The Street Names of Oxford

The names of Oxford’s streets and roads are fascinating and in many cases unique, but in Oxford, as in Wonderland, things are not always what they seem. North Parade Avenue, for example, lies to the south of South parade, while St Aldate’s refers to both to a church and a street, though there is no saint of that name. Many names have changed over the years; although present names such as St Aldate’s, Cornmarket and Merton Street have an authentic historical ring to them, within the diamond formed by St Giles to the north, the railway station to the west, the Plain to the east and Folly Bridge to the south. Scarcely any street uses its original name. Not surprisingly, over the centuries some of these thoroughfares have disappeared altogether.

This book traces the origins of names found in Oxford, not only of its streets and roads, villages, suburbs and housing estates, but also of the various colleges which make up the University, many of which have had a considerable influence on its streets. The illustrations of The Street Names of Oxford range in date from nineteenth-century prints and old pictures to new photographs which show a much-changed city.