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Welcome to our take on a brief history of Oxford, where we explore exactly how it came to be the historic place it is today. Renowned for its world-famous university which has shaped the evolution of the city over the last 800 years, Oxford is now an international tourist destination offering stunning architecture, history, art, education, food and much more. Read on to find out how Oxford developed from a small village to an influential English city.

Saxon settlement (~700 AD)

The original settlement of Oxford began in the Saxon period, around the 8th century. Known as “Oxenaforda” in Old English, the city was chosen for its strategic location on the upper reaches of the River Thames. Its name supposedly comes from how the settlers used to bring their oxen across the ford (shallow and walkable part of the river) when taking them to market. By the 9th century, Oxford developed into one of the fortified towns or “burghs,” that were spread in a network across the country to protect the Saxon kingdom of Wessex against Viking invasions, and this position along key trade routes increased its growth.

University of Oxford (~1096 AD)

Although the exact date is unknown, Oxford University existed in some form as early as 1096, almost a millennium ago. It grew quickly from 1167 when English students were banned from the University of Paris and so returned to England to establish their own place of learning, and in 1248 was granted a Royal Charter by King Henry III. Later, the city suffered great losses during the outbreak of the Black Death (1348–1350) and the colleges took advantage of the population decrease by buying up vacant property to expand the university territory.

The Reformation (1530s–1600 AD)

This shift away from Catholicism forced by King Henry VIII had a great effect on Oxford. Several manuscripts were removed from the university libraries and many schools replaced religious studies with Medicine, Civil Law, Greek and Hebrew, marking a breaking-away from its monastic beginnings. However, after Henry’s eldest daughter Mary Tudor ascended the throne, she set about violently reversing the work of her father, most notably with her execution of the Three Martyrs in 1555. The bishops were brought to Oxford, tried for heresy, then burned at the stake as punishment. The Martyrs Memorial stands in the centre of the city to this day to mark their sacrifice.

English Civil War (1642–1649 AD)

Oxford, like much of the rest of the country, was in great turmoil during the English Civil War. Although the university was King Charles I’s court and therefore the Royalists’ main base, the townsfolk actually favoured their opponents, the Parliamentarians led by Oliver Cromwell. This led to three sieges upon the city, but thankfully the attacking Roundheads were careful not to inflict too much damage. Later that century in 1678, the building that would become known as the Ashmolean Museum began construction. It was the world’s second university museum and the first official museum in Britain, opening its doors to the public in 1683.

The 19th century

The industrial revolution brought about times of great change and growth for Oxford. The population more than quadrupled in just a century, increasing from around 12,000 to 49,000. In the university, reforms were put into place which replaced oral entrance exams with written tests, allowed more tolerance for religious dissent, and established four women-only colleges, though female students still did not have the same rights as their male counterparts. Moreover, the rise of the railway connected Oxford to London as well as many other locations, and its status as a provincial city changed to a central hub for travel, news and education.

The 20th century

The city experienced an industrial boom in the early 1900s thanks to the printing industry, which helped to produce academic journals, books, catalogues and more for the university, and also several major car-manufacturing companies such as the BMW Mini. Unfortunately, these declined from the 1970s onwards. The World Wars also had a profound effect on Oxford. In WW1, many university buildings were used for cadet training and as hospitals, and during WW2, some entire colleges were occupied by the military. Happily, on the 7th of October in 1920, women were finally given the right to take degrees, despite many women having studied at Oxford before then.

The 21st century

Nowadays, Oxford is a busy city with a population of 160,000 and is the 7th most visited city in the UK, welcoming over 7 million visitors each year that generate around £780 million for the economy. The university is still going strong, consistently ranked as one of the top education centres worldwide and hosting over 26,000 students. It features heavily in popular media since its historical buildings make for great inspiration as well as the perfect ready-built film set, appearing in novels like “His Dark Materials”, TV shows like “Inspector Morse” and films like “Harry Potter”, attracting fans from all over the world.

The future?

Whatever Oxford’s future may hold remains to be seen. However, there is no doubt this city will continue to attract both tourists and students from all over the world for many years to come. Thank you for reading A Brief History of Oxford, and we hope to welcome you to this vibrant city soon.

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And if you would like to explore Oxford for yourself, check out the amazing Cotswolds and Oxford Day Tour from London that we offer. We look forward to seeing you on tour!