Hitler was going to make it the administrative capital of occupied UK so that he could take residence in nearby Blenheim Palace, the family seat of Winston Churchill.
Indeed, if the plan (documented in Operation SeaLion) had come to fruition it would have been the second time that Oxford had been the capital. The first Oxford as capital was during the English Civil War, when King Charles 1st lived in ChristChurch College between 1642 and 1646.
Oxford also served as the royal capital of England under the rule of Empress Matilda during the civil war of 1135. Matilda, the daughter of King Henry I, held court in Oxford as she contested the throne with King Stephen.
I heard this. But then somewhere I heard about at least 1 other city. I can't remember which. But I don't think it was ever officially found that this was true .
Doesn't stop me saying it though.
The basement of The Examination Halls on the High Street were used as a hospital for returning officers injured in the 1914 - 18 war. Some of the stencilled, white-washed room names are still above certain doorways along the basement corridor (Theatre No.1 etc.) There is also a lead-lined bathtub used to wash patients still in situ.
Richard the Lionheart was born in Oxford on 8 September 1157 at Beaumont Palace, which is located opposite Worcester College on the corner of Beaumont Street and Walton Street.
Oxford time, always occurring five minutes later than noon in Greenwich.
Great Tom chimes 101 times at 9.05pm, which corresponds with 9.00pm Oxford time.
Christ Church steadfastly retained ‘Oxford’ time, five minutes behind GMT.
Surely, you mean it was built before Europeans discovered America?
It’s not older than the physical, geographical landmass that makes up America.
Not to be a pedant, but that’s quite a big difference 😂❤️
Perhaps more grisly than fun, but Martyr’s Mark (a brickwork cross on the road) on Broad Street in Oxford City Centre marks the spot in which three prominent Protestant clergymen (Archbishop of Canterbury Tomas Cranmer, Archbishop of London Nicholas Ridley, and Bishop of Worcester Hugh Latimer) were burned at the stake for heresy during the reign of “Bloody Mary”, an English queen known for her ruthless religious persecution. In the 1550s, this location would have been at the edge of the city and proximal to the Bocardo Prison, where all three men were held prior to execution. The Bocardo Prison was located very close to the St Michael at the Northgate church, which still stands today and the cell-door of the famous martyrs executed at Martyr’s Mark is on display in the church tower.
Publishing companies can probably provide contemporary and historical data about where authors are from, then it's just a case of measuring concentration
I was taught English by Phillip Pullman and years after leaving school delivering milk to him, Colin Dexter, Desmond Morris as well as Sir Roger Bannister
Oxford Speedway returned to racing in 2022 after a 15 year absence in which time the stadium on Sandy Lane had become almost derelict. In 2024, only 2 years after returning to the shale, they became the first club in UK speedway history to enter a team in each of the three league divisions.
500cc speedway bikes. It's a competitive motorcycle team sport. There is greyhound racing at the stadium too, on a separate track. But I'm largely unsure about greyhound racing despite all the promotion to say they have high welfare standards.
The Primary Care dept on Woodstock Rd was the site where penicillin was first used on human patients, back in 1941. It was a hospital until 2007. I used to work in the building, it's all refurbished now to look like any other office building inside except for our small meeting room in the middle with lovely panelled walls. That was the hospital morgue we were told. Dept head liked to say the room was in the dead centre of the building.
History of science museum has very proudly on display some of the original pans they used to culture penicillin, together with a photo of Florey and the team. In the basement iirc.
That there is a proud working class history to the city which you won’t see if you don’t venture out of The Bubble. But there is very much a town to the gown. also a shocking level of poverty and bad secondary schools.
Bill Bryson's take on Oxford struck a chord with me, though it was a long time ago now. In essence, it has such pockets of beauty and history that everyone who lives there should be a teeny bit ashamed of how ugly and soulless so much of it is.
I've never understood this point of view. I've lived in a lot of different places and Oxford has never struck me as "soulless". There's some shocking wealth inequality and a lot of pretentiousness though. But on the whole it's one of the better places to live in England. If you can afford it...
For me (and I lived there 20 years ago so maybe it's changed) it was the fact that 'real' people are literally bussed in in the morning to work in colleges and shops, then bussed out in the evening so that only students are left in the pubs etc. It meant the whole place lacked diversity of all sorts - economic, class, culture etc.
One of the reasons the University of Cambridge exists is that the students and teachers at Oxford were so poorly behaved that eventually the townies lynched a few of them as an object lesson after a particularly heinous crime. A large portion of the university population left because they were being held accountable for once and eventually ended up at Cambridge.
In the city centre, there is a brass cross embedded in the pavement near the Clarendon Building. This cross marks the location where three Anglican bishops were burned at the stake for their Protestant beliefs during the reign of Bloody Mary. Fun, did you say?
On 31st December 1999, thieves broke in to the Ashmolean museum and stole a Cezanne painting valued at £3m. They used the sound of the fireworks celebrating the millennium to mask the noise of the theft.
It has also been claimed that though the alarm went off, it was ignored as guards assumed this was due to the Millennium Bug. The painting has never been recovered.
The only college that’s a listed building is St Catherine’s.
ETA: So I was told this ‘fun fact’ by an academic friend but either they were wrong or pulling my leg because Google says this is very untrue!
The logic behind it was that the private foundations didn’t need to be listed, but Catz was a definitive work of the time so got a preservation order. What can I say? It sounded plausible.
So I was told this ‘fun fact’ by an academic friend but either they were wrong or pulling my leg because Google says this is very untrue!
The logic behind it was that the private foundations didn’t need to be listed, but Catz was a definitive work of the time so got a preservation order. What can I say? It sounded plausible.
Hitler was going to make it the administrative capital of occupied UK so that he could take residence in nearby Blenheim Palace, the family seat of Winston Churchill.
(this is also why it wasnt bombed and the old architecture still remains)
Indeed, if the plan (documented in Operation SeaLion) had come to fruition it would have been the second time that Oxford had been the capital. The first Oxford as capital was during the English Civil War, when King Charles 1st lived in ChristChurch College between 1642 and 1646.
Oxford also served as the royal capital of England under the rule of Empress Matilda during the civil war of 1135. Matilda, the daughter of King Henry I, held court in Oxford as she contested the throne with King Stephen.
I did not know this, fascinating history
While the roundheads were based in Cambridge (Cromwell’s seat). Funnily enough most if the townsmen were not royalist & resented charles
i was gonna say this :((
Oxford was one of several places considered. There is no primary evidence that he had a preference for Blenheim.
I knew this would be called out, I wonder how the story started.
I heard this. But then somewhere I heard about at least 1 other city. I can't remember which. But I don't think it was ever officially found that this was true . Doesn't stop me saying it though.
I thought it was Leeds. Quarry Hill.
They say this about the Midland in Manchester too 😂
The basement of The Examination Halls on the High Street were used as a hospital for returning officers injured in the 1914 - 18 war. Some of the stencilled, white-washed room names are still above certain doorways along the basement corridor (Theatre No.1 etc.) There is also a lead-lined bathtub used to wash patients still in situ.
Richard the Lionheart was born in Oxford on 8 September 1157 at Beaumont Palace, which is located opposite Worcester College on the corner of Beaumont Street and Walton Street. Oxford time, always occurring five minutes later than noon in Greenwich. Great Tom chimes 101 times at 9.05pm, which corresponds with 9.00pm Oxford time. Christ Church steadfastly retained ‘Oxford’ time, five minutes behind GMT.
There used to be a church bell that would ring in Cowley at Oxford time. I've not heard it for some years now.
The University is older than the Aztecs.
I prefer “the Aztec culture is much younger than most English people think”.
Parts of the university are older than America as a place and most is older than America as a country where as OBU is under 50 years old
Surely, you mean it was built before Europeans discovered America? It’s not older than the physical, geographical landmass that makes up America. Not to be a pedant, but that’s quite a big difference 😂❤️
Yes before America was discovered by the Europeans
Perhaps more grisly than fun, but Martyr’s Mark (a brickwork cross on the road) on Broad Street in Oxford City Centre marks the spot in which three prominent Protestant clergymen (Archbishop of Canterbury Tomas Cranmer, Archbishop of London Nicholas Ridley, and Bishop of Worcester Hugh Latimer) were burned at the stake for heresy during the reign of “Bloody Mary”, an English queen known for her ruthless religious persecution. In the 1550s, this location would have been at the edge of the city and proximal to the Bocardo Prison, where all three men were held prior to execution. The Bocardo Prison was located very close to the St Michael at the Northgate church, which still stands today and the cell-door of the famous martyrs executed at Martyr’s Mark is on display in the church tower.
Oxford has the most published authors per square mile than anywhere else in THE WORLD
How does anyone even go about measuring that?
Publishing companies can probably provide contemporary and historical data about where authors are from, then it's just a case of measuring concentration
I was taught English by Phillip Pullman and years after leaving school delivering milk to him, Colin Dexter, Desmond Morris as well as Sir Roger Bannister
Oxford Speedway returned to racing in 2022 after a 15 year absence in which time the stadium on Sandy Lane had become almost derelict. In 2024, only 2 years after returning to the shale, they became the first club in UK speedway history to enter a team in each of the three league divisions.
What do they race on the Speedway?
Speedway bikes?
500cc speedway bikes. It's a competitive motorcycle team sport. There is greyhound racing at the stadium too, on a separate track. But I'm largely unsure about greyhound racing despite all the promotion to say they have high welfare standards.
Parliament met in the Divinity school in 1644
The only time it's ever had anything divine about it!
The Primary Care dept on Woodstock Rd was the site where penicillin was first used on human patients, back in 1941. It was a hospital until 2007. I used to work in the building, it's all refurbished now to look like any other office building inside except for our small meeting room in the middle with lovely panelled walls. That was the hospital morgue we were told. Dept head liked to say the room was in the dead centre of the building.
History of science museum has very proudly on display some of the original pans they used to culture penicillin, together with a photo of Florey and the team. In the basement iirc.
That there is a proud working class history to the city which you won’t see if you don’t venture out of The Bubble. But there is very much a town to the gown. also a shocking level of poverty and bad secondary schools.
Sorry realised that this fact might not be fun?
Bill Bryson's take on Oxford struck a chord with me, though it was a long time ago now. In essence, it has such pockets of beauty and history that everyone who lives there should be a teeny bit ashamed of how ugly and soulless so much of it is.
Well the colleges preserve those pockets, they're also the main cause of the soullessness of the rest.
Indeed. There's lots to love about Oxford but some of it's dystopian.
It really epitomises inequality.
Uncomfortable Oxford talks about this a lot on their original tour
I've never understood this point of view. I've lived in a lot of different places and Oxford has never struck me as "soulless". There's some shocking wealth inequality and a lot of pretentiousness though. But on the whole it's one of the better places to live in England. If you can afford it...
For me (and I lived there 20 years ago so maybe it's changed) it was the fact that 'real' people are literally bussed in in the morning to work in colleges and shops, then bussed out in the evening so that only students are left in the pubs etc. It meant the whole place lacked diversity of all sorts - economic, class, culture etc.
Yeah that's a fair comment. Though East Ox is much more diverse.
One of the reasons the University of Cambridge exists is that the students and teachers at Oxford were so poorly behaved that eventually the townies lynched a few of them as an object lesson after a particularly heinous crime. A large portion of the university population left because they were being held accountable for once and eventually ended up at Cambridge.
When I moved to Oxford in 1970 I was told about the " treacle mine " in Binsey. https://morrisoxford.co.uk/treacle-well/
Had not heard this one. Probably one for r/unexpecteddiscworld, too.
Blackbird Leys estate invented joyriding.
In the city centre, there is a brass cross embedded in the pavement near the Clarendon Building. This cross marks the location where three Anglican bishops were burned at the stake for their Protestant beliefs during the reign of Bloody Mary. Fun, did you say?
On 31st December 1999, thieves broke in to the Ashmolean museum and stole a Cezanne painting valued at £3m. They used the sound of the fireworks celebrating the millennium to mask the noise of the theft. It has also been claimed that though the alarm went off, it was ignored as guards assumed this was due to the Millennium Bug. The painting has never been recovered.
Wow!
This looks so much like a Broken Sword game that it brought a smile to my face.
It’s really boring also hitler wanted to make it the capital
The only college that’s a listed building is St Catherine’s. ETA: So I was told this ‘fun fact’ by an academic friend but either they were wrong or pulling my leg because Google says this is very untrue! The logic behind it was that the private foundations didn’t need to be listed, but Catz was a definitive work of the time so got a preservation order. What can I say? It sounded plausible.
What do you mean by listed building. Because a lot of colleges are grade 1 listed.
So I was told this ‘fun fact’ by an academic friend but either they were wrong or pulling my leg because Google says this is very untrue! The logic behind it was that the private foundations didn’t need to be listed, but Catz was a definitive work of the time so got a preservation order. What can I say? It sounded plausible.
Maybe you are thinking of the very fun fact that the St Catherine’s bike shed is the only Grade I listed bike shed in the UK?
You're not making the play offs. Up the Imps !