COMMUNICATIONS
Roads, p. 284. Bridges, p. 286. Carriers and Coaches, p. 289. Rivers and River Navigation, p. 291. Canals, p. 293.
Railways, p. 294.
ROADS.
A prehistoric route approaching Oxford
along the watershed between the rivers Thames and
Ock, crossing the Thames perhaps at North Hinksey,
and continuing northwards on the ridgeway between
the rivers Thames and Cherwell seems to have been
followed by Roman secondary roads, but no major
Roman road passed through the site of Oxford. By the
Anglo-Saxon period the route from Winchester and
the south probably entered the town on the southern
side, where the great causeway known as Grandpont
was built or improved by Robert d'Oilly in the 11th
century. (fn. 1)
Before the completion of the Botley causeway in the
16th century the western approach to Oxford seems to
have been by relatively minor roads through Hinksey
and Binsey. A road was built as far as Wereford (later
Oseney Bridge) in the early 13th century, (fn. 2) and by 1467
the road had been extended as a stone causeway,
perhaps as far as the later St. Frideswide's Bridge. In
that year Oseney abbey granted a strip of land to the
ferryman of Hinksey so that he could make a causeway linking the ferry with the stone causeway leading
from Oseney Bridge. (fn. 3) By c. 1540 the causeway to the
ferry was of stone with wooden bridges. (fn. 4) A map of
1605 shows that the causeway joined the road over
Oseney Bridge near the site of the later St. Frideswide's
Bridge; from that point, too, a road branched northwestwards to Binsey. (fn. 5) The road through Binsey, Seacourt, and across Wytham Hill may have been the
principal route to Eynsham and the west in the Middle
Ages. (fn. 6) This route was superseded after the building of
a 'new causeway', first mentioned in 1541, when it
was carefully distinguished from the earlier 'stone
causeway'; it may be identified as the road running due
west from the site of St. Frideswide's Bridge, on the
line of the later Botley Road. (fn. 7) This extension, passing
over Bulstake stream at a 'new bridge', (fn. 8) was built by
John Claymond (d. 1537), president of Corpus Christi
College, (fn. 9) and was probably improved at the cost of
John, Lord Williams (d. 1559) and others later in the
16th century. (fn. 10) Before the causeway was built much of
the traffic to Faringdon and Bristol also took the route
from the south gate by way of Hinksey Hill, Foxcombe
Hill, Tubney, and Fyfield as an alternative to the route
through North Hinksey, Cumnor, and Appleton to
Faringdon. (fn. 11)
Oxford lay on important routes from Northampton
to Salisbury, Winchester, and Southampton, (fn. 12) and
from London to St. David's through Gloucester,
Hereford, and Brecon. (fn. 13) In the 15th century, however,
possibly in response to Henley's growing importance
as a centre of navigation, a stone bridge was built at
Abingdon, and the main London–Gloucester road
bypassed Oxford, going instead through Henley,
Abingdon, and Faringdon. (fn. 14) Oxford also lay out of the
way of the main London–Worcester road, which, in
the 16th and 17th centuries, ran north of Oxford from
Wheatley bridge to Islip and Enstone. There was a
branch road to Oxford through Wheatley. (fn. 15) The route
from Oxford to London continued to be, as it had
been from early times, up Headington Hill as far as
Cheney Lane, where it divided, one route continuing
up Headington Hill to Shotover, the other passing by
way of Cheney Lane and Old Road. (fn. 16) The road from
Oxford to Cambridge began along the ancient route to
Banbury before crossing the Cherwell at Gosford to
pass through Bicester, Buckingham, and Bedford. (fn. 17)
The royal court frequently travelled through Oxford
on its way to Woodstock, passing through the east
gate and along the present Longwall Street, before
cutting across to the Woodstock Road. In 1339 a
complaint was made to the mayor and bailiffs that the
road was so bad as to present a threat to the king's
safety. (fn. 18) The maintenance of the roads was the responsibility of the parishes through which they passed, but
in practice there was great dependence upon alms and
bequests. (fn. 19) Pavage grants were also obtained for the
roads around Oxford, but without notable success. (fn. 20)
Recurrent flooding remained a problem, and the city
was reluctant to repair roads which were not its
proven responsibility; (fn. 21) in 1591–2 the council paid
towards the repair of Bolshipton Way, in St. Clement's
parish, before a royal visit, and in 1604 again repaired
that route, but stressed that it was done of 'mere
goodwill'. (fn. 22)
In 1576 the roads and bridges around Oxford were
said to be so decayed from frequent flooding that
travel from neighbouring villages was hazardous. The
Mileways Act of that year bound inhabitants within 5
miles of the town to contribute, in accordance with the
size of their holdings, an amount of labour on roads
and bridges within a mile of Oxford. The mileways
were organized in four sections under a board of
supervisors appointed jointly by city and university. (fn. 23)
The Act aroused hostility in the area, and in 1576 the
local justices were ordered to consider how the 'griefs'
sustained by the Act might best be borne. (fn. 24) In 1593
commutation was allowed at the rate of 4d. a yardland. (fn. 25)
In 1708 over a hundred freeholders of Oxfordshire
and Berkshire petitioned for an amendment of the Act,
on the grounds that Oxford itself was almost exempt
from charges. (fn. 26) The mileways were inadequately
financed: in 1750 the northern mileway owed £56,
and the others were also in debt. (fn. 27) By 1770 only £35
could be raised in tax for the eastern mileway, and it
was reported that no statutory labour had been performed within memory. The roads were ruinous and
that to Marston was considered the worst in the
county. (fn. 28) Most mileways were absorbed into turnpike
trusts in the later 18th century, and the others were
managed on the turnpike principle. (fn. 29) The St. Clement's
mileway was turnpiked under the Oxford Improvement Act of 1771, and a toll-house was built at the
Plain with two gates across the roads from Headington
and Cowley, for the maintenance of the approaches
to Magdalen Bridge. A new road to Henley (later
the Iffley Road) was built direct from Magdalen
Bridge: the earlier road, known as the Wallingford
Way, had branched off the road to Cowley towards St.
Bartholomew's hospital. (fn. 30) The St. Clement's turnpike
produced a steady annual income, reaching a peak of
£1,960 in 1824, and the original mortgage debt raised
on the tolls could easily have been paid off, but
between 1800 and 1835 c. £20,000 of the toll receipts
were spent on street improvements within the city
itself. The trust was badly affected by the coming of
the railway and in 1845 one of the mortgagees brought
an action of ejectment against the trustees and entered
into possession of the toll-house and gates. In 1865 the
Oxford Local Board took over the trust, which was
abolished in 1868. (fn. 31)
The Stokenchurch turnpike was set up in 1719, (fn. 32)
and the city was represented on the trust, as it was on
all others controlling roads into Oxford. The trust was
responsible for the road from Stokenchurch to Woodstock, except for the mileways around Oxford; in
1761–2 the mileways from Cheney Lane to the foot of
Headington Hill and from St. Giles's church northwards were included in the turnpike. (fn. 33) The city was
able, despite protests from the trust, to prevent the
setting up of toll-gates close to its boundaries. (fn. 34) In
1789 the road to Wheatley by Cheney Lane and
Shotover Hill was abandoned in favour of a new and
easier route up Headington Hill. (fn. 35) The road was
disturnpiked in 1878. (fn. 36)
The road from Henley through Dorchester to the
milestone in the road leading to Magdalen Bridge was
turnpiked in 1735–6. (fn. 37) It was disturnpiked in 1873. (fn. 38)
The Adderbury, Kidlington, and Oxford turnpike trust
was established in 1754, (fn. 39) and in 1797 took over the
mileway from the end of the turnpike to the end of
Parks Road. (fn. 40) The road was disturnpiked in 1875. (fn. 41)
Neither turnpike used toll-gates near to the city. The
road from Folly Bridge to Abingdon and from Hinksey
Hill to Foxcombe Hill (part of the road to Faringdon)
was turnpiked in 1755–6. (fn. 42) After 1815 the Hinksey
Hill trust shared its toll-gate near the bridge with the
Folly Bridge trustees. (fn. 43) The road was disturnpiked in
1867. (fn. 44)
The road from George Street (formerly Thames
Street) over the Botley causeway was turnpiked in
1767 as a direct result of the efforts of Sir William
Blackstone, administrator of the estates of the late earl
of Abingdon: his plan was to repair the derelict
causeway with the help of friends in the city and
university, and to replace the ferry at Swinford, near
Eynsham, by a toll-bridge. The causeway became
the main route to Faringdon and the south-west of
England. Until the toll-bridge at Swinford opened in
1769 the main carriage route to Oxford from Witney
passed through Long Hanborough and joined the
Woodstock–Oxford road at Campsfield. (fn. 45) The alternative route was the ancient track across Wytham Hill,
which by the 18th century came down to the western
end of the Botley causeway. (fn. 46) The completion of
Swinford Bridge opened up the direct route to heavy
traffic: in 1768 the Swinford–Botley road had been
absorbed in the Oxford–Fyfield trust. (fn. 47) The difficult
section over Wytham Hill was replaced by a new road
from Eynsham to Botley in 1813–14 (fn. 48) and the old
road was finally abandoned in 1835. (fn. 49) A turnpike gate
set up at Oseney Bridge soon after 1766 (fn. 50) was moved
in 1868 to the west of Binsey Lane, perhaps after
complaints from Binsey inhabitants over paying toll.
In 1877 the gate was moved to the foot of Cumnor
Hill, and in 1880 was removed when the road was
disturnpiked. (fn. 51)
The city's northern bypass was completed in 1935,
the eastern bypass in 1959, and the western in 1961.
Part of the southern bypass, from Botley to the foot of
Hinksey Hill, was opened in 1932, but the road was
not completed until 1965, when the Sandford linkroad was also opened. (fn. 52)
BRIDGES.
Folly Bridge formed part of Grandpont, a
great causeway crossing the river Thames on the south
side of Oxford. The causeway may have been built in
the Anglo-Saxon period, and rebuilt in the late 11th
century. (fn. 53) The bridge was known as South Bridge until
the late 17th century when it became known as Folly
Bridge. (fn. 54) The bridge was usually called Folly Bridge
thereafter.
The causeway contained more than 40 arches in the
16th century, and stretched along most of Abingdon
Road; it was not continuous, however, but descended
wherever there was no liability to flood. The arches
were mostly round-headed, but some were pointed,
and most of the stonework was concealed under the
wider modern road. (fn. 55) Folly Bridge crossed the main
stream of the river on four narrow arches divided by
heavy piers and cutwaters; a tower stood near its
southern end beyond the third arch, while the fourth
arch was until the 17th century a drawbridge. (fn. 56) The
arches were at an angle of about 45 degrees to the
roadway, to allow for the direction of the stream. (fn. 57) In
the Middle Ages repairs were financed by a combination of pontage grants and private charity; (fn. 58) bridge
hermits, appointed from at least the 13th century, (fn. 59)
were entrusted with alms and were responsible for
carrying out repairs. (fn. 60) About 1360 the town bought
property on the east side of the causeway for the
bridge hermits: the Hermitage or Bridgewright's place
stood opposite the wayside chapel of St. Nicholas,
where alms for the bridge were collected. (fn. 61) Hermits
were appointed until the late 15th century. (fn. 62) Renovations to the bridge were carried out c. 1530 at the
expense of John Claymond, president of Corpus
Christi College, and among other charitable gifts was
one by Dr. Lloyd, presumably Griffith Lloyd, principal
of Jesus College, who in 1584–5 shared with the city
the cost of railing the bridge. (fn. 63)
The bridge's position, wholly within Berkshire and
partly within the city, led to much confusion over
responsibility for repair. In the 1570s the university
was apparently under pressure to contribute, and in
1582 the city agreed to repair the bridge's foundations
'so far as belongs to this city'. (fn. 64) The Mileways Acts of
1576 and 1593, providing for the maintenance of
roads and bridges within a mile of the city by all
inhabitants within 5 miles, (fn. 65) should have solved the
problem, but failed to yield sufficient funds. In the
early 17th century the tithing of Grandpont (in
Hormer hundred, Berks.) was amerced for the repair
of South Bridge, (fn. 66) and in 1619, when further repairs
were required, the city reminded the university of its
joint responsibility, under the Mileways Acts, for
fund-raising. (fn. 67) In the 1620s there was even an attempt
to place responsibility for repairs on Corpus Christi
College, because of Claymond's gift. (fn. 68) In 1628–9 the
bridge was repaired with £100 given by a London
merchant named Brown, (fn. 69) possibly the father of John
Brown, an Oxford mercer and bailiff. (fn. 70) The trustees of
Brown's bequest decided that although repairs were
the city's liability it would be difficult to prove: their
repairs included the blocking of one arch and the
levelling of the causeway, presumably in connexion
with the new waterworks or wharf there. (fn. 71) In 1639 the
Berkshire justices paid for railing the drawbridge and
for new stone walls along the causeway, (fn. 72) and Berkshire was again pressed for aid in 1763, the dispute
being finally settled after a lawsuit in 1813; Berkshire
agreed to pay half the cost of repairs at that time, while
the city accepted future liability. (fn. 73)
It was found, however, that the bridge was irreparable, and in 1815 an Act was obtained for rebuilding
it. (fn. 74) In 1825 the bridge was replaced by a stone bridge
with three arches, and a new river channel was cut
through Meadow Island by 1828 at a combined cost of
over £16,000. (fn. 75) The work was supervised by trustees
authorized to share tolls with the Hinksey Hill turnpike trust, (fn. 76) and the Act was extended in 1834 for a
further 21 years, (fn. 77) but the tolls proved unpopular
among Berkshire people. (fn. 78) The toll-gate stood at the
southern end of the causeway, but was moved to the
northern end of the bridge in 1844 to intercept traffic
from the new railway station off Abingdon Road. (fn. 79) By
1850 the trust's loan was almost paid off and the
bridge was freed of tolls. (fn. 80) The bridge, with a tollhouse on the north-west corner, survived almost unaltered in 1975.
In 1230 a tenement in St. Aldate's paid 12d. a year
to the pontarius of South Bridge. (fn. 81) In the mid 14th
century the town was paying an annuity of 13s. 4d.
out of one of its properties to the hermit of Grandpont. (fn. 82) In 1609 Thomas Faulkner bequeathed 6s. 8d. a
year for the bridge's repair. (fn. 83) In the early 19th century
the city denied an accusation by Berkshire justices that
it possessed ancient charities for bridge-repair; (fn. 84)
although Thomas Leigh left a house in Grope Lane in
1345 for that purpose (fn. 85) the city was probably correct
to deny any continuing liability. (fn. 86)
There was a bridge across the river Cherwell at the
eastern entrance to the town by 1004. (fn. 87) It was later
known as Pettypont, East Bridge, and finally Magdalen Bridge. By the 16th century the bridge or causeway
was of stone, approximately 500 feet long with some
20 arches and deep cutwaters. (fn. 88) There was a drawbridge at its eastern end in the late 14th century, and a
wooden arch in 1585. (fn. 89) The bridge contained both
pointed and rounded arches of differing sizes and
although its overall appearance was late-medieval it
evidently included work of several different periods. (fn. 90)
Most known bequests for its repair date from the 14th
century, and there were pontage grants in 1328 and
1376; (fn. 91) but the bridge was apparently in satisfactory
condition for much of the 16th century, which suggests that there may have been a major, unrecorded
restoration in the 15th century. Hearne believed that
Bishop William Waynflete was responsible, but cited
no evidence. (fn. 92) Houses apparently stood upon the
bridge in the 13th century, but had been removed by
1578; (fn. 93) others, built early in the 17th century, were
removed in 1634 after complaints from the university. (fn. 94)
The bridge straddled the town boundary where it
crossed the eastern branch of the river Cherwell and in
the Middle Ages responsibility for its upkeep was
divided between town and county, the county accepting only a quarter share. (fn. 95) The town relied heavily on
alms and bequests, and from at least 1321 appointed
bridge-hermits. (fn. 96) By 1571 the city was financing
repairs by a combination of parochial taxation and a
levy on senior councillors (fn. 97) and despite the 16thcentury Mileways Acts continued to pay for repairs
out of municipal funds or private charity. (fn. 98) In 1665,
when part of the bridge collapsed, the city's responsibility for its repair was confirmed by a judgement in
the county assizes. (fn. 99) In 1723, however, the university
carried out major repairs voluntarily: (fn. 1) several large
round arches may date from that restoration. (fn. 2) Nothing
was done about the cluster of houses channelling the
London and Henley roads into an inconvenient passage only 13 ft. wide at the eastern entrance to the
bridge. (fn. 3) In 1771 the bridge was declared dangerous,
some of its piers having been swept away by floods, (fn. 4)
and the Oxford Improvement Act of that year included
provision for the bridge's reconstruction. (fn. 5) The bridge
collapsed at its western end shortly afterwards. (fn. 6)
Milham Bridge was used as a relief route during the
rebuilding, between 1772 and 1778. (fn. 7) The new bridge,
designed by John Gwynn, included three large semicircular arches over each branch of the river, two
smaller ones over the towpaths, and a single arch with
panelled bays where the bridge crossed the central
island. It was 27 ft. wide with large central recesses.
Plans for a richly ornamented balustrade were later
modified and the present plain design by John Townsend adopted. The western channel of the river was
deepened to lessen the danger of flooding, (fn. 8) properties
built on the island since the bridge's reconstruction in
1723 were demolished, (fn. 9) and Gwynn's plans also
called for the removal of properties in St. Clement's
and of the Professor of Botany's house in the Physic
Garden to accommodate the sweeps at each end of the
bridge. (fn. 10) There was strong opposition to the proposals, and although the rest of the work on the bridge
and its approaches was completed by 1782 it was only
in 1790 that the vice-chancellor agreed to the removal
of the professor's house. (fn. 11) The bridge was widened in
1835 and again in 1882, but care was taken to ensure
that its appearance should otherwise remain
unchanged. (fn. 12)
Oseney Bridge carried the road westward from
Oxford across the present main stream of the Thames,
earlier the mill-leat of Oseney mill. In the early 13th
century there may have been a ford there, but probably
a bridge was built there early, since it was on the main
route westward. It may be identifiable as the Hythe
Bridge alias Oseney Bridge at the end of a proposed
causeway to Hinksey, referred to in 1465. (fn. 13) By the
early 17th century it comprised three stone arches. (fn. 14) It
seems to have been widened c. 1777 after the road had
been turnpiked. (fn. 15) In 1885 it partially collapsed after
floods, (fn. 16) and a temporary bridge was built to the south
until a new bridge was completed in 1889. (fn. 17) The
bridge comprises a single iron span, its rails carrying a
central shield bearing the arms of the Local Board. (fn. 18)
Before the rebuilding the Oxford Local Board and the
county council were in dispute over liability for the
cost, (fn. 19) but a compromise was agreed upon, whereby
the county paid £2,000 while the board agreed to
repair all public bridges within its area. (fn. 20)
In the early 17th century there appears to have been
only a narrow footbridge and a ford on the site of St.
Frideswide's Bridge, west of Oseney Bridge. (fn. 21) Wood
claimed that a stone bridge was built there in 1674, (fn. 22)
but it was probably altered when the road was turnpiked, since it was later a bridge of seven arches,
apparently of 18th-century date. (fn. 23)
Bulstake Bridge, built by John Claymond c. 1530,
comprised a single stone arch carrying the Botley
causeway across the Bulstake stream. (fn. 24) There seems to
have been an attempt to pull down the bridge, for
tactical reasons, in 1642. (fn. 25) Following complaints that
it was too low for navigation, the bridge was rebuilt
and raised in 1721, (fn. 26) and when the causeway was
turnpiked and improved in 1767 a wider bridge was
built north of the original bridge. (fn. 27) It was rebuilt again
in 1923–4 as part of a general improvement of the
Botley road. (fn. 28)
Seven Arches Bridge lay on the Botley road midway
between Bulstake Bridge and Botley (Seacourt)
Bridge, (fn. 29) and may date partly from the 1660s. (fn. 30) It did
not cross a stream but raised the road on flood
arches. (fn. 31) It has sometimes been confused with St.
Frideswide's Bridge (fn. 32) since both were of seven arches.
Plans made before its demolition in 1923 show a
bridge of 18th-century construction, presumably dating from the turnpiking of the causeway. (fn. 33)
Hythe, also called High, Bridge carried a road from
the town's north gate to the western suburbs across a
branch of the Thames running to Castle mill; its name
denotes a wharf there. (fn. 34) The first known bridge,
probably of wood, was built by Oseney abbey between
1200 and 1210, (fn. 35) and was rebuilt in stone, with three
arches, between 1373 and 1403. (fn. 36) In 1861 it was
replaced by the present iron bridge, designed by a local
engineer, John Galpin. (fn. 37) A few yards to the west lay
Little Hythe or Quakes Bridge, which in 1616 contained two arches. (fn. 38) Presumably it was built at the
same time as Hythe Bridge; it was intended to rebuild
it in 1861, but the work may not have been completed
until 1874. (fn. 39)
Castle Bridge carried the road from the west gate of
the town across the mill-stream south-west of the
castle into St. Thomas's parish. It was also known as
Castle Mill Bridge and, latterly, Swan Bridge, after the
nearby Swan Brewery. (fn. 40) It was probably built soon
after the construction of the castle diverted the western
approach to the town, and in the mid 13th century,
when it was in decay, its upkeep was held to be the
king's responsibility. (fn. 41) In time responsibility for the
bridge was reluctantly undertaken by St. Thomas's
parish, with contributions from the city, but in 1685
the city undertook to maintain the bridge, while St.
Thomas's made an annual contribution. (fn. 42) In the 17th
century the bridge was supported by three columns of
stone and was passable for a cart. (fn. 43) In 1871 it was
widened in timber on the downstream side, and the
timber was replaced by brick and masonry in 1895. (fn. 44)
Quaking Bridge, first mentioned by name in 1297
but probably much older, crossed the mill-stream
immediately west of the castle, on the line of a road
which passed from the town into St. Thomas's parish
before the castle's construction. (fn. 45) The canons of
Oseney passed over it daily to perform services in St.
George's chapel in the castle. (fn. 46) Responsibility for the
bridge's upkeep was stated repeatedly to lie with the
king. (fn. 47) The bridge seems to have been built of timber;
in 1821 it comprised three arches and was railed with
open-work timber. (fn. 48) The present iron bridge was built
in 1835. (fn. 49)
Bookbinders' Bridge, a short way west, carried the
road into St. Thomas's parish over another small
branch of the Thames. Its name, first recorded in
1377, (fn. 50) is explained presumably by the fact that an
adjoining tenement was occupied by monastic bookbinders, (fn. 51) and the bridge may have been built by the
canons of Oseney shortly after the abbey's foundation;
a charter of c. 1190 mentioned a bridge leading to
Oseney not far from the castle mills, and in 1377 the
bridge was said to lie within the abbey's jurisdiction. (fn. 52)
In the 17th century it was a single stone arch, and was
replaced by a brick bridge c. 1858. (fn. 53) Further west on
the same road lay Small Bridge, first referred to in the
14th century. (fn. 54) It seems to have been known as Lasse
Bridge in the 17th century, when Christ Church was
presented for its repair, (fn. 55) presumably as successor to
Oseney abbey.
Pacey's Bridge was built c. 1770 when New Road
was made; it crossed the mill-stream of Castle mill
between Quaking Bridge and Hythe Bridge, and was
named, apparently, after the landlord of the adjacent
public house. (fn. 56) The bridge was widened in 1856 and
rebuilt in 1922, its single arch being replaced by a flat
span. (fn. 57)
Preachers' or Littlegate Bridge crossed Trill mill
stream from Littlegate to Black Friars. (fn. 58) In 1285 the
stone pile of a bridge lately built by the friars was said
to be obstructing the stream, but the friars were
allowed to keep the bridge. (fn. 59) Before 1787 it suffered a
partial collapse, and a wooden bridge was built over
the central stone column. (fn. 60) It was replaced in stone c.
1813. (fn. 61) Further east the stream was crossed by Trill
Mill Bow, which carried the road from St. Aldate's
into Grandpont. (fn. 62) A presentment of Henry VI's reign
attributed the bridge to St. Frideswide's priory; it was
said to be ruinous and was replaced by a stone
bridge. (fn. 63) Both bridges over Trill mill stream disappeared when the stream was culverted in 1863. (fn. 64)
Denchworth Bow, a single stone arch, lay across the
Shire Lake stream in St. Aldate's, about 100 yards
north of Folly Bridge, (fn. 65) its name possibly deriving
from John of Denchworth a prominent 14th-century
townsman. (fn. 66) The bridge presumably disappeared
when the stream silted up.
Milham Bridge crossed the western branch of the
Cherwell south of Magdalen Bridge at the south-west
tip of the Botanic Gardens. It comprised two stone
arches, and a causeway then continued southeastwards before crossing the eastern branch of the
river on a wooden bridge. (fn. 67) The canons of St. Frideswide's may have built the bridge c. 1300 to connect
their grange to their cornfields near Cowley, (fn. 68) and the
bridge was rebuilt by Cardinal Wolsey to facilitate the
carriage of materials to his new college. (fn. 69) Wolsey's
bridge was used as a horse- and footway until c. 1634
when it was damaged by severe frost; it was
demolished in the Civil War. (fn. 70) During the rebuilding
of Magdalen Bridge a temporary bridge was erected on
the site of Milham Bridge. (fn. 71)
A bridge over the Thames at Free Ferry to provide a
link between the Abingdon and Iffley roads was proposed in 1954, and was opened, as Donnington Bridge,
in 1962. (fn. 72)
CARRIERS AND COACHES.
Although references to
carriers in Oxford are infrequent until the later 16th
century, the university had established a system of
carrying by the end of the Middle Ages. Thomas
Cursor of Catte Street carried liveries from London to
the university in 1398. (fn. 73) In 1448, and again after a
dispute in 1459, it was agreed that university carriers
should be included among the privileged persons of the
university. (fn. 74) The earliest surviving licence granted by
the university to a carrier was to John Bayly in 1492;
he was to convey goods and money between Oxford
and the north of England, and even to conduct business there on behalf of university men. (fn. 75) The university
granted its carriers a monopoly of traffic between their
districts and Oxford; usually the carriers lived in those
districts rather than in Oxford. (fn. 76) The university
claimed the sole right of licensing carriers, (fn. 77) but a
Bristol carrier mentioned in 1442 may not have been a
university carrier, and the city also appointed carriers
in the 16th century. (fn. 78) In the 1630s carriers from
London to Oxford operated from the Saracen's Head
near Newgate 'on Wednesday or almost any day', (fn. 79)
and in the later 17th century Oxford was linked by
regular carrying services to distant places such as
Cambridge, Lincoln, Yorkshire, Shropshire, Bristol,
Cornwall, and Dorset. (fn. 80)
Both university and city made repeated attempts to
control the price of carriage. (fn. 81) University carriers were
expected to maintain high standards: a London carrier
appointed in 1626 was to maintain 12 horses and
make two return journeys each week, delivering all
letters in Oxford within a day of arrival, maintaining a
shop in the town as a clearing-office, and giving
preference to privileged persons at all times. The
university asked for, but did not always receive, substantial security. (fn. 82) By the mid 18th century the carrier
service between Oxford and the neighbouring towns
and villages dependent upon it was extensive. By 1883
there were services to more than 300 towns and
villages every week, operated by some 90 carriers. (fn. 83)
The carriers adapted their trade to the railways by
using the trains for quicker and cheaper delivery of
goods to Oxfordshire villages. They served in particular the area to the east of the city, from Bicester in the
north to Wallingford in the south; possibly services to
the west were fewer because that area was also served
by the flourishing market towns of Chipping Norton,
Witney, and Abingdon. (fn. 84) The carriers usually operated
from inns, of a lower status than the coaching inns but
by no means the poorest; chief among them were, in
the 1880s, the Crown, Blue Anchor, and White Hart,
and in the early 20th century the Crown, New Inn,
Anchor, Clarendon, and the Anchor Hotel. (fn. 85)
By 1667 a stage-coach service was providing three
journeys weekly to London: Anthony Wood used it
that year, leaving Oxford at 4 a.m. and arriving in the
evening of the following day, having spent the night at
Beaconsfield (Bucks.). (fn. 86) The service was presumably
approved by the university, for when the city licensed
an opposition service c. 1670 the vice-chancellor
declared it illegal; it continued to operate for two
seasons. (fn. 87) By 1669 coach proprietors licensed by the
university undertook to complete the journey in one
day during the summer. (fn. 88) These 'flying coaches'
achieved their object by spending more time on the
road; in 1671 the journey to London took 13 hours at
a cost of 12s. In 1742 the winter coach still took two
days, although the much longer journey from London
to Norwich could be completed in the same time. (fn. 89) By
1754, as a result of road improvements, the journey to
London took one day in all seasons, and by 1828
under six hours. (fn. 90) The 'Age' and 'Royal William'
coaches, racing each other in the 1820s, took three
hours and twenty minutes. (fn. 91)
In 1702 the university licensed a service to Bath and
Bristol, the return journey to be completed in a week
during the summer; in the winter the coach was to run
when it was 'convenient', (fn. 92) and as late as 1750 the
regular stage-coach took two days. (fn. 93) Other early services established were to Gloucester (by 1713), Birmingham, Hereford, Warwick, Worcester (by 1753),
Salisbury, Shrewsbury (by 1778), Southampton (by
1789), Northampton, and Peterborough (by 1791). (fn. 94)
Although the university retained the right to license
coaches starting from Oxford, it ceased to exercise it in
the early 19th century. (fn. 95)
By 1835, when Oxford was at its zenith as a
coaching centre, (fn. 96) there were services to places as far
apart as Exeter, Holyhead, and York. (fn. 97) Among the
leading coaching inns were the Angel, Mitre, and Star,
all with coaching offices attached. The firm of Costar
and Waddell were the leading coach proprietors. (fn. 98) In
1767 William Costar was operating from the Cross
inn, and by 1819 his son Richard ran coaches to all
parts of the country; Richard was an agent for the
Royal Mail, and at one time was said to own over
300 horses. (fn. 99) In 1838 he was joined by Christopher
Waddell and was operating from the Angel, Mitre,
Star, and Roebuck inns. (fn. 1)
The coming of the railways led to an immediate
reduction in coach services; by 1854 there were only
three coaches a week to London and fares were
reduced in an attempt to attract custom. (fn. 2) Costar and
Waddell tried to adapt their services to those of the
trains; in 1839 they operated two coaches daily to
Aylesbury station and in 1840 met every train to
Steventon (Berks.). They ran coaches from Steventon
to Birmingham, connecting with trains to the north
of England. (fn. 3) In 1846 the last Oxford to Cambridge
coach ran after about 30 years' service, (fn. 4) and by 1852
coaches ran only to London, Cheltenham, Birmingham,
Worcester, and the Oxfordshire towns. (fn. 5) The service to
Cheltenham, with which there was no direct railway
connexion, continued until the end of the 19th century. (fn. 6)
RIVERS AND RIVER NAVIGATION.
The river
Thames or Isis (fn. 7) separates into many branches at
Oxford, becoming one stream again south of Iffley. (fn. 8) In
Anglo-Saxon times the westernmost branch, forming
the county boundary, was possibly an important
branch of the river, (fn. 9) but there is no record of its use for
navigation apart from a stretch near Hinksey ferry and
above Botley mill, which was kept navigable for riding
the franchises. (fn. 10) the principal navigable stream was
farther east following the Pot stream and the Bulstake
stream up river past Walton ford to Medley and
Godstow. With the building of Oseney lock in 1790
the present navigation stream, along the old Oseney
mill-stream, was established. (fn. 11) A branch further east,
and serving Castle mill, was much altered in the
late-Saxon or early-Norman period. A branch known
as Shire Lake stream, passing north of Folly Bridge,
under Denchworth Bow and across Christ Church
meadow, was important enough to form the county
boundary, but fell out of use in the Middle Ages. (fn. 12)
The Crown exercised general jurisdiction over the
Thames, one of the four royal rivers, and appointed
royal water-bailiffs to superintend the river west of
Staines. (fn. 13) The water-bailiffs occasionally held courts in
or near Oxford and in the 16th century the corporation seems to have co-operated with them. (fn. 14) In 1620
the corporation disputed the rights of the royal
water-bailiffs over city waters, (fn. 15) but in 1630 a court
was held by the royal officials at the guild hall in
Oxford. (fn. 16) The regular policing of Oxford's waters was
performed by the city's own water-bailiffs, appointed
from at least 1556 until 1885. (fn. 17) The city was answerable to the commissioners of sewers for the cleansing
of the river. (fn. 18) It has been claimed that in the 12th
century the city of London exercised jurisdiction over
the whole of the Thames, (fn. 19) but London seems always
to have accepted that its authority ended at the
markstone at Staines. (fn. 20)
The building of mills and weirs on the Thames in the
Anglo-Saxon period was probably, at first, a great aid
to navigation, deepening and stabilizing the flow of the
river. (fn. 21) For the payment of a toll the miller would
remove the paddles and rymers from the weir and
'flash' the water through so that boats could 'shoot'
the weir downstream, or be hauled through
upstream. (fn. 22) In the 11th century traffic on the river was
sufficient to justify the cutting of a new channel by the
monks of Abingdon, (fn. 23) and there are signs of continuing river trade in the 12th and 13th centuries. (fn. 24)
Increasing numbers of weirs, however, began to
hamper navigation, (fn. 25) and in 1197 the king ordered
their removal as the cause of 'great detriment'. (fn. 26) In
1274 the sheriff of Oxfordshire and Berkshire was
ordered to widen the river, narrowed by weirs, so as to
allow ships and great barges to travel between London
and Oxford. (fn. 27) It was claimed c. 1300 that the king
used to appoint justices to survey the river every 7
years but that none had been appointed for 20 years. (fn. 28)
Further complaints about hazards to navigation were
made throughout the 14th century, not only because
of weirs and mills but also because of the decay or
removal of equipment, such as the winch at
Rotherfield Peppard. (fn. 29) Millers demanded heavy tolls
and were jealous of their rights to water, often keeping
boats waiting for several days before making sufficient
water available for them to pass. (fn. 30) During the 14th
century the river probably ceased to be navigable for
heavy traffic above Henley. (fn. 31)
The river above Oxford, however, remained passable and in the 16th century hay, wood, stone, and
slate were unloaded at the wharf owned by the city at
Hythe Bridge. Freemen paid ½d. toll and foreigners 1d.
for every load landed there; the tolls were for the
maintenance of the river and its banks. (fn. 32) The nature of
the bulk of trade at the wharf is revealed by the name
Timber Wharf, which it acquired in the 17th century. (fn. 33)
Parts of the wharf were leased out by the city and the
area began to be developed: in 1662 a malt-house,
newly erected on land that had formed part of the
timber wharf, was leased. (fn. 34) Until the construction of a
stone causeway from Hinksey to Oseney in the 15th
century local crops seem to have been brought from
outlying areas west of Oxford to Hinksey ferry and so
to a landing place on the south-east bank of Oseney
Bridge, formerly known as Hythe Bridge. (fn. 35)
In the later 16th century the river seems to have been
reopened as far as Burcot, and in 1605 an Act was
passed to make the stretch from Burcot to Oxford
navigable; (fn. 36) a commission, named the Oxford–Burcot
Commission, was appointed with 18 members, including a representative each from the city and the university, but its work was spasmodic and by 1611 had
ceased altogether. (fn. 37) A new Act, obtained in 1623, (fn. 38)
authorized the appointment of 8 commissioners of
sewers, also known as the Oxford–Burcot Commission, comprising 4 representatives from the city and 4
from the university, with powers to tax both bodies, to
cleanse the river, and install locks and weirs. (fn. 39) The
commissioners' most important achievement was the
introduction to the Thames of pound locks, known as
turnpikes, at Culham, Sandford, and Iffley, allowing
the conveyance once more of heavy goods to Oxford
by water. (fn. 40) A wharf at Folly Bridge was constructed
for, and administered by, the commissioners c. 1629:
it was on the north bank of the river and included a
wet dock, and c. 1638 an oak crane. (fn. 41)
The commission's progress was slow and expensive:
in 1629 the city council suggested that a weekly tax of
between 1d. and 6d. be imposed on every inhabitant,
whereas formerly only freemen appear to have paid,
and the usual entertainments given at the election of
city officers were commuted to money payments for
works on the river, but the city does not appear to
have paid its contribution of £300 to the commissioners until 1634–5 and was forced to resort to loans to
pay further arrears in 1638. (fn. 42) Between 1625 and 1632
the university spent 2,000 marks left to it by Sir
Nicholas Kempe on improving the river. (fn. 43) The first
barge did not reach Oxford until 1635. (fn. 44)
During the Civil War ordinary commerce suffered,
despite some clandestine traffic in armaments, (fn. 45) but in
1650 there were still 14 boatmen working from
Oxford and in 1647 and 1651 the city council contributed substantial sums towards the repair of the locks
and 'waterworks'. (fn. 46) In the later 17th and early 18th
centuries there was an active river traffic in stone,
timber, coal, potash, malt, and foodstuffs (fn. 47) and the
river was used to transport the Arundel Marbles from
London to Oxford. (fn. 48) Despite improvements river
navigation was still very dependent on the weather: in
1677 barges were aground for a month after dry
weather and in 1681 the boatmen were 'reduced to
penury for want of water'; (fn. 49) in June 1714 the river
could be crossed on foot in places; in 1767, by
contrast, floods prevented barges from leaving Oxford
for ten weeks. (fn. 50) The commissioners owned only the
pound locks, and in the late 17th and early 18th
centuries there was increasing resentment against the
owners of private locks and weirs because of the
exorbitant tolls they were believed to be charging. (fn. 51) An
Act passed in 1695 to prevent excessive charges had
little effect but was renewed in 1730 with the city's
support. (fn. 52)
In 1751 a new body, the Thames Navigation Commission, was established, which for the first time
controlled the whole river west of Staines. Oxford was
represented by its mayor, but the commission, which
contained 600 members, proved too cumbersome (fn. 53)
and was replaced in 1770 by an even larger body on
which the city was represented by the mayor and
recorder; (fn. 54) the new commission required only a small
quorum and was more effective. (fn. 55) By 1785 £20,000
was needed to complete improvements on the river to
Oxford, and the commissioners decided that the outlay would be justified by increased traffic expected
from the Oxford, Coventry, and Severn canals. (fn. 56) In
1789 the commissioners purchased for £600 the locks,
weirs, and tolls in the possession of the Burcot Commissioners, whose only function thereafter was to
administer the wharves at Folly Bridge. (fn. 57) Godstow cut
and Oseney lock were opened in 1790, the latter built
by prisoners from the castle gaol, and the old navigation by Bulstake Bridge and Pot stream was superseded
by that through Oseney. (fn. 58)
Folly Bridge continued to be an obstacle to
improved navigation. The northern navigation
stream's sharp turn under the bridge was the despair of
bargemen, and by the early 19th century it had become
impassable. (fn. 59) In 1793, however, the Thames Commissioners had built a navigation arch at the southern end
of the bridge (fn. 60) and as a result of the rebuilding of Folly
Bridge (1824–7) the northern channel was filled in, a
new basin dug, and a weir constructed beside the
waterworks. (fn. 61) River traffic continued to use the navigation arch to the south of the bridge and the flash
lock there was replaced by a pound lock downstream
of the arch. (fn. 62) The commissioners prescribed two regular flashes weekly and fixed the times at which every
miller between Oxford and Staines should pass
accumulated water through the locks and weirs. (fn. 63)
In addition to wharves at Hythe and Folly bridges
there were two wharves and a wet dock south-east of
the pound lock at Folly Bridge known as the Lower, or
Mallam's, Wharves. (fn. 64) At the end of Thames Street was
the Clay Cross Coal Wharf, (fn. 65) and off Isis Street was
Plowman's Wharf. (fn. 66) On the south-west of Folly Bridge
Island was a wharf named L. & R. Wyatt's to distinguish it from a Wyatt's Wharf west of Friars' Wharf.
Friars' Wharf, also known as Hopkins's Wharf, lay
between Thames Street and the river and was the
largest wharf and wet dock in Oxford; (fn. 67) a building of
c. 1830 survives as the Wharf House public house. By
1829 Folly Bridge Wharf, then known also as Parker's
Wharf, was no longer in use; it was sold, along with
Mallam's Wharves, in 1844, was later acquired by
John Salter, and became the site of a flourishing
boat-building business. (fn. 68)
The coming of the railways adversely affected river
traffic, and the amount of goods passing through Iffley
lock dropped by over 14,000 tons between 1840 and
1842. (fn. 69) By 1865 traffic was confined largely to the
carriage of coal and timber. River boats continued to
be used for the bulk of coal transport because they
were better able to deliver unbroken the large slabs
required for storage, but their dependence on the
weather made them unpopular for the conveyance of
perishable goods. (fn. 70) Parliamentary inquiries in 1865
and 1866 revealed that river traffic was still hindered
by mill and lock owners, who insisted on their right to
draw off and control water at will; the owners of a
number of old locks and weirs were levying tolls
despite offering no service in return. Above Oxford
navigation had almost ceased and boats took 12 hours
to pass through Oxford on the flash days allowed;
barges arriving in Oxford on a Friday had to wait until
the following Tuesday before moving on. (fn. 71)
In 1866 the authority of the Thames Conservancy
Board, which had controlled the Lower Thames since
1857, (fn. 72) was extended over the Upper Thames, including Oxford, despite the city's protests at the loss of its
ancient rights. (fn. 73) The pound lock at Folly Bridge was
removed in 1884. (fn. 74) By 1907 commercial traffic had
largely been replaced by pleasure boats, and the
Thames Conservancy Board increasingly concentrated
on adapting the river to pleasure traffic, on improving
the purity of the water, and reducing floods. (fn. 75)
The river Cherwell rises in Northamptonshire a few
miles above Banbury, and joins the Thames below
Christ Church Meadow. During the Civil War, a royal
warrant was issued to clear the rivers Cherwell and
Ray of weir impediments so that goods could be
brought into Oxford by boat from Bicester and Blackthorn, (fn. 76) but there is no record of anything being
accomplished at that time, and the first mention of
serious navigation of the river was later in the 17th
century, when goods seem to have been carried between Oxford and Banbury in flat-bottomed boats. (fn. 77) At
the time it was estimated that £10,000 would be
needed to make the river properly navigable. (fn. 78) In 1764
a boatload of coal was taken up the Cherwell from
Oxford to Ambrosden, returning with a cargo of
barley, to demonstrate the possibility of a canal being
opened northwards from Oxford. (fn. 79) After the opening
of the Oxford Canal the Cherwell was used only by
small pleasure craft.
CANALS.
A canal linking Oxford with the Coventry
Canal was proposed at a public meeting in Banbury in
1768, and £50,000 was subscribed on the spot, (fn. 80) the
enthusiasm stemming chiefly from the prospects of an
eventual link by water between the Midlands and
London, and of Banbury and Oxford obtaining coal
from Midland collieries at 1s. 4d. a cwt. compared
with 2s. 2d. for sea coal brought from London. (fn. 81)
Opponents of the scheme, notably road carriers and
coastal traders, argued that goods would be delayed at
Oxford because of the need to transfer them from
narrow canal barges to the wider vessels used on the
Thames, (fn. 82) but the objections failed and the Oxford
Canal Navigation Company was incorporated in
1769. (fn. 83) James Brindley was appointed engineer and
general surveyor, and was succeeded on his death in
1772 by Samuel Simcock. (fn. 84)
Oxford inhabitants, particularly members of the
university, were prominent among the shareholders;
university men were active in the management of the
company, which until 1885 was headed by 'an
ordained chairman'. (fn. 85) The canal reached Banbury in
1778, (fn. 86) but lack of funds delayed progress towards
Oxford. (fn. 87) The canal was opened to Hayfield Road,
Oxford in 1789, and to the New Road wharves on 1
January 1790 when the first boats to arrive were
greeted by the Oxford militia band and large cheering crowds. (fn. 88) In 1789 George Spencer, duke of
Marlborough, built a short length of canal north of
Wolvercote, later known as Duke's Cut, to connect the
river Thames with the Oxford Canal. He tried to sell
the cut to the canal company, and in 1792 conveyed it
in trust to the vice-chancellor and the mayor of
Oxford. The company built its own connexion near
Rewley in 1796, and in 1798 took a lease of Duke's
Cut. (fn. 89)
By July 1790 the last section of the canal between
Coventry and Fazeley (Warws.) was completed,
Oxford was opened to traffic from Birmingham and
the north-west of England, (fn. 90) and for ten years the city
was the centre of the shortest route by water between
the Midlands and London. Trade on the southern part
of the Oxford Canal was reduced by the opening in
1800 of the Grand Junction Canal from Braunston
(Northants.) to London, a faster, shorter route, which
cut out the necessity of transferring cargoes to river
barges. (fn. 91) Several attempts were made to maintain
traffic on the southern section of the canal: trade with
the southern coastal ports was considered, by way of
the River Kennet and the Andover Canal, and road
carriage from the Oxford wharves to neighbouring
towns was encouraged. An attractive system of toll
remissions ('drawbacks') was introduced for cargoes
passing down the southern section and the river. (fn. 92) In
1811 the company successfully resisted proposed links
between the Berkshire and Wiltshire Canal at Sutton
(Berks.) and the Grand Junction at Aylesbury (Bucks.),
and a cut from Swindon (Wilts.) to Cricklade (Wilts.).
Barges coming to Oxford by other canals linked to the
Thames were refused access to the company's basins
and wharves. (fn. 93)
When competition came from the railways the tonnage carried by the canal at first fell but by 1864,
because of increased population, was greater than ever
before. Many manufacturers preferred to send goods
by canal, particularly coal, pottery, slate, and chemicals, which were damaged by railway shunting, and the
canal company was also able to offer better storage
facilities at Oxford, including a large pottery warehouse. (fn. 94) Largely because of lower profit margins the
company's position declined, however; (fn. 95) long-distance
haulage was increasingly reduced, and although more
goods passed from canal to river at Oxford c. 1900
than in 1864 the increase bore no relation to the
expanding population of the area. (fn. 96) By 1928 there was
little trade on the canal, (fn. 97) and in 1937 the wharf at
New Road was sold, although wharves at Juxon
Street, Dawson Place, and Nelson Street continued in
use. Between 1942 and 1956 the number of boats
coming to Oxford by canal fell from 223 to 16. (fn. 98) The
southern section of the canal was closed to commercial
traffic after an inquiry in 1955. (fn. 99)
RAILWAYS.
A branch line connecting Oxford with
the Great Western Railway from Paddington to
Swindon at Didcot was under consideration from
1833 and was formally proposed in 1836. (fn. 1) The line
was to approach Oxford south of the Cowley Road
and terminate near Magdalen Bridge, (fn. 2) but Christ
Church, owners of the land, objected and the railway
was realigned to the south end of Folly Bridge. The
proposed line was defeated in 1837, 1838, and 1840
by the opposition of leading landowners, the university, and the city council. (fn. 3) The nearest station on the
London–Swindon line was at Steventon (Berks.),
about 10 miles from Oxford, and there was a regular
coach connexion. (fn. 4)
By 1842 opposition to the railway had weakened,
and in 1843 a new Bill was promoted incorporating
the Oxford Railway Company which was to construct
a line from Didcot to Oxford, terminating near Folly
Bridge. (fn. 5) All the company's capital was provided by the
G.W.R. (fn. 6) The university decided not to oppose the Bill,
despite indications that the line from Steventon was
used by undergraduates to attend races at Ascot, (fn. 7)
because the Bill provided that university officials
should have access to all stations and the right to
demand information concerning any passenger who
was suspected of being a member of the university.
The assent of the landowners along the proposed route
was obtained, (fn. 8) and the city council, despite a favourable report from its own committee, was almost alone
in opposing the line. (fn. 9) A petition against the Bill, said to
have been organized by the canal interest, was signed
by 300 people, while one in favour was signed by
1,500. (fn. 10)
The line was opened on 12 June 1844, and the fares
to London were 15s. and 10s., compared with 5s. by
coach. (fn. 11) The station, at the end of what later became
Western Road, was built of wood, and there was a
goods yard nearby. (fn. 12) Before the line had been completed plans were being prepared, under the suspicious
gaze of the council, to extend it to Rugby, to join the
principal northern railways. (fn. 13) The proposals aroused a
great deal of controversy over the gauge to be adopted,
since the G.W.R. used broad-gauge tracks, while the
northern lines were narrow-gauge. (fn. 14) The corporation
was in favour of the narrow gauge, hoping to gain
access to London by the London and North Western
Railway, which it considered offered cheaper rates and
a more convenient terminus in Euston than the
G.W.R.'s Paddington. (fn. 15) Work began on a single
broad-gauge line from Oxford to Rugby in 1845,
although it was later replaced by a mixed-gauge
double track on the orders of the Board of Trade. In
1849 it was decided to end the line just north of Fenny
Compton (Warws.), where it would join the Birmingham and Oxford Junction Railway. (fn. 16) That company
had originally proposed a line from Birmingham to the
G.W.R. station at Oxford, but altered its plans to a
shorter line joining the Oxford–Rugby Railway. (fn. 17) The
line from Oxford reached Banbury in 1850 and Fenny
Compton Junction in 1852. (fn. 16) The final section to
Rugby was never completed.
At the same time as the Oxford–Rugby line was
proposed the G.W.R. was approached by mining and
commercial interests in the west Midlands to build a
line from Wolverhampton through Worcester to
Oxford. (fn. 19) The line was opened in June 1853, joining
the Oxford and Rugby line at Wolvercote. The section
from Oxford to Evesham (Worcs.) was of mixed
gauge. (fn. 20) In 1851 the company had planned an extension towards London which would have cut across the
Woodstock and Banbury roads from Wolvercote and
affected the University Parks, but the scheme was
rejected in the Commons. (fn. 21)
A second line to London was opened in 1851 by the
Buckinghamshire Railway Company, whose sponsors,
the L.N.W.R., thereby obtained a narrow-gauge outlet
to the capital through Oxford, independent of the
G.W.R. The line, which provided a connexion with
Cambridge until 1967, (fn. 22) began at Bletchley (Bucks.)
on the L.N.W.R. main London–Birmingham line and
divided at Claydon (Bucks.), one branch, opened in
1850, going to Banbury and the other through Bicester
to Oxford. (fn. 23) The L.N.W.R. opened a station, said to
be constructed in a similar manner to the Crystal
Palace, on the site of Rewley Abbey.
The struggle between the broad and narrow gauge
also involved rival schemes for a line from Oxford to
Cheltenham (Glos.) backed by the G.W.R. and the
L.N.W.R. respectively. The lines were almost identical, approaching Oxford close by Godstow nunnery
and sweeping across Port Meadow to join the
Oxford–Rugby line. (fn. 25) The narrow-gauge scheme, with
its planned extension to Aylesbury, Tring (Herts.), and
London was rejected by the Commons, despite support from the city council, which hoped that it would
provide easier access to the rich agricultural land
around Thame and Aylesbury and make Oxford the
centre of communications between London and Cheltenham. The rival G.W.R. scheme was approved but
never completed because of lack of funds. (fn. 26) In June
1864 a single-track broad-gauge line from the G.W.R.
at Kennington (Berks.), 2½ miles south of Oxford, was
completed via Thame to High Wycombe (Bucks.) (fn. 27) but
by 1872 all broad-gauge tracks to Oxford had been
replaced by narrow-gauge. (fn. 28) No further lines were laid
into Oxford although in the 1880s the Metropolitan
Railway Company attempted to open a branch from
Aylesbury which would have brought a line into St.
Clement's between Headington and Marston and
alongside the Cherwell. (fn. 29)
To accommodate the new service from Birmingham
the G.W.R. moved their passenger service in 1852 to a
new station on the Botley Road, to the west of the
L.N.W.R. station. Both city and university urged the
company to build the station close to the city centre.
The station in Grandpont was closed to passengers
and used as a goods depot until 1872, when the land
was sold and the tracks taken up. (fn. 30) The new station
was remodelled in 1891 (fn. 31) and 1970–1. The L.N.W.R.
line and station were taken over by the London
Midland and Scottish Company in 1921–2 (fn. 32) and in
1940 a running junction was made between the L.M.S.
and the G.W.R. lines out of Oxford, enabling through
traffic from Bletchley to use the G.W.R. station. The
L.M.S. station closed in 1951. (fn. 33)
There were several halts within or just outside the
city boundaries: Oxford Road halt, 2 miles north of
Oxford on the Banbury road, was opened in 1850
when the Buckinghamshire Railway reached there,
and served as a temporary station for Oxford until the
line was completed. In 1905 when the L.N.W.R. began
a service of steam rail-cars between Oxford and Bicester the halt was reopened to serve Cutteslow and
Jordan Hill. Wolvercote halt was opened in 1905.
Summertown halt, approached by Aristotle Lane, was
opened in 1906 and was renamed Port Meadow halt in
1907. All three halts closed in 1926. In south Oxford
were Hinksey halt, approached by Wytham Street,
and, further south, the Abingdon Road Bridge halt.
Iffley halt, Garsington Road halt, and Littlemore station were on the High Wycombe line. The development of the Morris Motor and Pressed Steel works
resulted in the Garsington Road halt being renamed
Morris-Cowley station in 1928. The halts at Hinksey,
Abingdon Road Bridge, and Iffley closed in 1915 and
Littlemore station in 1971. Morris-Cowley station was
still open for goods traffic in 1976. (fn. 34)