Bear Lane is a short historic street in central

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. The lane is located just north of Christ Church. It runs between the junction of Blue Boar Street and

Alfred Street Alfred Street is a street running between the High Street, Oxford, 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 west, and

King Edward Street King Edward Street is a street running between the High Street to the north and Oriel Square to the south in central Oxford, England. On the east side of the street is the "Island" site of Oriel College, one of the colleges of Oxford Uni ...

and the north of

Oriel Square Oriel Square, formerly known as Canterbury Square, Hibbert, Christopher, ''The Encyclopedia of Oxford''. London: Pan Macmillan, 1988, pp. 295–296. . is a square in central Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathed ...

to the east. The south side of Bear Lane faces the back of Christ Church's Peckwater Quad while the north side opens onto a sizeable accommodation complex belonging to Lincoln College. The complex, known to students simply as ''Bear Lane'', houses over a hundred students and reaches all the way to

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 ...

. The site was inherited by the College from Emmelina Carr in 1436. A residential centre for graduate studies was opened in 1977, designed by Geoffrey Beard. Further student accommodation for the College has been added between Bear Lane and the

to the north, completed in 1995. This building complex incorporates many historic features, including the Painted Room, which has 16th-century frescoes and panelling. This was originally part of the Crown Tavern, a former historic Oxford inn. The poet and playwright

William Davenant Sir William Davenant (baptised 3 March 1606 – 7 April 1668), also spelled D'Avenant, was an English poet and playwright. Along with Thomas Killigrew, Davenant was one of the rare figures in English Renaissance theatre whose career spanned bo ...

, a student of Lincoln College, was born here and

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, Davenant's godfather, visited here. The Bear is a historic

public house A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...

located on the corner of Alfred Street at the western end, dating back to 1242. A unique feature of this pub is a large collection of tie snippets displayed on its walls and ceiling. Alfred Street was named ''Bear Lane'' in the 17th and 18th centuries.

References

Streets in Oxford Lincoln College, Oxford Christ Church, Oxford {{England-road-stub