Oxfordshire | |
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Coat of arms of Oxfordshire Flag of Oxfordshire |
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Motto of County Council: Sapere Aude ('Dare to be Wise')[1] | |
Geography | |
Status | Ceremonial & Non-metropolitan county |
Region | South East England |
Area - Total - Admin. council |
Ranked 22nd 2,605 km2 (1,006 sq mi) Ranked 19th |
Admin HQ | Oxford |
ISO 3166-2 | GB-OXF |
ONS code | 38 |
NUTS 3 | UKJ14 |
Demography | |
Population - Total () - Density - Admin. council |
Ranked 35th 648,700 249 /km2 (640 /sq mi) Ranked 17th |
Ethnicity | 95.1% White 1.7% S. Asian |
Politics | |
Oxfordshire County Council http://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk |
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Executive | Conservative |
Members of Parliament | |
Districts | |
Oxfordshire ( /ˈɒksfərdʃər/ or /ˈɒksfərdʃɪər/; archaically the County of Oxford; abbreviated Oxon from the Latinised form of "Oxford", Oxonia) is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire (to the north/northeast), Buckinghamshire (to the east), Berkshire (to the south), Wiltshire (to the southwest) and Gloucestershire (to the west).
The county has a major tourist industry. The area is noted for the concentration of performance motorsport companies and facilities. Oxford University Press is the largest firm among a concentration of print and publishing firms; the University of Oxford is also linked to the concentration of local biotechnology companies.
The main centre of population is the city of Oxford. Other significant settlements are Banbury, Bicester, Kidlington, and Chipping Norton to the north of Oxford; Witney to the west; Thame and Chinnor to the east; and Abingdon, Wantage, Didcot, Wallingford and Henley-on-Thames to the south. Future population growth in the county is hoped to be concentrated around Oxford, Banbury, Bicester, Didcot and Witney, near the South Midlands growth area.
The highest point of the administrative county is White Horse Hill, in the Vale of White Horse, reaching 261 metres (856 ft).[2] The highest point in the historic county is near Portobello Farm in the Chiltern Hills at 255 metres.
Oxfordshire's county flower is the Snake's-head Fritillary.
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Oxfordshire was formed as a county in the early years of the 10th century and is broadly situated in the land between the River Thames to the south, the Cotswolds to the west, the Chilterns to the east and the Midlands to the north, with spurs running south to Henley-on-Thames and north to Banbury.
Historically the area has always had some importance, since it contains valuable agricultural land in the centre of the county. Ignored by the Romans, it was not until the formation of a settlement at Oxford in the eighth century that the area grew in importance. Alfred the Great was born across the Thames in Wantage in Berkshire. The University of Oxford was founded in 1096, though its collegiate structure did not develop until later on. The university in the county town of Oxford (whose name came from Anglo-Saxon Oxenaford = "ford for oxen") grew in importance during the Middle Ages and early modern period. The area was part of the Cotswolds wool trade from the 13th century, generating much wealth, particularly in the western portions of the county in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds. Morris Motors was founded in Oxford in 1912, bringing heavy industry to an otherwise agricultural county. The importance of agriculture as an employer has declined rapidly in the 20th century though; currently under one percent of the county's population are involved due to high mechanisation.
Throughout most of its history the county was divided into fourteen hundreds, namely Bampton, Banbury, Binfield, Bloxham, Bullingdon, Chadlington, Dorchester, Ewelme, Langtree, Lewknor, Pyrton, Ploughley, Thame and Wootton.
The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, the main army unit in the area, was based at the Barracks on Bullingdon Green, Cowley.
The Vale of the White Horse district and parts of the South Oxfordshire administrative district south of the River Thames were historically part of Berkshire, but were added to the administrative county of Oxfordshire in 1974. Conversely, the Caversham area of Reading was historically part of Oxfordshire as was the parish of Stokenchurch, now administratively in Buckinghamshire.
This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Oxfordshire at current basic prices published (pp. 240–253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.
Year | Regional Gross Value Added[3] | Agriculture[4] | Industry[5] | Services[6] |
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1995 | 7,607 | 120 | 2,084 | 5,404 |
2000 | 10,594 | 80 | 2,661 | 7,853 |
2003 | 12,942 | 93 | 2,665 | 10,184 |
Oxfordshire County Council, currently controlled by the Conservatives, is responsible for the most strategic local government functions, including schools, county roads, and social services The county is divided into five local government districts: Oxford, Cherwell, Vale of White Horse (after the Uffington White Horse), West Oxfordshire and South Oxfordshire, which deal with such matters as town and country planning, waste collection, and housing.
Oxfordshire has a completely comprehensive education system with 23 independent schools and 35 state schools. The state schools are from the ages of 11 to either 16 or 18. Only eight schools do not have a sixth form; these are mostly in South Oxfordshire and Cherwell districts.
The county has two universities, significantly the University of Oxford and also Oxford Brookes University, both located in Oxford. Oxfordshire also has Wroxton College, located in Banbury, which is affiliated with Fairleigh Dickinson University of New Jersey.
The "dreaming spires" of the buildings of the University of Oxford play a large contribution in Oxford being the sixth most visited city in the United Kingdom for international visitors[7]. Notable University buildings include the Sheldonian Theatre, built 1664–1668 to the design of Sir Christopher Wren, and the Radcliffe Camera, built 1737–1749 to the design of James Gibbs.
Blenheim Palace close to Woodstock was built by the great architect John Vanbrugh for John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, after he had won the battle of Blenheim. The gardens, which can be visited, were designed by the landscape gardener "Capability Brown", who planted the trees in the battle formation of the victorious troops. In the palace, which can also be visited by the public, Sir Winston Churchill was born in 1874.
Chastleton House, on the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire borders, is a great country mansion that was built on property bought from Robert Catesby, who was one of the men involved in the Gunpowder Plot with Guy Fawkes. Stonor Park, another country mansion, has belonged to the recusant Stonor family for centuries.
Mapledurham House is an Elizabethan stately home in the far south-east of the county, close to Reading.
Rank | Town | Population | Year | Definition | Notes |
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1 | Oxford | 134,248 | 2001 | Oxford non-metropolitan district | 155,000 Oxford urban area (Oxford district and Seacourt, Botley and Kidlington). |
2 | Banbury | 41,802 | 2001 | Civil parish | |
3 | Abingdon | 30,626 | 2001 | Civil parish | |
4 | Bicester | 28,672 | 2001 | Civil parish | |
5 | Witney | 22,765 | 2001 | Civil parish | |
6 | Didcot | 22,762 | 2001 | Civil parish | 200 dwellings in the southeast of the town lie in neighbouring East Hagbourne parish. |
7 | Kidlington | 13,719 | 2001 | Civil parish | Does not include Gosford. |
8 | Carterton | 11,805 | 2001 | Civil parish | |
9 | Thame | 11,072 | 2001 | Civil parish | Includes hamlet of Moreton |
10 | Henley on Thames | 10,646 | 2001 | Civil parish | |
11 | Wantage | 9767 | 2001 | Civil parish | The northern and western fringes of Wantage, lie across the border in Grove and East Challow respectively. |
12 | Grove | 7845 | 2001 | Civil parish | Includes the northern fringes of Wantage. |
13 | Wallingford | 6496 | 2001 | Civil parish | |
14 | Faringdon | 6187 | 2001 | Great Faringdon civil parish | |
15 | Chipping Norton | 5972 | 2001 | Civil parish | |
16 | Eynsham | 4665 | 2001 | Civil parish | |
17 | Benson | 4464 | 2001 | Civil parish | |
18 | Wheatley | 3905 | 2001 | Civil parish | |
19 | Kennington | 3881 | 2001 | Civil parish | |
20 | Sonning Common | 3778 | 2001 | Civil parish |
Key | |
Abbey/Priory/Cathedral | |
Accessible open space | |
Amusement/Theme Park | |
Castle | |
Country Park | |
English Heritage | |
Forestry Commission | |
Heritage railway | |
Historic House | |
Museum (free/not free) | |
National Trust | |
Zoo |
Warwickshire | Warwickshire, Northamptonshire | Northamptonshire | ||
Gloucestershire | Buckinghamshire | |||
Oxfordshire | ||||
Wiltshire | Berkshire | Berkshire |
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