The Plain is an important junction, now a
roundabout
A roundabout, a rotary and a traffic circle are types of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junct ...
constructed in 1950, just east of
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, Oxford, Magdalen College, whence it gets its name and pronunciation. It connects the High Street, Oxf ...
in
Oxford
Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town.
The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
,
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. To the east and southeast are
St Clement's,
Cowley Road
__NOTOC__
Cowley Road is an arterial road in the city of Oxford, England, running southeast from near the city centre at The Plain near Magdalen Bridge, through the inner city area of East Oxford, and towards the industrial suburb of Cowle ...
and
Iffley Road
Iffley Road is a major arterial road in Oxford, England. It leads from the Plain, near Magdalen Bridge, southeast towards the village of Iffley. While it becomes Henley Avenue at Iffley Turn, and then Rose Hill, the whole stretch from the ri ...
which leads to the Liddell Buildings of
Christ Church on the other side of the
Christ Church Meadow.
Magdalen College School is to the south.
Cowley Place, also to the south, leads to
St Hilda's College, the most easterly college of the
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
.
The Plain received its name after the parish church of
St Clement's which stood here until 1829. The roundabout is the site of the former churchyard.
South African War Memorial
A war memorial dedicated to the 142 men of the First Battalion Oxfordshire Light Infantry who died in the
Second Boer War (1899-1902) stood on the site of the former churchyard from 1903 to 1950. The memorial is currently at Edward Brookes Barracks in Abingdon.
Victoria Fountain
The Plain includes a small but prominent building facing Magdalen Bridge, Victoria Fountain'', protected by a roof on stone columns On top of the sloping tiled roof is a small clock tower. The fountain was a gift to the city by
G. Herbert Morrell, designed by
E. P. Warren and officially opened on 25 May 1899 by
Princess Louise Princess Louise may refer to:
People
* Louise of Denmark (disambiguation), various princesses
* Louise of Prussia (disambiguation), various princesses
* Louise of Saxe-Meiningen (disambiguation), various princesses
* Princess Louise of Schleswig-H ...
. The Victoria Fountain is built on the site of a former toll house.
Traffic problems
The former churchyard was bought by the City Council in the 1930s in order to improve public safety and traffic flow. Following delays caused by the Second World War, a roundabout was finally created in 1950.
Early in 2006 the Plain was further redeveloped to make the junction safer. The 2006 work introduced pinch points between the motor and cycle traffic, especially on the Iffley Road entry to the roundabout. The 2007 redevelopment work (finished in late September) was mostly resurfacing, but there was some movement of the traffic islands. In 2014, it was announced that £1.3m of funding would improve the roundabout and increase the safety for cyclists, with the work completed in 2015. There were further calls to make changes to the junction in 2022 following the death of a cyclist.
See also
*
St Clement's Church, Oxford
St Clement's Church is an evangelical Church of England parish church situated just to the east of central Oxford, England.
History
The present church dates from the 1820s, but replaced a much older building, which was demolished in 1829.
Th ...
References
1828 establishments in England
Roundabouts in England
Road junctions in England
Parks and open spaces in Oxford
Transport in Oxford
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