Miscellaneous History: Changes to Street Names
When the three villages of Headington were absorbed into the City of Oxford in 1929, the consequent duplication of street names proved a problem. For instance, the name Church Street existed not only in Old and in New Headington, but also in other attached villages such as Cowley, Iffley, Marston, New Hinksey, and Summertown, as well as St Ebbe’s in central Oxford.
It was not until 1942, however, that anything was done to remedy the situation. In that year the three village high streets of Old Headington, New Headington, and Quarry were respectively renamed Old High Street, New High Street, and Quarry High Street: this prevented them from being confused with each other and with the High Streets in St Thomas, St Clement’s, and central Oxford. The other duplications between Headington and Oxford were not dealt with until 1959 (with the Headington name being changed in every single case, even when it had been around longer!).
In order to trace the history of a house through directories, maps, and old documents, it is of course vital to know the original name of the street.
| Present Name | Former Name | To avoid confusion with |
| Bateman Street | East Street, New Headington | East Street, Osney |
| Dunstan Road | Cemetery Road, Old Headington | [Unappealing name] |
| Gardiner Street | South Street, New Headington | South Street, Osney |
| Gathorne Road | Alexandra Road, New Headington | Alexandra Road, Osney |
| Gladstone Road | Elms Road | Elms Road, Botley |
| Holyoake Road | Western Road, New Headington | Western Road, Grandpont |
| Kennett Road | New Road, New Headington | New Road, Central Oxford |
| Larkin’s Lane | Church Lane, Old Headington | Numerous Church Streets/Lanes |
| New High Street | High Street, New Headington | Numerous High Streets |
| Old High Street | High Street, Old Headington | Numerous High Streets |
| Osler Road | Manor Road, Old Headington* | Manor Road, Central Oxford |
| Perrin Street | Church Street, New Headington | Numerous Church Streets/Lanes |
| Piper Street | Cross Street, New Headington | Cross Street, St Clement’s |
| Quarry High Street | High Street, Headington Quarry | Numerous High Streets |
| Quarry Hollow | St Mary’s Road, Headington Quarry | St Mary’s Road, East Oxford |
| St Andrew’s Lane | Church Lane, Old Headington | Numerous Church Streets/Lanes |
| St Andrew’s Road | Church Street, Old Headington | Numerous Church Streets/Lanes |
| St Leonard’s Road | Southern Road, New Headington | [Vague name] |
| Wilberforce Street | William Street, New Headington | William Street, New Marston |
* Before the Lords of the Manor moved
to a new Manor House
in
Headington in 1801, it was known as Sandy Lane
