Cowley, Oxfordshire facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cowley |
|
|---|---|
 St James' Church |
|
 Cowley
|
|
| Population | 16,500 |
| OS grid reference | SP543040 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Oxford |
| Postcode district | OX4 |
| Dialling code | 01865 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Oxfordshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | Cowley News |
Cowley is a busy area in Oxford, England. It's a mix of homes and businesses. Cowley is known around the world for its automotive industry. It was once home to the famous car maker Morris Motors, which is now part of Mini.
Contents
History of Cowley
Ancient Times and Early Villages
People have lived in the Cowley area since Roman times. A Roman road once ran through the eastern part of Cowley. This road connected a Roman town called Dorchester-on-Thames with a Roman military camp at Alchester. Today, a road named Roman Way follows part of this ancient route.
Cowley grew from three old villages: Middle Cowley, Temple Cowley, and Church Cowley. The area around St James church was Church Cowley. In 1889, the western part of Cowley became part of Oxford city. This area is now often called the Cowley Road area. The rest of Cowley, where the original villages stood, joined Oxford in 1928.
Knights Templar and Old Buildings
Cowley was a manor (a large estate) since the Medieval period. In 1139, Matilda of Boulogne started a place for the Knights Templar here. This was called Temple Cowley. A 16th-century manor house stood on Oxford Road. This house later became part of the Oxford Military College in the 1800s.
In 1864, the Wycombe Railway was built through Cowley. However, the village was too small for a train station at that time.
Schools and Famous People
St James C of E school opened in 1834. It was a primary school until 1975. Its most famous student was William Morris, who later became Lord Nuffield. He founded Morris Motors, which brought many jobs and growth to Cowley. A pub in the Templar Square shopping centre is named after him. Another well-known student was the actress Dame Maggie Smith.
In 1866, a Church of England religious order called the Society of St. John the Evangelist (SSJE) was started near Cowley Road. Its members were often called the "Cowley Fathers."
Factories and Industry
The Eddison and Nodding Company factory started in Cowley in 1868. John Allen bought it in 1897 and renamed it the Oxford Steam Plough Company. Later, it became John Allen and Sons and made farm machinery. The factory closed in the early 1980s. Now, the Templars Shopping Park is on its site.
Changes in Cowley's Centre
During the 1960s, the old centre of Cowley was taken down. It was replaced by the Templars Square shopping centre. Also in the 1960s, the railway line between Princes Risborough and Oxford closed. However, the track near Cowley is still used for freight trains going to and from the car factory.
Cold War Bunker
From 1980 to 1992, the main office for the United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation (UKWMO) was in Cowley. This group was in charge of giving the four-minute warning if a nuclear attack happened in the UK. It closed after the Cold War. Part of their underground nuclear bunker still exists. It now belongs to Oxford Brookes University and is used for storage. This makes it the only student housing in the country with its own nuclear shelter!
Morris Motors and the Car Industry
The Cowley area changed a lot after 1912. That's when William Morris bought the old Oxford Military College buildings. He moved his company, Morris Motors Limited, there from Oxford. Morris expanded his factory and started using Henry Ford-style mass production in the UK.
The railway company opened a station called Morris Cowley for the thousands of factory workers. In 1933, a goods yard was built to bring supplies to the factory and send out finished cars. This yard is still used today by the Mini factory.
From the 1920s to the 1960s, Cowley grew into a huge industrial area. Many people moved here for jobs during the Great Depression. New homes were built for these workers. Florence Park was one such area. During World War II, the Morris factory made many de Havilland Tiger Moth training planes for the war effort.
Even after many company mergers and name changes, people still often call the car factory "Morris's." In 1952, Morris Motors became part of the British Motor Corporation (BMC). Later, it became British Leyland, then Austin Rover, and then Rover Group. Since 2001, BMW has owned the factory.
By the early 1970s, over 20,000 people worked at the Morris Motors and Pressed Steel Fisher plants in Cowley. Unipart is also a big employer in Cowley. The original Morris Motors site was later taken down and became the Oxford Business Park.
Cowley Today
The car factory in Cowley is now called Plant Oxford. It is owned by BMW and has been updated a lot. It's the biggest industrial employer in Oxfordshire, with over 4,300 people working there.
The plant was first set up in 1926. When BMW sold the Rover Group, they decided to keep the Cowley plant (which was once Pressed Steel). They moved the production of the Mini car from another factory to Cowley. The new Mini was launched in 2001 and has been very popular.
The original Morris Motor sites were cleared, and a technology park was built there. The former Oxford Military College buildings were turned into housing in the late 1990s. The business park now has a large David Lloyd Leisure centre and offices for many companies. These include the European headquarters of Harley-Davidson Motorcycles and the main office of the international aid charity Oxfam GB. Cowley is a diverse community, with many different ethnic groups living there.
Sports and Leisure
.JPG)
Cowley has a strong tradition in sports. In 1938, Oxford Stadium was built for greyhound racing. In 1939, motorcycle speedway also moved to Oxford Stadium. Oxford's speedway team is called the Oxford Cheetahs.
Temple Cowley Pools was a public swimming and gym complex. It closed in December 2014 to be redeveloped into housing. The City of Oxford Silver Band has its hall nearby, and next to it is Cowley Library. The Oxfordshire Record Office is also in the area. The Morris Motors Athletic & Social Club has a large sports ground and clubhouse.
For many years, Johnson's Café stood opposite the Mini factory. It fed thousands of Morris Motors workers. The cafe was famous for its bold murals of early speedway stars. It closed in 2009.
Education
Schools in Cowley include Greyfriars Catholic School and Oxford Spires Academy.
In Popular Culture
Cowley is a main setting in the novel The Alteration by Kingsley Amis. This book is set in a different reality where the Protestant Reformation never happened. In the story, Cowley becomes the religious capital of England.
The comedian Bill Hicks once joked that he found the "Alabama of Britain" in Cowley during a radio interview.
The band Stornoway mentions Cowley in their song "Zorbing": "Been Zorbing through the streets of Cowley."
In the TV show Endeavour, a prequel to Inspector Morse, young detective Endeavour Morse works at Cowley Road police station.
Notable people
- Gladys Mitchell, writer, born April 21, 1901
- Stornoway, musical band
