Ship Street is a short street 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 b ...

that runs east–west.

Location

The street lies north of Jesus College and west of Exeter College, two of

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 ...

's colleges. To the south, at the western end is the

Junior Common Room A common room is a group into which students and the academic body are organised in some universities in the United Kingdom and Ireland—particularly collegiate universities such as Oxford and Cambridge, as well as the University of Bristol ...

of Jesus and to the eastern end is the same college's Principal's (private) garden. At the western end is St Michael at the Northgate church, near the site of the original north gate in the city wall. Originally Oxford's wall ran just to the north of Ship Street. At the eastern end once stood the QI Building, a member's club, bookshop and café associated with the comedic quiz show QI television series on BBC2, and established by the comedy producer John Lloyd. The entrance to the building was in

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 ...

. The building now plays host to Turl Street Kitchen, a

Social Enterprise A social enterprise is an organization that applies commercial strategies to maximize improvements in financial, social and environmental well-being. This may include maximizing social impact alongside profits for co-owners. Social enterprises ca ...

cafe-bar-restaurant which raises money for the student volunteering charity, Student Hubs. To the west is the major shopping street,

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 ...

, with St Michael's Street opposite, and to the east is the Turl.

Market Street Market Street may refer to: *Market Street, Cambridge, England *Market Street, Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia * Market Street, George Town, Penang, Malaysia *Market Street, Manchester, England *Market Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia ...

runs parallel with Ship Street to the south and Broad Street runs similarly to the north.

History

The street has had a number of names. It was known as Dewy's Lane in the 13th century, after a family who lived there. Its name was Somenor's Lane in 1385. For a time the street was known by the name of Lawrence Hall, which was on the south side of the street, 30–40 yards from Turl Street. The name of "Ship Street" was used from about 1762, after an

alehouse A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

in the street. At one time, there was a sheep market in the street and its name is a possible corruption of this. The street used to be much longer than it is today, running east through

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

to the city wall at Eastgate. St Anne's College, when it was still known as the Society of Oxford Home-Students, had its first common room at 16 Ship Street. The annual magazine for former members of the college is entitled '' The Ship''. There are still many 16th to early 18th century houses in the street that are

Grade II listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ir ...

Gallery

File:Ship Street Oxford looking west.jpg, View west from the Turl along Ship Street. File:Ship Street houses.jpg, Ship Street, with Jesus College on the left. File:Jesus College Ship Street gate.jpg, The Jesus College Ship Street entrance on the corner with the Turl, with Exeter College on the left. File:St Michael Northgate Oxford 20040124.jpg, The Saxon tower of St Michael at the Northgate at the eastern end of Ship Street.

References

{{coord, 51.75377, N, 1.25721, W, source:placeopedia, display=title Streets in Oxford Jesus College, Oxford St Anne's College, Oxford

Location

History

Gallery

See also

References