Bonn Square
Encyclopedia
Bonn Square in Oxford
, England
, is named after the German
city of Bonn
with which Oxford is twinned. It is close to the original west gate of the city of Oxford, where the Westgate Shopping Centre
is now located. To the east is Queen Street
, a shopping street. New Inn Hall Street
leads north from near here. Oxford Castle
and the old Oxford Prison are also nearby, now converted into a hotel and restaurants.
, the first war memorial erected in Oxford, was appropriately placed there in 1900. The area was named Bonn Square in 1974. The new paved Bonn Square was opened on 28 November 2008.
trees and eventual demolition of the Westgate multi-storey car park
.
The redevelopment in 2008 made it possible to inspect and record a number of gravestones which had been buried since the church of St Peter-le-Bailey on the site was demolished in 1873. During the redevelopment, Oxford Archaeology
undertook the archaeological investigations on behalf of Oxford City Council
.
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, is named after the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
city of Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
with which Oxford is twinned. It is close to the original west gate of the city of Oxford, where the Westgate Shopping Centre
Westgate Shopping Centre, Oxford
Westgate Shopping Centre is a shopping centre in central Oxford, England.- Overview :Westgate is located at the west end of Queen Street, where the west gate of the city of Oxford used to be situated. A car park, including a multistory section, is attached to the shopping centre, with access from...
is now located. To the east is Queen Street
Queen Street, Oxford
Queen Street is a shopping street in central Oxford, England. It is one-way for buses and taxis, two-way for cyclists outside main shopping hours, and forbidden for cars. It runs west from the centre of Oxford at Carfax...
, a shopping street. New Inn Hall Street
New Inn Hall Street
New Inn Hall Street is a street in central Oxford, England. It is a shopping street running north-south parallel and to the west of Cornmarket Street, with George Street to the north and Queen Street to the south...
leads north from near here. Oxford Castle
Oxford Castle
Oxford Castle is a large, partly ruined Norman medieval castle situated on the west edge of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England. The original moated, wooden motte and bailey castle was replaced with stone in the 11th century and played an important role in the conflict of the Anarchy...
and the old Oxford Prison are also nearby, now converted into a hotel and restaurants.
History
For over 700 years, from the 12th century until 1870, the area was the graveyard of St Peter-le-Bailey Church. Although no records exist for the first 400 years of the graveyard's existence, parish records for the period from 1585 to 1870 list around 6,800 burials. The church stood at the front of the square, overlapping on to the present Queen Street. In 1874 the church was rebuilt further up the road (now St Peter's College chapel), and the old church was demolished to make way for a road widening scheme. From 1874 to 2007 the churchyard was a memorial garden, and the Tirah MemorialTirah Memorial
The Tirah Memorial is a war memorial erected in Oxford, England in 1900. The first war memorial to be erected in Oxford, it was designed by Inigo Thomas, and dedicated to soldiers of the 2nd Battalion Oxfordshire Light Infantry who died during the Tirah Campaign and the North West Frontier Campaign...
, the first war memorial erected in Oxford, was appropriately placed there in 1900. The area was named Bonn Square in 1974. The new paved Bonn Square was opened on 28 November 2008.
Modern developments
The Square has been a site favoured by the homeless in Oxford, and major redevelopment commenced in January 2008, although work was initially disrupted by protesters who objected to the felling of a sycamore tree in the square. Meanwhile, protests also erupted about development work proposed as part of the Westgate Shopping Centre, with a Green Party county councillor being arrested during an attempt to stop the felling of London PlaneLondon Plane
Platanus × acerifolia, the London plane, London planetree, or hybrid plane, is a tree in the genus Platanus. It is usually thought to be a hybrid of Platanus orientalis and the Platanus occidentalis . Some authorities think that it may be a cultivar of P...
trees and eventual demolition of the Westgate multi-storey car park
Multi-storey car park
A multi-storey car-park is a building designed specifically to be for car parking and where there are a number of floors or levels on which parking takes place...
.
The redevelopment in 2008 made it possible to inspect and record a number of gravestones which had been buried since the church of St Peter-le-Bailey on the site was demolished in 1873. During the redevelopment, Oxford Archaeology
Oxford Archaeology
Oxford Archaeology is one of the largest non-governmental archaeological organisations in Europe....
undertook the archaeological investigations on behalf of Oxford City Council
Oxford City Council
The Oxford City Council provides local government for the city of Oxford in England.- Overview :Between the 2004 local elections, and 2010 the council was in minority administration, first by councillors from the Labour Party, with the Liberal Democrats being the official opposition...
.