The Carfax Conduit was a water conduit that supplied the city of Oxford with water from 1610 until 1869.
The conduit ran in an underground lead pipe from a spring on the hillside above the village of North Hinksey, beneath Seacourt Stream and the River Thames, to a building at Carfax in the centre of Oxford. The system was built by Otho Nicholson, a London lawyer, to supply the citizens of Oxford with clean water. It replaced a system built by Osney Abbey between 1205 and 1221 that had fallen into disrepair. [1]
The conduit building at Carfax was an elaborate structure, some 40 feet (12 m) tall, with eight niches containing statues of historic and mythical figures. By 1787 it had become an obstacle to traffic and it was removed in 1797 and replaced by a smaller cistern. The original structure was given to the Earl Harcourt, who had it re-erected in the grounds of his home, Nuneham House, where it remains to this day. [2] Two plaques are attached to opposite sides of the building, giving a short history in English and Latin. [3] The re-erected conduit is a Grade I listed building [4] and scheduled monument. [5]
A building, now called the Conduit House, was built at Harcourt Hill over the spring. It remains in situ and is in the care of English Heritage. [6] The Conduit House site is designated as a Grade II* listed building [7] and a scheduled monument. [8]
The entire system fell into disuse in the 19th century. In 1869, when it was carrying very little water, the conduit was sold to Oxford Corporation. [9]
Carfax is the junction of St Aldate's (south), Cornmarket Street (north), Queen Street (west) and the High Street (east) in Oxford, England. It is considered to be the centre of the city. The name "Carfax" derives from the Latin quadrifurcus via the French carrefour, both of which mean "crossroads". The Carfax Tower, also known as St. Martin's Tower is a prominent landmark and provides a look-out over the town.
Botley is a village in the civil parish of Botley and North Hinksey, in the Vale of White Horse district, in the county of Oxfordshire, England, just west of the Oxford city boundary. Historically part of Berkshire, it stands on the Seacourt Stream, a stream running off the River Thames. The intersection of the A34 and A420 is to the village's north.
North Hinksey is a village in the civil parish of Botley and North Hinksey, in the Vale of White Horse district, in Oxfordshire, England, on the west side of the Thames flood plain immediately opposite the city of Oxford. The civil parish includes the large settlement of Botley, effectively an isolated suburb of Oxford, with the Botley Road as the sole highway link across the flood plain. North Hinksey was in all respects part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred administration of the Vale of White Horse district to Oxfordshire County Council; it remains part of the historic county of Berkshire however, since the 1974 act did not change the ancient county boundaries. The village of North Hinksey has a manor house, The Fishes public house, a Church of England primary school and a Church of England parish church, St. Lawrence's, which dates back to at least the 12th century. Four of the older houses have thatched roofs.
Abingdon was a rural district in the administrative county of Berkshire from 1894 to 1974.
Nuneham Courtenay is a village and civil parish about 5 miles (8 km) SSE of Oxford. It occupies several miles close to the east bank of the River Thames.
Hinksey is a place name associated with Oxford and Oxfordshire. In 1974, many of the places associated with the name were transferred from the county of Berkshire in the county boundary changes.
Hinksey Stream is a branch of the River Thames to the west of the city of Oxford, England. It starts as Seacourt Stream, which leaves the Thames at a bifurcation north of the village of Wytham, and rejoins the river south of the city near Kennington.
Abingdon Road is the main arterial road to the south of the city of Oxford, England. The road passes through the suburbs of Grandpont and New Hinksey. It is named after the town of Abingdon to the south.
Alfred Street is a street running between the High Street to the north and the junction with Blue Boar Street and Bear Lane at the southern end, in central Oxford, England. To the south is Christ Church, one of Oxford University's historic colleges.
Bolsover Cundy House is a restored 17th-century conduit house in Derbyshire, England, that was used to supply water to the nearby Bolsover Castle. It is near Houfton Road in Bolsover.
Harcourt Hill is a hill and community in North Hinksey in Oxfordshire, England, west of the city of Oxford. There is a good view of the city from the hill. It lies between Hinksey Hill to the southeast, Boars Hill to the south and Botley to the north. Until 1974 it was in Berkshire, but was transferred to Oxfordshire in that year.
Seacourt is a deserted medieval village near the City of Oxford. The site is now mostly beneath the Oxford Western By-pass, about 0.3 miles (0.48 km) south of the Seacourt / Hinksey Stream crossing.
Nuneham House is an eighteenth century villa in the Palladian style, set in parkland at Nuneham Courtenay in Oxfordshire, England. It is currently owned by Oxford University and is used as a retreat centre by the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University. In September 2016 the house and a thousand acres of surrounding parkland and farmland, including the village of Nuneham Courtenay, were put up for sale in three separate lots for a total of £22 million.
Raleigh Park is a park of about 27 acres (110,000 m2) in North Hinksey, Oxfordshire, just west of Oxford. The land was formerly part of the estates of the Harcourt family. The land was sold in 1924 to Raymond ffennell, then owner of Wytham Abbey, who gave it to the City of Oxford for use as a park. It was named in honour of Professor Sir Walter Raleigh, who lived nearby on Harcourt Hill and died in 1922.
Lamb's Conduit Street is a street in Holborn in the West End of London. The street takes its name from Lambs Conduit, originally known as the Holborn Conduit, a dam across a tributary of the River Fleet.
Ferry Hinksey Road is a road in west Oxford, England, leading south from the Botley Road. The road leads to the Osney Mead Industrial Estate to the east, started in 1961. To the east is Osney Ditch.
Burlington Gardens is a street in central London, on land that was once part of the Burlington Estate.
Middleton Park is a rural park in the parish of Middleton Stoney, Oxfordshire, England, about 2+1⁄2 miles (4 km) west of Bicester. The grounds are Grade II listed and include several historic buildings, notably a Grade I listed country house with Grade II* listed service wing and lodges.
The Perseverance is a pub at 63 Lamb's Conduit Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1, on the corner with Great Ormond Street.