Park Town, Oxford
Encyclopedia
Park Town is a small residential area in central North Oxford
, a suburb of Oxford
, England. It was one of the earliest planned suburban developments in the area.
(1827–1900) developed the houses in the main crescent in 1853–54, with Bath stone
front elevations, and the west-facing crescent with an elevated pavement known as "The Terrace" in 1854–55. The Park Town Estate Company was formed in September 1857 through Seckham's efforts.
Many of the houses and gardens in Park Town were originally surrounded by ornamental iron railings. Many of these were removed for war use in the Second World War
.
Park Town includes two crescent
s of town houses, surrounding communal garden
s and a number of larger villas.
To the west is Banbury Road
with Canterbury Road
on the opposite side and to the east is the Dragon School
. St Anne's College has student accommodation here.
5 Park Town was the second home of the Central Labour College
(1910–1911) before it moved to 11–13 Penywern Road, Earls Court
, London
.
42 Park Town was the home of William Richard Morfill (1834–1909), who was the first Professor of Russian and Slavonic Languages at Oxford University. He is commemorated by a blue plaque
on the building that the Oxfordshire Blue Plaques Board
installed in 2009.
North Oxford
North Oxford is a suburban part of the city of Oxford in England. It was owned for many centuries largely by St John's College, Oxford and many of the area's Victorian houses were initially sold on leasehold by the College....
, a suburb of Oxford
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. It was one of the earliest planned suburban developments in the area.
History and overview
Samuel Lipscomb SeckhamSamuel Lipscomb Seckham
Samuel Lipscomb Seckham was an English Victorian architect, developer, magistrate and brewer.Samuel Seckham was born in Oxford, England, and became the City Surveyor. He was the original architect employed by St John’s College, Oxford to develop parts of North Oxford. He developed Park Town, an...
(1827–1900) developed the houses in the main crescent in 1853–54, with Bath stone
Bath Stone
Bath Stone is an Oolitic Limestone comprising granular fragments of calcium carbonate. Originally obtained from the Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines under Combe Down, Somerset, England, its warm, honey colouring gives the World Heritage City of Bath, England its distinctive appearance...
front elevations, and the west-facing crescent with an elevated pavement known as "The Terrace" in 1854–55. The Park Town Estate Company was formed in September 1857 through Seckham's efforts.
Many of the houses and gardens in Park Town were originally surrounded by ornamental iron railings. Many of these were removed for war use in the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Park Town includes two crescent
Crescent (architecture)
A crescent is an architectural structure where a number of houses, normally terraced houses, are laid out in an arc to form of a crescent shape. A famous historic crescent is the Royal Crescent in Bath, England.-See also:* Lansdown Crescent, Bath...
s of town houses, surrounding communal garden
Communal garden
A communal garden is a normally formal garden for shared use by a number of local residents, typically in an urban setting. The term is especially used in the United Kingdom...
s and a number of larger villas.
To the west is Banbury Road
Banbury Road
Banbury Road is a major arterial road in Oxford, England, running from St Giles' at the south end, north towards Banbury through the leafy suburb of North Oxford and Summertown, with its local shopping centre. Parallel and to the west is the Woodstock Road, which it meets at the junction with St...
with Canterbury Road
Canterbury Road
Canterbury Road is a road in North Oxford, England. It runs between Woodstock Road to the west and Banbury Road to the east. Winchester Road leads south from half way along Bevington Road....
on the opposite side and to the east is the Dragon School
Dragon School
The Dragon School is a British coeducational, preparatory school in the city of Oxford, founded in 1877 as the Oxford Preparatory School, or OPS. It is primarily known as a boarding school, although it also takes day pupils...
. St Anne's College has student accommodation here.
Individual houses
Miss Sarah Angelina Acland (1849–1930), daughter of Sir Henry Wentworth Acland, lived for part of her life at 10 Park Town. Her interest in colour photography at the turn of the 20th century produced a number of significant early examples, which are held at the Museum of the History of Science in central Oxford.5 Park Town was the second home of the Central Labour College
Central Labour College
The Central Labour College was a British higher education institution supported by trade unions. It functioned from 1909 to 1929.The college was formed as a result of the Ruskin College strike of 1909. The Plebs' League, which had been formed around a core of Marxist students and former students of...
(1910–1911) before it moved to 11–13 Penywern Road, Earls Court
Earls Court
Earls Court is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It is an inner-city district centred on Earl's Court Road and surrounding streets, located 3.1 miles west south-west of Charing Cross. It borders the sub-districts of South Kensington to the East, West...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
42 Park Town was the home of William Richard Morfill (1834–1909), who was the first Professor of Russian and Slavonic Languages at Oxford University. He is commemorated by a blue plaque
Blue plaque
A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person or event, serving as a historical marker....
on the building that the Oxfordshire Blue Plaques Board
Oxfordshire Blue Plaques Board
The Oxfordshire Blue Plaques Board, established in 1999, is administered by the Oxford Civic Society. It oversees the installation of blue plaques on historic buildings in the county of Oxfordshire, England to commemorate famous residents and events...
installed in 2009.
Notable residents
Other former residents include:- Edmund Bowen FRS (1898–1980), chemist and Fellow of University CollegeUniversity College, Oxford.University College , is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2009 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £110m...
. - Godfrey Rolles DriverGodfrey Rolles DriverGodfrey Rolles Driver CBE, FBA was an English Orientalist noted for his studies of Semitic languages and Assyriology....
CBE, FBA (1892–1975), orientalistOriental studiesOriental studies is the academic field of study that embraces Near Eastern and Far Eastern societies and cultures, languages, peoples, history and archaeology; in recent years the subject has often been turned into the newer terms of Asian studies and Middle Eastern studies...
and Fellow of Magdalen CollegeMagdalen College, OxfordMagdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
. - Charles Sutherland EltonCharles Sutherland EltonCharles Sutherland Elton FRS was an English zoologist and animal ecologist. His name is associated with the establishment of modern population and community ecology, including studies of invasive organisms.-Personal life:...
FRS (1900–1991), zoologist, ecologist and Fellow of Corpus Christi CollegeCorpus Christi College, OxfordCorpus Christi College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom...
. - John FlemmingJohn FlemmingJohn Stanton Flemming CBE FBA was an economist and Warden of Wadham College, Oxford....
(1941–2003), economist and WardenWarden (college)A warden is the head of some colleges and other educational institutions. This applies especially at some colleges and institutions at the University of Oxford:* All Souls College* Greyfriars* Keble College* Merton College* New College* Nuffield College...
of Wadham CollegeWadham College, OxfordWadham College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, located at the southern end of Parks Road in central Oxford. It was founded by Nicholas and Dorothy Wadham, wealthy Somerset landowners, during the reign of King James I...
. - James Clerk Maxwell Garnett CBE (1880–1958), educationist and Secretary of the League of NationsLeague of NationsThe League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
. - Nevil Shute NorwayNevil ShuteNevil Shute Norway was a popular British-Australian novelist and a successful aeronautical engineer. He used his full name in his engineering career, and 'Nevil Shute' as his pen name, in order to protect his engineering career from any potential negative publicity in connection with his novels.-...
(1899–1960), aeronautical engineer and novelist (pen namePen nameA pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
Nevil Shute), lived in Park Town as a boarder while attending the Dragon School.