Polstead Road
Encyclopedia
Polstead Road is a residential road that runs between Kingston Road
and Hayfield Road
to the west and the Woodstock Road to the east, in the suburb of North Oxford
, England
. Half way along it forms the southern junction of Chalfont Road
. The road is probably named after the village of Polstead
in the county of Suffolk
.
The houses in Polstead Road were designed by Harry Wilkinson Moore
and built between 1887 and 1894.
St Margaret's Institute Community Centre was the first building constructed on Polstead Road, following a subscription by parishioners of St. Philip and St James Church
in 1889 "for the building of a Working Men's Institute, 'to provide rational amusement and instruction for working men of any creed, sect, or opinions, who may thus be kept out of public houses'".
The Anchor Inn, featured in Inspector Morse
, "Death is Now My Neighbour" is located at the corner of Hayfield and Polstead Roads.
The most famous resident was T. E. Lawrence
(1888–1935), who was later to become known as Lawrence of Arabia. He was brought up in a house (No. 2) on this road and a blue plaque
records the fact. Sir Thomas Chapman
, the 7th Baronet of Westmeath, Ireland
, separated from his wife to live with his daughters' governess, Sarah Junner. They had five sons and the couple lived in Polstead Road under the names of Mr and Mrs Lawrence, moving to No. 2 in the summer of 1896 with the aim that the children could receive a good education for a reasonable cost. T. E. Lawrence attended the City of Oxford High School for Boys
in central Oxford
. Here also was born his youngest brother, A.W. Lawrence
, who went on to become the Laurence Professor of Classical Archaeology
at Cambridge University
in the 1940s.
The house is a semi-detached redbrick house that had been built approximately six years before the Lawrences moved there. They built a bungalow in the garden because the house was not large enough to accommodation the entire family. 2 Polstead Road remained the Lawrence family home until after the First World War.
Kingston Road, Oxford
Kingston Road is a road in Oxford, England. It continues north from Walton Street, at the junction with Walton Well Road to the west and St Bernard's Road to the east, running parallel with and to the west of Woodstock Road. Kingston Road is the main road in Walton Manor. At the northern end, there...
and Hayfield Road
Hayfield Road
Hayfield Road is a residential road that runs north-south in Walton Manor, north Oxford, England.- Location :To the south, the road continues as Kingston Road, although it is block to through traffic. Aristotle Lane leads off to the west over the Oxford Canal towards Port Meadow...
to the west and the Woodstock Road to the east, in the suburb of North Oxford
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....
, 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...
. Half way along it forms the southern junction of Chalfont Road
Chalfont Road
- Location:The road runs north–south between Frenchay Road to the north and Polstead Road to the south. To the west is Hayfield Road and to the east is Woodstock Road...
. The road is probably named after the village of Polstead
Polstead
Polstead is a small village and civil parish in the South of Suffolk, England.- History :It is noted for being the site of the Red Barn Murder in 1827...
in the county of Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
.
The houses in Polstead Road were designed by Harry Wilkinson Moore
Harry Wilkinson Moore
Harry Wilkinson Moore, FRIBA was a Victorian and Edwardian architect. He was the son of Arthur Moore and Mary Wilkinson , and a nephew of the architects George Wilkinson and William Wilkinson.-Career:...
and built between 1887 and 1894.
St Margaret's Institute Community Centre was the first building constructed on Polstead Road, following a subscription by parishioners of St. Philip and St James Church
Oxford Centre for Mission Studies
The Oxford Centre for Mission Studies is in the former St Philip and St James Church on Woodstock Road, Oxford, England, opposite Leckford Road. It was established in 1983....
in 1889 "for the building of a Working Men's Institute, 'to provide rational amusement and instruction for working men of any creed, sect, or opinions, who may thus be kept out of public houses'".
The Anchor Inn, featured in Inspector Morse
Inspector Morse (TV series)
Inspector Morse is a detective drama based on Colin Dexter's series of Chief Inspector Morse novels. The series starred John Thaw as Chief Inspector Morse and Kevin Whately as Sergeant Lewis. Dexter makes a cameo appearance in all but three of the episodes....
, "Death is Now My Neighbour" is located at the corner of Hayfield and Polstead Roads.
The Lawrence family
T. E. Lawrence
Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence, CB, DSO , known professionally as T. E. Lawrence, was a British Army officer renowned especially for his liaison role during the Arab Revolt against Ottoman Turkish rule of 1916–18...
(1888–1935), who was later to become known as Lawrence of Arabia. He was brought up in a house (No. 2) on this road and 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....
records the fact. Sir Thomas Chapman
Sir Thomas Chapman, 7th Baronet
Sir Thomas Robert Tighe Chapman, 7th Baronet was an Anglo-Irish landowner, the last of the Chapman Baronets of Killua Castle in Ireland. For many years he lived under the name of Thomas Robert Lawrence, taking the name of his partner, Sarah Lawrence, the mother of his five sons, one of whom was T. E...
, the 7th Baronet of Westmeath, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, separated from his wife to live with his daughters' governess, Sarah Junner. They had five sons and the couple lived in Polstead Road under the names of Mr and Mrs Lawrence, moving to No. 2 in the summer of 1896 with the aim that the children could receive a good education for a reasonable cost. T. E. Lawrence attended the City of Oxford High School for Boys
City of Oxford High School for Boys
The City of Oxford High School for Boys was founded in 1881 by Thomas Hill Green to provide Oxford boys with an education which would enable them to prepare for University.-History:...
in central 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...
. Here also was born his youngest brother, A.W. Lawrence
A.W. Lawrence
Arnold Walter Lawrence was a British authority on classical sculpture and architecture. He was Laurence Professor of Classical Archaeology at Cambridge University in the 1940s, and in the early 1950s in Accra he founded what later became the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board as well as the...
, who went on to become the Laurence Professor of Classical Archaeology
Laurence Professor of Classical Archaeology
The Laurence Professorship of Classical Archaeology at Cambridge University was established in 1930 as one of the offices endowed by the bequest of Sir Perceval Maitland Laurence.-Laurence Professors of Classical Archaeology:* Arthur Bernard Cook...
at Cambridge University
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
in the 1940s.
The house is a semi-detached redbrick house that had been built approximately six years before the Lawrences moved there. They built a bungalow in the garden because the house was not large enough to accommodation the entire family. 2 Polstead Road remained the Lawrence family home until after the First World War.
External links
- T. E. Lawrence: 2 Polstead Road, Oxford and garden bungalow
- Lawrence of Arabia locations
- St Margaret's Institute Community Centre, 30 Polstead Road, Oxford
- The Anchor Inn, Polstead Road and Hayfield Road