Oxford Street

Oxford Street, with Centre Point in the background

Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in London, England in the City of Westminster. With over 300 shops, it is Europe's busiest shopping street, as well as the most dense.^[1] The street derives its name from being part of the old London—Oxford Road which began at Newgate, City of London. Today the road forms part of the A40, although it is not signposted as this, like other roads in central London.

It runs for approximately a mile and a half (two and a half kilometres) from Marble Arch at the north east corner of Hyde Park, through Oxford Circus to St Giles' Circus, at the intersection with Charing Cross Road and Tottenham Court Road. Eastwards, the road then becomes New Oxford Street until it runs into High Holborn. Oxford Street intersects with other London roads including Park Lane, New Bond Street and Regent Street. West of Marble Arch, Oxford Street becomes Bayswater Road. Then up and over Notting Hill and along Holland Park Avenue until it becomes the Uxbridge Road at Shepherd's Bush Roundabout. At Uxbridge it becomes the Oxford – London Road again, all the way to Oxford, save for some short sections where it has adopted a local name.

History

The road leading west from London is Oxford Street, following into Bayswater Road

Oxford Street in 1875, looking west from the junction with Duke Street. The buildings on the right are on the future site of Selfridges

The street follows the route of a Roman road, the via Trinobantina, which linked Hampshire with Colchester and became one of the major routes in and out of the city.

Between the 12th century and 1782 it was variously known as Tyburn Road (after the River Tyburn that ran just to the south of it, and now flows underneath it), Uxbridge Road, Worcester Road and Oxford Road^[2]. Note: Today the name Uxbridge Road still exists for the portion of the London—Oxford Road between Shepherds Bush and Uxbridge itself. It became notorious as the route taken by prisoners on their final journey from Newgate Prison to the gallows at Tyburn near Marble Arch. By about 1729, the road had become known as Oxford Street.^[3]

In the late 18th century, many of the surrounding fields were purchased by the Earl of Oxford, and the area was developed. It became popular with entertainers including tiger-baiters and masquerades, and for entertainment buildings such as the Pantheon. During the 19th century, the area became known for its shops.

Oxford Street is a square on the British Monopoly board. It is part of the green set together with Regent Street and Bond Street.

Oxford Street today

Major Oxford Street area stores

Virgin Megastore on Oxford Street

Niketown at Oxford Street

Oxford Street is home to major department stores and numerous brands' flagship stores, as well as hundreds of smaller shops. It is the major shopping street in central London, though not the most expensive or fashionable, and part of a larger shopping district with Regent Street, Bond Street and other smaller nearby streets.

For many British chain stores, their Oxford Street branch is regarded as their 'flagship' store and used for celebrity launches and promotions. Major stores include:

• Selfridges, a department store that has been on this site for almost a century. The second largest department store in the UK.
• John Lewis, the flagship department store of the John Lewis Partnership, opened in 1864. The third largest department store in the UK.
• Marks & Spencer, the famous retailer's flagship store of 170,000 square feet (16,000 m²), at the junction of Oxford Street and Orchard Street, is known as Marks & Spencer Marble Arch. It is the company's largest store. A second branch is located between Regent Street and Tottenham Court Road and stands on the site of the famous Pantheon building.
• Debenhams, the flagship of this national mid-market chain. Originally known as Marshall & Snelgrove, the store took the name of its parent company, in 1973, after the store was rebuilt. The original Debenham & Freebody store was located in nearby Wigmore Street.
• House of Fraser, the London flagship of another national department store housing premium brands. The store traded as D H Evans until 2000. It is located in an art-deco building completed in 1935; the first department store in the UK to include escalators serving every floor.
• HMV, although it moved from its original location in 2000 after 80 years. HMV has three stores on the street including a concession within Selfridges and its shop at 150 Oxford Street, which is Europe's largest music shop at 50,000 square feet (5,000 m²).
• Borders, bookshop.
• Schuh, the largest shoe store on Oxford Street, with the biggest range of branded footwear in London.
• Zavvi, at the intersection of Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road, an entertainment retailer (formerly Virgin Megastore).
• Disney Store, the UK flagship of the international brand.
• Topshop, claimed to be "the largest fashion store in the world". [1]
• Primark, the flagship store of the low-price fashion retailer.
• UNIQLO, the clothes store from Japan.
• In the centre of Oxford Street where it intersects with Regent Street, Oxford Circus is home to four flagship chain stores; H&M, United Colors of Benetton, Niketown and until recently, Shelly's shoe store.
• Zara and Bershka, flagship stores from Spanish Inditex Group.
• Urban Outfitters, home to retro and vintage clothing.
• Gap, London flagship store.
• Nike, Niketown London.
• Adidas, a sports brand, has a store on Oxford Street opposite Selfridges.
• There are also a number of stores on Oxford Street which operate on short term leases in empty retail units and advertise themselves as Closing Down Sales. However in some cases these Closing Down Sales can operate on rather a long term or even permanent presence. [2]
• The Notebook Centre, located at 17 Oxford St, with sales dealing with computing, electronic and home goods. Flagship store, other branch located at Tottenham Court Road.

Oxford Street can become congested both on the footpath and on the road due to the number of buses which use the street and the high number of shoppers and tourists on the street. Common sights on Oxford Street include preachers (such as Philip Howard who was at Oxford Circus), political demonstrations (such as the 2001 May Day protests and small scale protests) and Hare Krishnas.

Christmas lights

Each Christmas the street is decorated with festive lights. In mid-to-late November a celebrity turns on the lights and they remain on until January 6 (Twelfth Night).

The use of Christmas lights began in 1959, five years after its neighbour Regent Street had begun the tradition. In 1967, as the recession hit London, the lights were stopped and only returned in 1978 when Oxford Street organised a laser display.^[4]

Celebrities who turned on the Christmas lights

• 2008 — Sugababes
• 2007 — Leona Lewis ^[5]
• 2006 — All Saints^[6] (Peter André & Katie Price aka Jordan, G4, Andy Abraham)
• 2005 — Westlife ^[7]
• 2004 — Emma Watson, Il Divo, Steve Redgrave ^[8]
• 2003 — Enrique Iglesias
• 2002 — Blue
• 2001 — S Club 7
• 2000 — Charlotte Church ^[9]
• 1999 — Ronan Keating ^[10]
• 1998 — Zoë Ball
• 1997 — Peter André
• 1996 — Spice Girls
• 1995 — Coronation Street Cast
• 1994 — Lenny Henry
• 1993 — Richard Branson
• 1992 — Linford Christie
• 1991 — Westminster Children's Hospital
• 1990 — Cliff Richard
• 1989 — Gorden Kaye
• 1988 — Terry Wogan
• 1987 — Derek Jameson
• 1986 — Leslie Grantham, Anita Dobson
• 1985 — Bob Geldof
• 1984 — Esther Rantzen
• 1983 — Pat Phoenix
• 1982 — Daley Thompson
• 1981 — Pilin Leon (Miss World, Venezuela)

Transport

Oxford Street, at a busy junction

Oxford Street is served by the Central (which runs parallel beneath it), Jubilee, Bakerloo, Northern and Victoria London Underground lines, as well as many major bus routes.

Tube stations along Oxford Street, starting at Marble Arch (western-most):

• Marble Arch
• Bond Street
• Oxford Circus
• Tottenham Court Road

Heavy congestion due to the number of stopping bus routes along Oxford Street plus cross traffic from Marylebone into Mayfair and Soho has led to proposals from the New West End Company, Mayor of London's office and several of Mayoral candidates to pedestrianise Oxford Street with a tram service running end to end [3]. Current plans for Crossrail also include two stations serving Oxford Street at Bond Street and Tottenham Court Road.

See also

• List of eponymous roads in London
• Stanley Green

References

• "London through a lens No 41 — Groovy Christmas Lights, 1967" Time Out London, November 23, 2005.

External links

• Oxford Street's official website
• Oxford Street landscape architecture
• Bloomberg report on Oxford Street fire
• Thisislondon.co.uk News Report on Oxford Street Fire
• Free Oxford Street Virtual Simulation
• Oxford Street Live Webcam