The Oxford Preservation Trust was founded in 1927 to preserve the city of

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 Un ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. The Trust seeks to enhance Oxford by encouraging thoughtful development and new design, while protecting historic buildings and green open spaces. The Trust is a

registered charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, Religion, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definitio ...

and is run by a board of

trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to ...

s and an executive committee. It employs six staff including its Director, Debbie Dance. The Trust runs Oxford Open Doors annually, as well as the OPT Awards (to encourage the best new buildings, conservation projects, landscaping and temporary projects), and it is a member of the

Oxfordshire Blue Plaques Board The Oxfordshire Blue Plaques Board established in 1999 was the brainchild of Sir Hugo Brunner, then Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, and Edwin Townsend-Coles, Chairman of the Oxford Civic Society. The Board is an autonomous voluntary body whose ...

Projects

The Trust's notable projects have included the successful conversion in the early 1990s of St George's Tower on the Oxford Castle site into a popular tourist attraction. It has also published reports advising on the redevelopment of parts of Oxford including Broad Street and the former site of the terminus of the

Oxford Canal The Oxford Canal is a narrowboat canal in central England linking the City of Oxford with the Coventry Canal at Hawkesbury (just north of Coventry and south of Bedworth) via Banbury and Rugby. Completed in 1790, it connects to the River Tha ...

opposite the end of George Street. The Trust has an ongoing role in preserving Oxford's

green belt A green belt is a policy and land-use zone designation used in land-use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wilderness, wild, or agricultural landscape, land surrounding or neighboring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenway (lan ...

. To this end it owns several pieces of land at

Boars Hill Boars Hill is a hamlet southwest of Oxford, straddling the boundary between the civil parishes of Sunningwell and Wootton. Historically, part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire. History The earlies ...

and elsewhere around Oxford such as Jarn Mound. In 2007 and 2008 the Trust successfully opposed the

Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the sec ...

's proposal to build a new book depository that would have obstructed a view from Boar's Hill of Oxford's skyline that the

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wr ...

Matthew Arnold Matthew Arnold (24 December 1822 – 15 April 1888) was an English poet and cultural critic who worked as an inspector of schools. He was the son of Thomas Arnold, the celebrated headmaster of Rugby School, and brother to both Tom Arnold, li ...

(1822–1888) called the city's " dreaming spires".

Chairmen

During its history OPT has been chaired by a number of prominent academic and other figures. Several have chaired OPT at the same time as being

vice-chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor is ...

of the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's second-oldest university in contin ...

. * Herbert Fisher (1927–35) *Professor Sandie Lindsay (1935–38) *Professor G.S. Gordon (1939–41) *Sir David Ross (1941–44) *Sir

Richard Livingstone Sir Richard Winn Livingstone (23 January 1880 – 26 December 1960) was a British classical scholar, educationist, and academic administrator. He promoted the classical liberal arts. Life Livingstone was born on 23 January 1880 in Liverpo ...

(1944–47) *Dr.

William Stallybrass William Teulon Swan Stallybrass (formerly William Teulon Swan Sonnenschein; 22 November 1883 – 28 October 1948) was a barrister, Principal of Brasenose College, Oxford, from 1936, and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford from October 1 ...

(1947–49) *Very Rev. John Lowe (1949–51) *Sir

Maurice Bowra Sir Cecil Maurice Bowra, (; 8 April 1898 – 4 July 1971) was an English classical scholar, literary critic and academic, known for his wit. He was Warden of Wadham College, Oxford, from 1938 to 1970, and served as Vice-Chancellor of the Univers ...

(1951–54) * A.H. Smith (1955–56) * Rt. Hon. Lord Salter (1957–59) * William Harcourt, 2nd Viscount Harcourt (1959–79) * David Hennessy, 3rd Baron Windlesham (1979–89) *Professor Sir David Yardley (1989–2009) *Professor Roger Ainsworth (2009–2017) *Revd Professor William Whyte (2017– )

Secretaries

Some of OPT's Secretaries have also been prominent academic or other figures:''Secretaries'': list framed and hung on the wall of the first floor meeting room at OPT's offices, 10 Turn Again Lane, Oxford *Miss H.E. Fitzrandolph (1936–45) *

John Betjeman Sir John Betjeman (; 28 August 190619 May 1984) was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster. He was Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death. He was a founding member of The Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architectu ...

(1946–49) *Sam Smith, JP (1949–58) *Sir Douglas Veale (1958–62) * Ivan Lloyd-Phillips (1962–66) *R.W.S. Malcolm (1966–78) *Alderman Frank Pickstock (1978–82) *Mrs. Helen Turner (1982–90) *Mrs. Moyra Haynes (1990–98) *Mrs. Debbie Dance (1998– )

References

External links

Oxford Preservation Trust websiteOxford Open Doors website
{{Authority control Organizations established in 1927 Culture in Oxford Organisations based in Oxford History of Oxford Heritage organisations in England Charities based in Oxfordshire 1927 establishments in England

Projects

Chairmen

Secretaries

See also

References

External links