A major customer has been the University of Oxford, including publication of the university ...

moved to Ferry Hinksey Road in 1989.

Oxford Open Learning Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the Un ...

, a

distance learning Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at a school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance. Traditionally, this usually in ...

company, is at King's Meadow off Ferry Hinksey Road.

Gallery

File:Ferry Hinksey Road - geograph.org.uk - 1102672.jpg, View of Ferry Hinksey Road File:Footpath and Cycleway to North Hinksey - geograph.org.uk - 854706.jpg, Footpath and

cycleway Cycling infrastructure is all infrastructure cyclists are allowed to use. Bikeways include bike paths, bike lanes, cycle tracks, rail trails and, where permitted, sidewalks. Roads used by motorists are also cycling infrastructure, except w ...

off Ferry Hinksey Road File:Bridge over the ditch - geograph.org.uk - 1102463.jpg, Bridge off Ferry Hinksey Road to the right File:More of the substation - geograph.org.uk - 1102794.jpg, The large

electrical substation A substation is a part of an electrical generation, transmission, and distribution system. Substations transform voltage from high to low, or the reverse, or perform any of several other important functions. Between the generating station and ...

on Ferry Hinksey Road File:Pollarded willows - geograph.org.uk - 1103301.jpg,

Pollarded Pollarding is a pruning system involving the removal of the upper branches of a tree, which promotes the growth of a dense head of foliage and branches. In ancient Rome, Propertius mentioned pollarding during the 1st century BCE. The practice oc ...

willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist s ...

trees along the edge of the

playing field Play is a range of intrinsically motivated activities done for recreational pleasure and enjoyment. Play is commonly associated with children and juvenile-level activities, but may be engaged in at any life stage, and among other higher-functio ...

s by Ferry Hinksey Road File:Sports field in the gloom - geograph.org.uk - 1103291.jpg,

Sports field A pitch or a sports ground is an outdoor playing area for various sports. The term ''pitch'' is most commonly used in British English, while the comparable term in American and Canadian English is playing field or sports field. For most sports t ...

off Ferry Hinksey Road File:Ferry Hinksey School - geograph.org.uk - 1102684.jpg, View of West Oxford Community Primary School File:Ruskin Crew Roadbuilders Ferry Hinksey Oxford.jpg, Ferry Hinksey late 1800s

References

Streets in Oxford {{England-road-stub

History

Buildings and companies

Gallery

See also

References