The south end of King Edward Street, towards Oriel College

King Edward Street is a street running between 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 ...

to the north and

Oriel Square Oriel Square, formerly known as Canterbury Square,Hibbert, Christopher, ''The Encyclopedia of Oxford''. London: Pan Macmillan, 1988, pp. 295–296. . is a square in central Oxford, England, located south of the High Street. The name was changed ...

to the south 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 ...

. To the east is the "Island" site 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 ...

, one of the colleges 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 ...

. To the west are shops, including Shepherd & Woodward, the leading University outfitters, fronting onto the High Street. King Edward Street is officially designated as part of the

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 ...

due to the blockage of the High Street to normal traffic. The street was only created in 1872–73 by Oriel College when 109 and 110 High Street were demolished, so it is much wider than other older streets off the High Street. The buildings were mostly designed by

Frederick Codd Frederick Codd (born 1832 in East Dereham) was a British Gothic Revival architect and speculative builder who designed and built many Victorian houses in North Oxford, England. Born in 1832 in East Dereham in Norfolk., he was initially based ...

. On the wall of the first floor of No. 6, there is a large metal plaque with a portrait of Cecil Rhodes; underneath is the inscription:

In this house, the Rt. Hon Cecil John Rhodes kept academical residence in the year 1881. This memorial is erected by Alfred Mosely in recognition of the great services rendered by Cecil Rhodes to his country.

On No. 14 lived

Felix Yusupov Prince Felix Felixovich Yusupov, Count Sumarokov-Elston (russian: Князь Фе́ликс Фе́ликсович Юсу́пов, Граф Сумаро́ков-Эльстон, Knyaz' Féliks Féliksovich Yusúpov, Graf Sumarókov-El'ston; – ...

, one of the murderers of Grigori Rasputin.NY Times
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References

1873 establishments in England Streets in Oxford Oriel College, Oxford {{England-road-stub