OXFORD STREETS

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Streets with changed names

Comprehensive list of Oxford street name changes, compiled by John Talbot (PDF)
The above list is comprehensive and includes all the changes

The table below lists the more recent changes and is designed to help people look up streets in old directories, and to find them on street maps. Most of the changes were necessitated by the twentieth-century absorption into the city of new suburbs which had names already in use.

Original Name
New Name
Notes
Date
Albert Road,
Summertown 		Hobson Road To avoid confusion with Albert Street in Jericho 1961
Alexandra Road,
Headington		 Gathorne Road To avoid confusion with
Alexandra Road in West Oxford		 1950
Alfred Street and Alfred Lane,
St Giles		 Pusey Street and Pusey Lane To avoid confusion with
Alfred Street off the High Street		 c.1927
Barrack Road,
Headington 		The Slade To avoid confusion with Barracks Lane 1931
Bocardo Road St Michael's Street Bocardo prison long gone; unfortunate connotations 1899
Brasenose Lane,
Cowley		 Brasenose Driftway To avoid confusion with
Brasenose Lane in central Oxford		 Between 1935 and 1947
Bridewell Lane Frewin Court Bridewell long gone; unfortunate connotations 1890–1
Catherine Street,
Central Oxford		 Catte Street To avoid confusion with Catherine Street in East Oxford (a return to its original name, which had considered too undignified by Victorians) 1930
Cemetery Road,
Cowley (formerly New Road)		 Church Cowley Road Removal of unpleasant name  
Cemetery Road,
Headington 		Dunstan Road  
Church Lane,
New Hinksey		 Vicarage Lane To avoid confusion with
Church Lane, Wolvercote		 Between 1935 and 1947
Church Lane,
Old Headington		 St Andrew's Lane Between 1935 and 1947
Church Street,
Cowley 		Beauchamp Lane To avoid confusion with each other (and with Church Street, St Ebbe's, which later disappeared) 1955
Church Street,
New Headington		 Perrin Street Between 1935 and 1947
Church Street,
New Hinksey		 Vicarage Road Between 1935 and 1947
Church Street,
Old Headington		 St Andrew's Road Between 1935 and 1947
Church Street,
Summertown		 Rogers Street Between 1935 and 1947
Cross Street,
Headington 		Piper Street To avoid confusion with Cross Street in St Clement's 1959
Cruel Lane,
Cowley 		Crowell Road Removal of unpleasant name Between 1935 and 1947
East Street,
Headington 		Bateman Street To avoid confusion with
East Street in Osney		 1959
Elms Road,
Headington Quarry		 Gladstone Road To avoid confusion with
Elms Road, Botley		 Between 1947 and 1958
Ferry Road,
Jericho 		Combe Road To avoid confusion with
Ferry Road, New Marston		 Between 1958 and 1962
George Street,
Cowley 		Hendred Street To avoid confusion with
each other and with
George Street in central Oxford		 Between 1947 and 1958
George Street,
St Clements		 Cave Street Between 1947 and 1958
George Street,
Summertown		 Middle Way Between 1947 and 1958
Green Lane,
North Oxford		 Squitchey Lane To avoid confusion with Green Road in Headington Between 1935 and 1947
Green Road,
Wolvercote 		Wolvercote Green Between 1935 and 1947
Grove Street Magpie Lane To avoid confusion with
Grove Street in Summertown and remove disreputable name (Grove = Grope etc.)		 1920s
Grove Lane Kybald Street 1920s
Henley Road Iffley Road Name given to the part of the road being developed mid-19th century
High Street,
Headington Quarry		 Quarry High Street To avoid confusion with
each other and with
Oxford's High Street		 1942
High Street,
New Headington		 New High Street 1942
High Street,
Old Headington		 Old High Street 1942
High Street,
St Clements		 St Clements Street 1942
High Street,
St Thomas		 St Thomas' Street Between 1947 and 1958
King Street,
Central Oxford		 Merton Street
 Rationalizaton of various names for different parts of the street ?
Manor Road,
Old Headington 		Osler Road To avoid confusion with
Manor Road in East Oxford		 1959
New Road,
Headington 		Kennett Road To avoid confusion with
New Road in central Oxford		 1959
Park Place South end of Banbury Road Renamed St Giles Road east c.1860, and then standardized  
Pembroke Street,
St Clements		 Rectory Road To avoid confusion with
Pembroke Street, St Aldate's		 1959
St Giles Road East Banbury Road To avoid confusion with St Giles Street, and to rationlize road numbering  
St Giles Road West Woodstock Road
St John's Road
North Oxford		 St Bernard's Road To avoid confusion with St John Street 1960
St Mary's Road,
Headington Quarry 		Quarry Hollow To avoid confusion with
St Mary's Road in East Oxford		 1959
Skimmery Hall Lane Oriel Street Rationalizaton: Skimmery Hall
no longer existed		 1838
South Street,
Headington 		Gardiner Street To avoid confusion with
South Street, Osney		 1959
Western Road,
Headington 		Holyoake Road To avoid confusion with
Western Road in Grandpont		 1959
William Street,
East Oxford		 Tyndale Street To avoid confusion with
each other and with
William Street in New Marston		 1959
William Street,
Headington 		Wilberforce Street 1959

There were many streets in St Ebbe's with names also used in other places (e.g. Albert Street, Charles Street, New Street, Penson's Gardens, Princes Street, Union Street); but these were not changed in 1959, as the whole parish was due to be swept away for redevelopment anyway.

Terrace and house names

Long roads leading out of Oxford tended to be developed piecemeal, so they could not at first be numbered. Thus single villas were given individual names, and groups of attached houses n terrace names. These names are long-forgotten, but they appear in censuses and in parish registers. It is difficult to identify all the terraces in a long street, and sometimes even after they were numbered they had to be renumbered later. The old terrace signs can often still be seen attached to the houses: Oxford Terrace remains on Bateman Street in Headington, and St Giles Terrace marks Nos. 14–36 Woodstock Road (evens).

Victoria County History: Article on old Oxford street names

© Stephanie Jenkins

 

Last updated: 15 February, 2008