St Giles' is a wide boulevard leading north from the centre of

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 ...

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. At its northern end, the road divides into Woodstock Road to the left and Banbury Road to the right, both major roads through

North Oxford North Oxford is a suburban part of the city of Oxford in England. It was owned for many centuries largely by St John's College, Oxford and many of the area's Victorian architecture, Victorian houses were initially sold on leasehold by the co ...

. At the southern end, the road continues as

Magdalen Street Magdalen Street is a short shopping street in central Oxford, England, just north of the original north gate in the city walls. Traditionally, the name of the street is pronounced and not as the name of the Magdalen College, Oxford, Magdale ...

at the junction with

Beaumont Street Beaumont Street is a street in the centre of Oxford, England. The street was laid out from 1828 to 1837 with elegant terraced houses in the Regency architecture, Regency style. Before that, it was the location of Beaumont Palace, now noted by ...

to the west. Also to the west halfway along the street is Pusey Street. Like the rest of North Oxford, much of St Giles' is owned by St John's College.

Church

At the northern end of St Giles' is St Giles' Church, whose churchyard includes the main

War Memorial A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war. Symbolism Historical usage It has ...

. The church originates from the 12th century.

Other buildings and structures

Working from north to south, on the east side are the Lamb & Flag public house (formerly a

coaching inn The coaching inn (also coaching house or staging inn) was a vital part of Europe's inland transport infrastructure until the development of the railway, providing a resting point ( layover) for people and horses. The inn served the needs of t ...

), St John's College, the

Oxford Internet Institute The Oxford Internet Institute (OII) serves as a hub for interdisciplinary research, combining social and computer science to explore information, communication, and technology. It is an integral part of the University of Oxford's Social Science ...

(No 1 St Giles'),

Balliol College Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world. With a governing body of a master and ar ...

, and Trinity College. On the west side are the International Study Centre of

d'Overbroeck's College Nord Anglia Education, commonly referred to as Nord Anglia, is an international private school operator headquartered in the United Kingdom. Nord Anglia has more than 80 private day and boarding schools located in 30 countries across the Ameri ...

, St Benet's Hall, the Theology Faculty, Oxford

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

Meeting House, the Eagle and Child public house (where

J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlinson ...

C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer, literary scholar and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Magdalen College, Oxford (1925–1954), and Magdalen ...

, and other members of the

Inklings The Inklings were an informal literature, literary discussion group associated with J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis at the University of Oxford for nearly two decades between the early 1930s and late 1949. The Inklings were literary enthusia ...

met; No. 42 was the

register office A register office, commonly referred to unofficially as a registry office or registrar's office is an office in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and some Commonwealth countries responsible for the civil registration of births, deaths, marri ...

where Lewis contracted a

civil marriage A civil marriage is a marriage performed, recorded, and recognized by a government official. Such a marriage may be performed by a religious body and recognized by the state, or it may be entirely secular. History Countries maintaining a popul ...

in 1956 to Joy Davidman) and is now a dental practice, Regent's Park College (Principal's Lodgings and Senior Tutor's house), Pusey House and St Cross College, Blackfriars, and the

Taylor Institution The Taylor Institution (commonly known as the Taylorian) is the Oxford University library dedicated to the study of the languages of Europe. Its building also includes lecture rooms used by the Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages, Unive ...

, behind which is the

Ashmolean Museum The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology () on Beaumont Street in Oxford, England, is Britain's first public museum. Its first building was erected in 1678–1683 to house the cabinet of curiosities that Elias Ashmole gave to the University ...

(with its main entrance in Beaumont Street). The southern end meets Magdalen Street at the Martyrs' Memorial (1843), commemorating the Oxford Martyrs (1555–56). Balliol Hall used to stand on the east side of St Giles' at the point that the Banbury Road and Woodstock Road divide. It was in rooms here that lessons began under A. E. Clarke in September 1877 at a school that was to become known as the Dragon School. The school expanded and moved within two years to Crick Road and then in 1895 to its current location in Bardwell Road in

Fair

The street is closed to traffic for two days each September for the traditional St Giles' Fair. Formerly, the

University Parks The Oxford University Parks, commonly referred to locally as the University Parks, or just The Parks, is a large parkland area slightly northeast of the city centre in Oxford, England. The park is bounded to the east by the River Cherwell, tho ...

was also closed to demonstrate that they are owned by the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, 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 List of oldest un ...

rather than formally being public. Their closure date is now Christmas Eve.

Gallery

Image:Martyrs Memorial Oxford.jpg, The Martyrs' Memorial at the southern end of St Giles'. Image:StGilesChurchOxford.jpg, St Giles' Church, looking north from the churchyard. Image:PuseyHouseOxford.jpg, Pusey House on the west side of St Giles'. Image:The Eagle and Child.jpg, The Eagle and Child public house, also on the west side of St Giles'.

References

External links

St Giles': Tour map
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Giles, Oxford Streets in Oxford Odonyms referring to religion Parks and open spaces in Oxford Balliol College, Oxford St John's College, Oxford St Cross College, Oxford Articles containing video clips Odonyms referring to a building