The streets of Oxford are overflowing with history. The lanes we cycle down every day to lectures have been walked by countless people before us, including the likes of Stephen Hawking, Oscar Wilde, Theresa May, and even Hugh Grant! Be it Radcliffe Square, home to the iconic Radcliffe Camera, or St Giles, home to the iconic Najar’s falafel shop, every street has its own stories to tell. Some have natural beauty, some have practicality, some appear in movies or television, and some are just my personal favourites. Keep an eye out for these ten iconic streets next time you find yourself wandering around Oxford.
Iffley Road
The location of Roger Bannister’s four-minute mile in 1964 seems a fitting place to start. Iffley Road, whilst involving navigation of Magdalen Roundabout and an arguably quite uphill cycle to get to, is home to Oxford University’s Sports Centre. Although not what one would deem the most aesthetically pleasing road, there is undoubtedly history being made here every year. Countless Olympians, Paralympians and decorated sportspeople have trained at Iffley Road Sport Centre from the likes of Dan Fox to Polly Maton. Iffley Road is where sports history is being made.
Catte Street
Catte Street links High Street to Radcliffe Square passing via the University Church and All Souls College. Walking down this street, students heading to the library get their first of Oxford’s iconic Radcliffe Camera, likely their home for the next few hours. Catte Street went through a period of being called Catherine Street when the Victorians changed its name in order to make it ‘more dignified’, however it was converted back to Catte Street in 1930 to avoid confusion with another Catherine Street located in East Oxford.
Temple Street
The location of Cowley’s infamous Temple Lounge, come the hours of darkness, Temple Street is home to many a loitering sports team excitedly preparing their best chat for an upcoming crew date. If you stick around long enough, they will eventually stagger out on their way to Atik or Bridge, bellies full of curry, rice and zesty white wine from Tesco.
St Mary’s Passage
Heading back to the streets surrounding the Rad Cam, St Mary’s Passage, located off the High Street, is home to the doorway that inspired the door to Narnia in CS Lewis’ universe. Lewis studied at University College and later became a fellow at Magdalen College, and many sites around Oxford are said to be the inspiration for his books. For example, walking further down St Mary’s Passage you will get to one of the many lamp posts claimed to be the inspiration for the location of Lucy and Mr Tumnus’ first meeting.
Queen’s Lane
Oxford has served as the set for many movies and TV shows, most famously recently the filming of Wonka where Mr Chalamet disrupted our streets – to great excitement – and Queen’s lane was featured heavily. My favourite cameo of Queen’s lane in the media, however, is the start of Mamma Mia 2: Here we go again! when Donna and her friends walk down the lane on her departure from Oxford to Greece.
Merton Street
Whilst Oxford is home to many beautiful passages, Merton Street comes out on top; it came in at 19th place in a study conducted by GetAgent in 2022, where eye-tracking software was used to rank the most attractive streets in England. Merton Street was also home to author J.R.R Tolkien towards the end of his life, as well as war poet Siegfried Sassoon for a brief period in 1919.
Holywell Street
My personal favourite contender for Oxford’s prettiest street, however, is Holywell. Not only is it an incredibly convenient cut through from Longwall to Broad Street, but the colourful houses never fail to brighten up even the gloomiest of days. Holywell is also home to the Alternative Tuck Shop which serves a highly recommended panini – it is definitely worth the long queues.
Lamb and Flag Passage
This lesser-known cut through, running right through the middle of the Lamb and Flag Pub is not the prettiest street in Oxford but is perhaps one of the most useful. Directly linking the Natural History Museum and science area with St Giles, the passage enables many a student to get from their lectures to the Najar’s queue in under ten minutes. For that reason alone it’s worth putting on my list.
Cornmarket Street
It is without a doubt that Cornmarket Street is the centrepiece of an Oxford student’s daylight hours, although a slightly questionable street once the sun goes down. Home to not only one, but two Prets for your daily coffee, it’s a go-to street for any cyclists wanting to test their pedestrian dodging skills as well as a congregation point for the Worcester College geese whenever they manage to escape the college grounds.
Bath Place
Finishing the list off strong with Bath Place, the home of the infamous Turf Tavern. This sneaky cut through between Holywell and the Bridge of Sighs is one of Oxford’s most iconic streets. Numerous generations of Oxford students speak fondly of hours spent in the Turf, and rumour has it that back in the 90s, there was even a saxophonist who would sit on the wall above the pub garden and serenade its guests.