Turl Street is a historic street in central

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, England.

Location

The street is located in the city centre, linking Broad Street at the north and

High Street High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...

at the south. It intersects with

Brasenose Lane 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 med ...

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 Radcliffe Square is a square in central Oxford, England. It is surrounded by historic Oxford University and college buildings. The square is cobbled, laid to grass surrounded by railings in the centre, and is pedestrianised except for access. ...

. It is colloquially known as The Turl and is home to three of the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

's historic colleges:

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and relig ...

and

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

. 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. It acquired this name from a twirling gate (demolished in 1722) which was in a

postern A postern is a secondary door or gate in a fortification such as a city wall or castle curtain wall. Posterns were often located in a concealed location which allowed the occupants to come and go inconspicuously. In the event of a siege, 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. 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 A bollard is a sturdy, short, vertical post. The term originally referred to a post on a ship or quay used principally for mooring boats. It now also refers to posts installed to control road traffic and posts designed to prevent automotive ...

, installed by the

Oxford City Council Oxford City Council is the lower-tier local government authority for the city of Oxford in England, providing such services as leisure centres and parking. Social Services, Education and Highways services (amongst others) are provided by Oxfor ...

, 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 Oxfam is a British-founded confederation of 21 independent charitable organizations focusing on the alleviation of global poverty, founded in 1942 and led by Oxfam International. History Founded at 17 Broad Street, Oxford, as the Oxford Co ...

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 Ducker & Son was a traditional shoe makers in Turl Street in Oxford. The business was founded by Edward Ducker in 1898. A limited company was formed following the deaths of Ducker and his wife in 1947. The shop was featured in the 2007 film Aton ...

) and the traditional gentleman's tailors,

Walters of Oxford Walters may refer to: Places United States * Walters, Minnesota, a city * Walters, Oklahoma, a city * Walters, Virginia, an unincorporated community Other uses * Walters (surname) * Walters (character), a character on ''Tale Spin'' *The Walters, a ...

. The site now occupied by the Turl Street Kitchen was once the QI Building ("QI Oxford") (associated with the Quite Interesting television series). 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 {{Short pages monitor History of Oxford Jesus College, Oxford Lincoln College, Oxford Exeter College, Oxford