Oriel Square, formerly known as Canterbury Square,
Hibbert, Christopher
Christopher Hibbert MC (born Arthur Raymond Hibbert; 5 March 1924 – 21 December 2008) was an English author, historian and biographer. He has been called "a pearl of biographers" ('' New Statesman'') and "probably the most widely-read popula ...
, ''The Encyclopedia of Oxford''. London: Pan Macmillan
MacMillan, Macmillan, McMillen or McMillan may refer to:
People
* McMillan (surname)
* Clan MacMillan, a Highland Scottish clan
* Harold Macmillan, British statesman and politician
* James MacMillan, Scottish composer
* William Duncan MacMillan ...
, 1988, pp. 295–296. . is a square in 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 ...
, located south of the
High Street
High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...
. The name was changed after the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
at the request of
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 ...
which maintained that the square had originally been known as Oriel Square.
Location
To the east at the southern end is the cobbled
Merton Street
Merton Street is a historic and picturesque cobbled street in central Oxford, England. and to the north are
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 ...
and
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 Ir ...
. To the west at the northern end is
Bear Lane.
Oriel College, one of the older colleges of 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 ...
, fronts onto the square to the east. Canterbury Gate of
Christ Church also backs onto the square.
The street is officially designated as part of the
A420 due to the blockage of the High Street to normal traffic. To the north it continues as King Edward Street and to the east it continues as Merton Street.
Oriel Square tennis court was a former
real tennis
Real tennis – one of several games sometimes called "the sport of kings" – is the original racquet sport from which the modern game of tennis (also called "lawn tennis") is derived. It is also known as court tennis in the United Sta ...
court. The only active court left in Oxford is the
Merton Street tennis court nearby.
The television crime series ''
Inspector Morse
Detective Chief Inspector Endeavour Morse, GM, is the eponymous fictional character in the series of detective novels by British author Colin Dexter. On television, he appears in the 33-episode drama series '' Inspector Morse'' (1987–2000), ...
'' used the square as a location in the episodes "The Dead of Jericho", "Last Seen Wearing", "The Ghost in the Machine", "Infernal Serpent", "Absolute Conviction", "Deadly Slumber" and "The Daughters of Cain".
[Richards, Antony and Attwell, Philip, ''The Oxford of Inspector Morse''. Irregular Special Press, Cambridge, 2006, p.41. .]
Oriel Square is the setting for a poem by
Sir John Betjeman titled "On an Old-Fashioned Water-Colour of Oxford".
Gallery
File:Oriel Square for King Edward Street Oxford.jpg, Looking towards 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 ...
in Oriel Square, from 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 ...
.
File:Oriel College Main Gate.jpg, The main entrance of 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 ...
in Oriel Square.
References
External links
*
Squares in Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Oriel College, Oxford
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