Turl Street is a historic street in central Oxford, England. [1] [2] [3]
Turl Street is a historic street in central Oxford, England. [1] [2] [3]
The street is located in the city centre, linking Broad Street at the north and High Street at the south. It intersects with Brasenose Lane to the east, and Market Street and Ship Street to the west. These streets link Turl Street to the busy Cornmarket, and to the iconic Radcliffe Square.
It is colloquially known as The Turl and is home to three of the University of Oxford's historic colleges: Exeter, Lincoln and Jesus. It meets the High Street by the early 18th century All Saints church, which has been Lincoln College's library since the 1970s.
Turl Street was called St Mildred's Street in 1363, but was known as Turl Gate Street by the mid-17th century.[ citation needed ] It acquired this name from a twirling gate (demolished in 1722) which was in a postern in the city wall. The part to the south of Ship Street was known as Lincoln College Lane in 1751.
Originally the Turl came to an abrupt halt at its junction with Ship Street, where it reached the city wall and the twirling gate.[ citation needed ] By 1551, it was extended by a path (known as "The path leading from the Hole in the Wall") to reach what is now Broad Street, and in 1722 the gate was removed altogether.
The Turl has been closed to traffic (except for access) since 1985. A rising bollard, installed by the Oxford City Council, cuts it off in the middle.
As well as the three Turl Street colleges, the street houses several shops, including an Oxfam bookshop, one jewellery shop, a café, a stationery shop (Scriptum Fine Stationery), a whisky shop, a wine shop (located on the site of the traditional shoe shop Ducker & Son) and the traditional gentleman's tailors, Walters of Oxford.
16 Turl Street was the site of one of the first Indian restaurants in England outside London, opened in 1937 [4] by an Indian-born law student; Bir Bahadur, who having established an Indian restaurant in London (The Kohinoor in Roper Street), moved to Oxford and opened his second. [5] [6] The exotic decorations of the restaurant were recalled by Kenneth Tynan, who was a regular diner, in his diaries [7] The Taj Mahal closed in 1992. [8]
The building then went on to be a number of different restaurants, before becoming the QI Building ("QI Oxford") (associated with the Quite Interesting television series), [9] a private members club, [10] in the autumn of 2004. [11] In May 2007 the building was purchased by Curious Group, who enlarged the venue to include a former Millets shop next door at no. 17 [12] and renamed it Corner Club. Corner Club closed in December 2009 after failing to agree a new lease with the building owner; Oxford City Council. [10]
From 2011, 16-17 was occupied by the Hub, a centre for Oxford student volunteers, and the Turl Street Kitchen. [13] Profits from Turl Street Kitchen funded the Hub, located in the rooms above the restaurant. Turl Street Kitchen later closed and the Hub relocated to Little Clarendon Street. [7]
The Turl Street colleges also have student housing above and around many of these shops.
Turl Street is the subject of an obscure ecclesiastical joke, based on its location. "How is the Church of England like Turl Street? It runs from the High to the Broad and it bypasses Jesus."
Turl Street is also the site of another famous (probably apocryphal) story. An American tourist is said to have entered Lincoln College and asked the porter: "Say buddy, is this Jesus?" To which the porter replied: "Typical Yank; thinks Lincoln was Jesus."[ citation needed ]
Turl Street Wanderers FC is a football club playing in the London Football League Sunday PM Premier Division. [14] For the first four years of its existence the club played in the West End (London) Amateur Football Association. The club was founded in 2004 by alumni of Lincoln College and Jesus College.
The Turl Street Arts Festival is organised annually by students from the three colleges in the street: Exeter, Jesus and Lincoln.
Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The library and chapel were added in the mid-17th century and the new quadrangle in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Exeter College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, and the fourth-oldest college of the university.
Jesus College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship Street, Cornmarket Street and Market Street. The college was founded by Queen Elizabeth I of England on 27 June 1571. A major driving force behind the establishment of the college was Hugh Price, a churchman from Brecon in Wales. The oldest buildings, in the first quadrangle, date from the 16th and early 17th centuries; a second quadrangle was added between about 1640 and about 1713, and a third quadrangle was built in about 1906. Further accommodation was built on the main site to mark the 400th anniversary of the college, in 1971, and student flats have been constructed at sites in north and east Oxford. A fourth quadrangle was completed in 2021.
Lincoln College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford, situated on Turl Street in central Oxford. Lincoln was founded in 1427 by Richard Fleming, the then bishop of Lincoln.
Cornmarket Street is a major shopping street and pedestrian precinct in Oxford, England that runs north to south between Magdalen Street and Carfax Tower.
Kidlington is a village and civil parish in the Cherwell district of Oxfordshire, England. It is in-between the River Cherwell and Oxford Canal, 5 miles (8 km) north of Oxford and 8 miles (13 km) south-west of Bicester. It had a population of 13,600 at the 2021 Census.
Great Milton is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about 7 miles (11 km) east of Oxford. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 1,042.
The High Street in Oxford, England, known locally as the High, runs between Carfax, generally seen as the centre of the city, and Magdalen Bridge to the east.
Broad Street is a wide street in central Oxford, England, just north of the former city wall. The street is known for its bookshops, including the original Blackwell's bookshop at number 50, located here due to the University of Oxford. Among residents, the street is traditionally known as The Broad.
The Examination Schools of the University of Oxford are located at 75–81 High Street, Oxford, England. The building was designed by Sir Thomas Jackson (1835–1924), who also designed several other University buildings, such as much of Brasenose College. The designs for the building were prepared in 1876 and it was completed in 1882, in Clipsham stone. The Examination Schools building is Grade II listed.
The Turl Street Arts Festival (TSAF) is an annual festival held in February, involving students from the three Turl Street Colleges in Oxford, England: Jesus College, Exeter College and Lincoln College. It is one of several arts festivals in Oxford, and has been running since 1997.
Market Street is a street in central Oxford, England, running east to west.
Brasenose Lane runs east–west in central Oxford, England, between Turl Street and Radcliffe Square respectively. From Turl Street it is only accessible to pedestrians, but vehicles can enter from Radcliffe Square. The lane retains the medieval pattern of a single drainage channel in its centre and has high stone-faced college buildings on each side, being flanked by three historic Oxford colleges.
Ship Street is a short street in central Oxford, England that runs east–west.
Horspath is a village and civil parish in South Oxfordshire about 3+1⁄2 miles (5.6 km) east of the centre of Oxford, England. The 2011 census recorded the parish's population as 1,378.
Oxpens Road is a road in central Oxford, England, linking west and south Oxford. It is named after the marshy area of Oxpens, next to one of the branches of the River Thames in Oxford. It forms part of the A420 road.
The main buildings of Jesus College, one of the colleges of the University of Oxford, are located in the centre of the city of Oxford, England, between Turl Street, Ship Street, Cornmarket Street, and Market Street. Jesus College was founded in 1571 by Elizabeth I caused by the petition of a Welsh clergyman, Hugh Price, who was treasurer of St David's Cathedral. Her foundation charter gave to the college the land and buildings of White Hall, a university hall that had experienced a decline in student numbers. Price added new buildings to those of White Hall, and construction work continued after his death in 1574. The first of the college's quadrangles, which includes the hall, chapel, and principal's lodgings was completed between 1621 and 1630. Construction of the second quadrangle began in the 1630s, but was interrupted by the English Civil War and was not completed until about 1712. Further buildings were erected in a third quadrangle during the 20th century, including science laboratories, a library for undergraduates, and additional accommodation for students and fellows. In addition to the main site, the college owns flats in east and north Oxford, and a sports ground.
John Chessell Buckler was a British architect, the eldest son of the architect John Buckler. J. C. Buckler initially worked with his father before taking over his practice. His work included restorations of country houses and at the University of Oxford.
Henry Jones Underwood (1804–1852) was an English architect who spent most of his career in Oxford. He was the brother of the architects Charles Underwood and George Allen Underwood.
All Saints Church is a former church on the north side of the High Street in central Oxford, England, on the corner of Turl Street. It is now the library of Lincoln College. This former church is Grade I listed.