a city in England, on the Thames River. Administrative center of Oxfordshire. Population, 108,600 (1971). Important transportation junction and commercial center.
In Cowley, a suburb of Oxford, there are large automobile works (the British Leyland Motor Corporation), where 75 percent of Oxford’s industrial workers are employed. Other important industries include electrical engineering and printing.
Oxford arose as a settlement, apparently, in the eighth century. It was first mentioned in written sources in 912. The settlement was an important fortress. Founded in the late 12th century, Oxford University is the oldest university in Great Britain and one of the oldest universities in Europe. In 1541, Oxford became the seat of the English bishopric. During the civil war of 1642–46, the city was the headquarters of Charles I and his supporters.
Oxford has numerous gardens and has retained its medieval regular layout, thanks to the rectangular courtyards of the colleges. Also preserved are the late Romanesque cathedral (mostly 12th century), Romanesque and Gothic churches, the classical Sheldonian Theater (1664–69, architect C. Wren), and the classical Radcliffe Camera (1737–49, architect G. Gibbs). Among the colleges, late Gothic buildings of the “decorative” and “perpendicular” style predominate. Additions to the buildings are in the classical (architects C. Wren and others) and Gothic revival (architects W. Butterfield, A. Waterhouse, and others) styles. The industrial zone, which has been developing since the 1920’s, is strictly set apart from the university, and modern buildings are organically combined with old structures. The Ashmolean Museum, containing the university’s archaeological and art collections, is located in Oxford.