'Oxfordshire' (abbreviated 'Oxon', from the
Latinised form ''Oxonia'') is a county in the
South East of
England, bordering on
Northamptonshire,
Buckinghamshire,
Berkshire,
Wiltshire,
Gloucestershire, and
Warwickshire.
It is divided into five
local government districts:
Oxford,
Cherwell,
Vale of White Horse (after the
Uffington White Horse),
West Oxfordshire and
South Oxfordshire.
The county has a major tourism industry. The area is noted for the concentration of performance motorsport companies and facilities.
Oxford University Press has headed a concentration of print and publishing firms; the university is also linked to the concentration of local
biotechnology companies.
The main centre of population is the city of
Oxford. Other significant settlements are
Bicester,
Banbury,
Kidlington, and
Chipping Norton to the north of Oxford;
Witney to the west;
Thame and
Chinnor to the east; and
Abingdon,
Wantage,
Didcot and
Henley-on-Thames to the south. Future population growth in the county is hoped to be concentrated around Banbury, Bicester, Didcot and Witney, near the
South Midlands growth area.
The highest point of the county is
Whitehorse Hill, in the Vale of White Horse, reaching 856 feet (261m).
Oxfordshire's
county flower is the
Snake's-head Fritillary.
History
Main articles: History of Oxfordshire
The county of Oxfordshire, at that time entirely situated to the north of the
River Thames, was formed in the early years of the
10th century.
Historically the area has always had some importance, it has been valuable agricultural land resting between the main southern cities and containing the prestigious settlement at
Oxford (whose name came from
Anglo-Saxon ''Oxenaford'' = "ford for
oxen"). Ignored by the Romans, it was not until the formation of a settlement at Oxford that the area grew in importance.
Alfred the Great was born in Wantage. The
University of Oxford was founded in 1096. The area was part of the
Cotswolds wool trade from the 13th century. The
Great Western Railway reached
Didcot in 1839.
Morris Motors was founded in Oxford in 1912 and
MG in Abingdon in 1929. The importance of agriculture as an employer has declined rapidly in the 20th century; currently under one percent of the county's population are involved.
In
1808 the county had fourteen
hundreds, namely
Bampton,
Banbury,
Binfield,
Bloxham,
Bullingdon,
Chadlington,
Dorchester,
Ewelme,
Langtree,
Lewknor,
Pyrton,
Ploughley,
Thame and
Wootton.
The
Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry was based at the Barracks on Bullingdon Green,
Cowley.
The Vale of the White Horse and parts of South Oxfordshire south of the
River Thames were historically part of
Berkshire, but were added to the administrative county in
1974. Conversely, the
Caversham area of
Reading was historically part of Oxfordshire. (See History of Oxfordshire for the traditional county boundaries).
Towns and cities
★
Abingdon (In Berkshire until 1974)
★
Banbury
★
Bicester
★
Burford
★
Carterton
★
Chipping Norton
★
Didcot (In Berkshire until 1974)
★
Faringdon (In Berkshire until 1974)
★
Henley-on-Thames
★
Oxford
★
Thame
★
Wallingford (In Berkshire until 1974)
★
Wantage (In Berkshire until 1974)
★
Witney
★
Woodstock
For a more complete list of settlements in the county see ''
List of places in Oxfordshire''.
Economy
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[1] | Agriculture[2] | Industry[3] | Services[4] |
|---|
| 1995 | '7,607' | 120 | 2,084 | 5,404 |
| 2000 | '10,594' | 80 | 2,661 | 7,853 |
| 2003 | '12,942' | 93 | 2,665 | 10,184 |
1. Components may not sum to totals due to rounding
2. includes hunting and forestry
3. includes energy and construction
4. includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured
Places of interest
★
Historic house
-
UNESCO World Heritage Site
★
Accessible open space
-
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
★
Heritage railway
- A
heritage railway operated with steam and diesel locomotives
★
Heritage railway
★
Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens
★
Accessible open space
-
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
★
Heritage railway
- Museum of the
Great Western Railway
★
National Trust
★
Historic house
- built in the early 18th Century is steeped in history. Charles Talbot, the 12th Earl of Shrewsbury commissioned the architect Thomas Archer to create a magnificent house incorporating all the Roman influences Charles Talbot had grown so passionate about during his time in Rome.
★
Historic house
- Home of
William Morris
★
Historic house
Museum (free)
.png)
Museum (not free)
★
Project Timescape - Visitor Centre near
Wittenham Clumps
★
Accessible open space
★
Museum (not free)
★
Accessible open space
★
Historic house
and Gardens
★
Sulgrave Manor
★
Museum (free)
Museum
★
Accessible open space
,
Uffington Castle and
Wayland's Smithy in the White Horse Hills
★
Museum (not free)
See also
★
University of Oxford (including links to the individual colleges).
★
Oxford Canal
★
Blewbury
Further reading
★ Philip Powell - ''The Geology of Oxfordshire'' (Dovecote Press, 2005) ISBN 1-904349-19-6
External links
★
Oxfordshire County Council
★
Results of the 2005 county council election
★
Oxfordshire Forum - The place to discuss Oxfordshire issues
★
Thisisoxfordshire Oxfordshire news, sport & information
★
Flags of Oxfordshire
★
Visit South Oxfordshire
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