Frideswide Square is a

square In Euclidean geometry, a square is a regular quadrilateral, which means that it has four equal sides and four equal angles (90- degree angles, π/2 radian angles, or right angles). It can also be defined as a rectangle with two equal-length a ...

to the west of central

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 ...

. The square is named after the patron saint of Oxford,

St Frideswide Frithuswith, commonly Frideswide (c. 65019 October 727; ang, Friðuswīþ), was an English princess and abbess. She is credited as the foundress of a monastery later incorporated into Christ Church, Oxford. She was the daughter of a sub-ki ...

. The "square" is actually more of a tapered rectangle in shape. Immediately to the north, the modern

Saïd Business School Saïd Business School (Oxford Saïd or SBS) is the business school of the University of Oxford. The School is a provider of management education and is consistently ranked as one of the world's top business schools. Oxford School of Management ...

Oxford University 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 th ...

dominates the square, established in 1996 on the site of the former

Oxford Rewley Road railway station Oxford Rewley Road railway station was a railway station serving the city of Oxford, England, located immediately to the north of what is now Frideswide Square on the site of the Saïd Business School, to the west of Rewley Road. It was the t ...

. To the east are

Hythe Bridge Street Hythe Bridge Street is in the west of central Oxford, England, forming part of the A4144 road. History There has been a road here since at least 1233. Previous names include Hide Brigge, Hithe Brigge, and Rewley Lane. It used to form part of ...

(A4144) and

Park End Street Park End Street is a street in central Oxford, England, to the west of the centre of the city, close to the railway station at its western end. Location To the east, New Road links Park End Street to central Oxford. To the west, Frideswide ...

, both leading into central Oxford. Between them is the Royal Oxford Hotel. To the south, Hollybush Row and then

Oxpens Road Oxpens Road is a road in central Oxford, England, linking west and south Oxford. It is named after the marshy area of Oxpens, next to one of the branches of the River Thames in Oxford. It forms part of the A420 road. Locale To the northwest, Ox ...

(

A4144 road The A4144 road is an A road in Oxford, England. It links Upper Wolvercote in the north and Redbridge in the south via central Oxford. The A4144 consists largely of Woodstock Road in the north and Abingdon Road in the south. It also includ ...

) act as an inner ring road leading to Abingdon Road, the main arterial road south out of the city. On the corner with Hollybush Row is the old

Frank Cooper's Frank Cooper's is a UK brand of marmalades and jams owned by Hain Daniels. Frank Cooper's is known primarily for its "Oxford" Marmalade and holds a Royal Warrant. History Oxford High Street Francis Thomas Cooper (1811–1862) was originally ...

jam factory, now used as office space for Nuffield College and a restaurant. To the west,

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 ...

(

A420 road The A420 is a road between Bristol and Oxford in England. Between Swindon and Oxford it is a primary route. Present route Since the opening of the M4 motorway, the road has been in two sections. The first section begins on Old Market Str ...

) leads out of the city centre, under a railway bridge just south of the main

Oxford railway station Oxford railway station is a mainline railway station, one of two serving the city of Oxford, England. It is about west of the city centre, north-west of Frideswide Square and the eastern end of Botley Road. It is on the line for trains betwe ...

, situated to the northwest. The square is a major traffic hub in Oxford and is often a bottleneck to traffic flow. Many buses stop in the square. In 2015, work began to transform the square from a congested area to a more attractive public space. The main phase of construction works started in February 2015 and continued until December 2015. The new design removes traffic lights from the square and makes use of shared spaces."Oxford's Frideswide Square redevelopment opens"
BBC. 16 December 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2021.

Gallery

File:Said Business School.jpg, The spire of the

, north of Frideswide Square. File:Oxfordfront.jpg, The front of the main

, northwest of Frideswide Square. File:Oxford Rewley Road station.jpg, The

in 1994, north of the current Frideswide Square on the site of the

. File:Oxford Frideswide Square.jpg, The south side of Frideswide Square looking east before the 2015 redevelopment.

References

External links

Frideswide Square

Flickr Flickr ( ; ) is an American image hosting and video hosting service, as well as an online community, founded in Canada and headquartered in the United States. It was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and was a popular way for amateur and profession ...

Squares in Oxford Transport in Oxford {{Oxfordshire-geo-stub