Turl Street

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View south from the north end of Turl Street with Exeter College on the left and Jesus College on the right. Turl Street, Oxford.jpg
View south from the north end of Turl Street with Exeter College on the left and Jesus College on the right.
Engraving of Turl Street, with Jesus College on the right, in 1837. Jesus College engraving 1837.JPG
Engraving of Turl Street, with Jesus College on the right, in 1837.
Engraving looking south along Turl Street, with All Saints Church in the distance, 1839. Jesus College engraving 1839.jpg
Engraving looking south along Turl Street, with All Saints Church in the distance, 1839.

Turl Street is a historic street in central Oxford, England. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Location

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.

History

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.

Commerce

As well as the three Turl Street colleges, the street houses several shops, including a sports shop, a bar and restaurant (the Turl Street Kitchen), a costume shop, an Oxfam bookshop, two jewellery shops, a café, a stationery shop (Scriptum Fine Stationery), a leather goods shop, 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. The site now occupied by the Turl Street Kitchen was once the QI Building ("QI Oxford") (associated with the Quite Interesting television series). [4]

The Turl Street colleges also have student housing above and around many of these shops.

Miscellaneous

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. [5] 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.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exeter College, Oxford</span> College of the University of Oxford

Exeter College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England and the fourth-oldest college of the university.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jesus College, Oxford</span> College of the University of Oxford

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincoln College, Oxford</span> College of the University of Oxford

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.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brasenose Lane</span> Lane in central Oxford, England

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buildings of Jesus College, Oxford</span> University buildings

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All Saints Church, Oxford</span> Church in Oxford, United Kingdom

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brewer Street, Oxford</span> Street in central Oxford, London

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chapel of St Mary at Smith Gate</span> Former chapel in Oxford

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References

  1. Sherwood, Jennifer; Pevsner, Nikolaus (1974). The Buildings of England: Oxfordshire. Penguin Books. pp. 134, 136, 138, 142, 146, 148, 308. ISBN   0-14-071045-0.
  2. Tyack, Geoffrey (1998). Oxford: An architectural guide. Oxford University Press. pp. 49, 103, 105, 117, 135, 148, 167, 196, 221, 283, 325. ISBN   0-14-071045-0.
  3. Turl Street, History.
  4. The QI Building, QI.
  5. London Football League Sunday PM Premier Division.

51°45′14″N1°15′23″W / 51.75375°N 1.25642°W / 51.75375; -1.25642