Cornmarket Street facts for kids
| Cornmarket | |
Cornmarket Street in 2007
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 Location in Oxford
Location in Oxfordshire
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| Former name(s) | The Corn |
|---|---|
| Location | Oxford, England |
| Coordinates | 51°45′11″N 1°15′30″W / 51.7530°N 1.2584°W |
| North end | George Street |
| Major junctions |
Golden Cross, Clarendon Shopping Centre |
| South end | Carfax Tower |
| Other | |
| Known for | Shopping |
| Status | Pedestrian precinct |
Cornmarket Street, often called Cornmarket, is a very busy shopping street in Oxford, England. It's a special area where only people can walk, not cars, making it a great place to explore. This street runs from north to south, connecting Magdalen Street to the Carfax Tower.
On one side of Cornmarket, you'll find the Golden Cross. This is a charming area with small jewellery and craft shops. It leads to the famous Covered Market. On the other side is the Clarendon Shopping Centre, a large indoor mall. It also connects to Queen Street.
Cornmarket Street became a pedestrian-friendly zone in 1999. This means that cars are mostly not allowed. Bikes can use the street only between 6 PM and 10 AM. In the early 2000s, the street had some problems with its paving, but it was fixed up and now has new benches for shoppers to rest.
Contents
A Look at Cornmarket's Shops Through Time
Cornmarket Street has a long history of shops and interesting buildings. Some of these buildings are very old, dating back hundreds of years!
Old Buildings and Famous Stores
One of the oldest buildings is at 26–28 Cornmarket. It's a timber-framed building from the 1300s. It was once part of a place called the New Inn. Today, it belongs to Jesus College.
A very large department store called Boswells of Oxford opened on Cornmarket Street in 1738. It was one of the biggest shops in Oxford for a long time. Even though it later had a main entrance on Broad Street, it kept its entrance on Cornmarket. Sadly, this historic store closed its doors in 2020.
In 1869, a famous photographer named Henry Taunt opened his shop at 33 Cornmarket Street. He later moved to a bigger place on Broad Street. Another business, Zac's, sold waterproof clothing from 26–27 Cornmarket for many years, starting in the 1880s.
The Clarendon Hotel Story
On the west side of Cornmarket Street, there used to be a grand hotel called the Clarendon. This hotel had buildings from the 1500s and 1600s. It even had a very old Norman cellar from the 1100s, which might have been the oldest vaulted structure in Oxford!
In 1939, a company called Woolworth's bought the hotel. They planned to knock it down to build a new store. Many people thought this was a bad idea because Oxford needed good hotels. Even so, the hotel was demolished in 1954–55. Parts of the ancient cellar were also removed to make way for the new building.
The new building, called Clarendon House, was finished in 1957. It was designed to look elegant and fit in with the area. Today, this building is part of the Clarendon Shopping Centre.
St Michael at the North Gate Church
At the northern end of Cornmarket Street, you'll find the tower of St Michael at the North Gate. This church tower is the oldest building in Oxford! It was built by the Saxons around 1000–1050. The church gets its name from a medieval gate that used to stand here, which was part of Oxford's city walls.
Near this church was a prison called Bocardo Prison. This prison is famous because the Oxford Martyrs were held there in 1555–56. They were later executed nearby on Broad Street.
Streets Near Cornmarket
Cornmarket Street is connected to many other important streets in Oxford. Here are some of them:
- Broad Street
- George Street
- High Street
- Magdalen Street
- Market Street
- Queen Street
- St Aldate's
- St Michael's Street
- Ship Street
Images for kids
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Cornmarket seen from the south in 2004
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The Lloyds Bank building on the corner of Cornmarket and the High Street
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The old Saxon tower of St Michael at the North Gate in Cornmarket Street
