The High Street in

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, known locally as the High, runs between Carfax, generally seen as the centre of the city, and

Magdalen Bridge Magdalen Bridge spans the divided stream of the River Cherwell just to the east of the City of Oxford, England, and next to Magdalen College, whence it gets its name and pronunciation. It connects the High Street to the west with The Plain, n ...

to the east.

Overview

The street has been described by

Nikolaus Pevsner Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner (30 January 1902 – 18 August 1983) was a German-British art historian and architectural historian best known for his monumental 46-volume series of county-by-county guides, ''The Buildings of England'' (1 ...

as "''one of the world's great streets''". It forms a gentle curve and is the subject of many prints, paintings, photographs, etc. The looking west towards Carfax with

University College In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies ...

on the left and The Queen's College on the right is an especially popular view. There are many historical buildings on the street, including the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

buildings and colleges. Locally the street is often known as "The High".

Major buildings

To the north are (west to east): Lincoln College (main entrance on

Turl Street Turl Street is a historic street in central Oxford, England. Location The street is located in the city centre, linking Broad Street at the north and High Street at the south. It intersects with Brasenose Lane to the east, and Market Stre ...

, including All Saints Church, now Lincoln College's library.),

Brasenose College Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The library and chapel were added in the m ...

(main entrance in

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. T ...

), St Mary's (the University Church),

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 t ...

, The Queen's College, St Edmund Hall (main entrance in

Queen's Lane Queen's Lane is a historic street in central Oxford, England, named after Queen's College, to the south and west. St Edmund Hall, a constituent college of the University of Oxford, is located on the southern end of this street. Location At ...

) and

Magdalen College Magdalen College (, ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete. Today, it is the fourth wealthiest college, with a financial endowment of £332.1 million as of 2019 and one of the s ...

(including

Magdalen Tower Magdalen Tower, completed in 1509, is a bell tower that forms part of Magdalen College, Oxford. It is a central focus for the celebrations in Oxford on May Morning. History Magdalen Tower is one of the oldest parts of Magdalen College, Oxford, ...

). To the south are (west to east):

Oriel College Oriel College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title formerly claimed by University College, w ...

(including the

Boyle-Hooke plaque The Shelley Memorial is a memorial to the English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822) at University College, Oxford, England, the college that he briefly attended and from which he was expelled for writing the 1811 pamphlet " The Necessity ...

outside the

Shelley Memorial The Shelley Memorial is a memorial to the English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822) at University College, Oxford, England, the college that he briefly attended and from which he was expelled for writing the 1811 pamphlet " The Necessity ...

), the

Examination Schools The Examination Schools of the University of Oxford are located at 75–81 High Street, Oxford, England. The building was designed by Sir Thomas Jackson (1835–1924), who also designed several other University buildings, such as much of Brasen ...

, the

Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art The Ruskin School of Art, known as the Ruskin, is an art school at the University of Oxford, England. It is part of Oxford's Humanities Division. History The Ruskin grew out the Oxford School of Art, which was founded in 1865 and later became ...

, the

Eastgate Hotel The Mercure Eastgate Hotel (aka The Eastgate locally) is a hotel located in the historic university city of Oxford, England. It is located on the south side of Oxford's High Street near to the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art and the Examin ...

(at the original entrance to the city) and the

Botanic Garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

Commerce

Queen's Lane Coffee House Queen's Lane Coffee House is a historic coffee house established by Cirques Jobson, a Levantine Jew from Syria. Dating back to 1654, it claims to be the oldest continually serving coffee house in Europe although, it has only been on the present ...

(at the junction with

) was established in 1654 and was probably Oxford's first

coffee house A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non- ...

. This title is however disputed with 'The Grand Café' Coffee House, which claims that it was established in 1650 and stands opposite Queen's Lane coffee house. Magdalen College Oxford 20040613

Despite an influx of chain stores in nearby

Cornmarket Street Cornmarket Street (colloquially referred to as Cornmarket or historically The Corn) is a major shopping street and pedestrian precinct in Oxford, England that runs north to south between Magdalen Street and Carfax Tower. To the east is the Go ...

, the High is home to a number of specialist independent retailers. These include

Shepherd & Woodward Shepherd & Woodward are a traditional clothing outfitters in High Street, Oxford, England. In particular, they provide academic gowns and other clothing for the University of Oxford. The shop's origins date back to 1845. The company also runs W ...

(University outfitters), Payne & Son (goldsmiths),

Sanders of Oxford Sanders of Oxford is an antique print shop situated on the High Street of the city of Oxford, England. Although stores trading in prints were once common in the country, there are now only a handful left, Sanders being one of the largest and long ...

(print sellers) and Waterfield's Books. To the north at the western end between Cornmarket and the Turl is the historic traditional Covered Market, established in 1774.

William Henry Butler William Henry Butler (24 February 1790 – 11 October 1865) was an English wine merchant and Mayor of Oxford. William Butler was the ninth of the ten children. His parents were James and Jane (née Slatter) Butler from All Saints parish in Oxfo ...

, later

Mayor of Oxford The earliest recorded Mayor of Oxford in England was Laurence Kepeharm (1205–1207?). On 23 October 1962 the city was granted the honour of electing a Lord Mayor. Notable figures who have been Lord Mayor of Oxford include J. N. L. Baker (196 ...

, was a

wine merchant A winemaker or vintner is a person engaged in winemaking. They are generally employed by winery, wineries or :Wine companies, wine companies, where their work includes: *Cooperating with viticulture, viticulturists *Monitoring the maturity of grape ...

with premises in the High Street during the early 19th century.William Henry Butler: Mayor of Oxford, January–October 1836Mayors of Oxford

Edward Bracher Edward Bracher (1823 – 31 May 1887) was a pioneering Victorian photographer based in Oxford, England. Bracher was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire.''1861 England Census'' He had photographic premises at 26 High Street, Oxford from 1852 to 1863. He ...

, a pioneering Victorian photographer, had a shop at 26 High Street.

Henry Taunt Henry William Taunt (1842–1922) was a professional photographer, author, publisher and entertainer based in Oxford, England. Birth Henry Taunt was born in Penson's Gardens in the parish of St Ebbe's, Oxford. His father Henry was a plumber an ...

, another photographer, joined him as a member of staff in 1856. Taunt later returned to 41 High Street after the lease for his own shop premises in Broad Street expired in 1894. 83 High Street bears a blue plaque (10 October 2001) commemorating

Sarah Cooper Sarah Anne Cooper (born December 19, 1977) is an Americans, American author and comedian based in New York City. She worked in design for Yahoo! and in user experience for Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides while also performing stand-up comedy. ...

(1848–1932)

marmalade Marmalade is a fruit preserve made from the juice and peel of citrus fruits boiled with sugar and water. The well-known version is made from bitter orange. It is also made from lemons, limes, grapefruits, mandarins, sweet oranges, bergamot ...

maker, wife of Frank Cooper whose shop at 83–84 High Street was the origin of the Frank Cooper

jam Jam is a type of fruit preserve. Jam or Jammed may also refer to: Other common meanings * A firearm malfunction * Block signals ** Radio jamming ** Radar jamming and deception ** Mobile phone jammer ** Echolocation jamming Arts and ente ...

business (a brand now owned by

Premier Foods Premier Foods plc is a British food manufacturer headquartered in St Albans, Hertfordshire. The group owns many well-known brands, including Mr Kipling, Ambrosia, Bird's Custard, Angel Delight, Homepride cooking sauces, Lyons, Sharwood's, Loy ...

). The company made "

Oxford Marmalade 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 ...

" famous. In June 1879,

George Claridge Druce George Claridge Druce, MA, LLD, JP, FRS, FLS (23 May 1850 – 29 February 1932) was an English botanist and a Mayor of Oxford. Personal life and education G. Claridge Druce was born at Potterspury on Watling Street in Northamptonshire. ...

(also a noted botanist and later mayor of the city) moved to Oxford and set up a chemist's shop, Druce & Co., at 118 High Street. This continued until his death 1932. The Old Bank Hotel was the first new hotel for 135 years in the centre of Oxford. Quod Restaurant & Bar is also part of the hotel, located between the junctions with

Oriel Street Oriel may refer to: Places Canada * Oriel, a community in the municipality of Norwich, Ontario, Canada Ireland * Oriel Park, Dundalk, the home ground of Dundalk FC * Oriel House, Ballincollig, County Cork * Kingdom of Oriel ('' Airgíalla'' in I ...

and

Logic Lane __NOTOC__ Logic Lane is a small historic cobbled lane that runs through University College in Oxford, England, so called because it was the location of a school of logicians. It links the High Street at the front of the college with Merton Str ...

Commentary

The architectural critic

wrote in 1974 that

"The High Street is one of the world's great streets. It has everything."Stephanie Jenkins
The High – Quotations
/ref>

He may have been echoing Thomas Hardy's comment in ''

Jude the Obscure ''Jude the Obscure'' is a novel by Thomas Hardy, which began as a magazine serial in December 1894 and was first published in book form in 1895 (though the title page says 1896). It is Hardy's last completed novel. The protagonist, Jude Fawley ...

'':

"And there's a street in the place – the main street – that ha'n't another like it in the world."Jude the Obscure
in
Google Books Google Books (previously known as Google Book Search, Google Print, and by its code-name Project Ocean) is a service from Google Inc. that searches the full text of books and magazines that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical ...
. The comment is made by a carter describing Christminster, Hardy's pseudonym for Oxford.

Adjoining streets

The following streets, also of historical significance, are off the High Street: *

Alfred Street Alfred Street is a street running between the High Street to the north and the junction with Blue Boar Street and Bear Lane at the southern end, in central Oxford, England.

Catte Street Catte Street is a historic street in central Oxford, England.Ca ...

King Edward Street King Edward Street is a street running between the High Street to the north and Oriel Square to the south in central Oxford, England. To the east is the "Island" site of Oriel College, one of the colleges of Oxford University. To the west ...

Longwall Street View north along Longwall Street Longwall Street is a street in central Oxford, England. It runs for about 300 metres along the western flank of Magdalen College. A high, imposing 15th century stone wall separates the college from the street al ...

Magpie Lane Magpie Lane is an English folk group, based in Oxford, England. The musicians of Magpie Lane first came together in the winter of 1992–93 to record ''The Oxford Ramble'', a collection of songs and tunes from, or about, Oxfordshire. Originally ...

Merton Street Merton Street is a historic and picturesque cobbled street in central Oxford, England.

* Queen Street *

* St Aldate's *

Gallery

File:View over Oxford High Street.jpg, View down to buildings on the south side. File:High Street Oxford Queens College.jpg, View eastwards towards The Queen's College. File:All Saints Church Oxford (1).jpg, All Saints Church, now Lincoln College's library File:Oxford Mitre Hotel 1.jpg, The Mitre Hotel File:Oriel College Rhodes Building.JPG, The Rhodes Building of

on the south side of the High Street. File:Carfax tower oxford england.jpg, Carfax, at the western end of the High Street. File:Magdalen-may-morning-2007-panorama.jpg,

and the High Street on

May Morning May Morning is an annual event in Oxford, United Kingdom, on May Day (1 May). Event The event starts early at 6 a.m. with the Magdalen College Choir singing a hymn, the Hymnus Eucharisticus, from the top of Magdalen Tower, a tradition str ...

, 2007. File:High Street in Oxford by Night 2009 LL.jpg, Night view of the High Street with Christmas lights, looking east from Carfax.

References

External links

The High, Oxford
includin
tour
an
history

Webcam
from Carfax tower looking east down the High Street

{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120716192031/http://www.chem.ox.ac.uk/oxfordtour/carfaxtower/default.html , date=16 July 2012
Oxford City Guide
including list of shops on The High Streets in Oxford Tourist attractions in Oxford Shopping streets in Oxford