Rose Hill, Oxfordshire facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rose Hill |
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 Rose Hill Community Centre |
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 Rose Hill
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| OS grid reference | SP530032 |
| 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 | |
Rose Hill is a neighborhood located on the southern edge of Oxford, England. Many of its homes were once owned by the local council, helping provide housing for families. In 2001, about 4,667 people lived in Rose Hill and the nearby village of Iffley.
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Exploring Rose Hill
Rose Hill is a residential area, meaning it's mostly made up of homes. The main part of the neighborhood is west of the road also called Rose Hill. This road is actually part of an old, important route that connected Oxford to London through Henley. It runs right next to the River Isis, which is what the River Thames is called when it flows through Oxford.
What's at the Heart of Rose Hill?
At the very center of the Rose Hill neighborhood, you'll find a large grassy area called the Oval. It's in the middle of a big turning circle for cars. Right on the Oval is Rose Hill Primary School, where many local children learn. Next to the school is the Rose Hill Community Centre, a place for everyone to gather. It officially opened in 2016.
Along the main Rose Hill road, there's a small, pretty triangle of land with shops nearby. These shops were built in the 1940s and have a cool, old-fashioned look with some wooden parts, like buildings from the Tudor period.
How Rose Hill Began
The name "Rose Hill" comes from an old farmer's cottage that used to be on the A4158 road. Before the current buildings were put up, this land was mostly used for farming. In fact, the area between the Rose Hill road and Annesley Road was once home to a Roman pottery workshop! Some of the pots made there can even be seen in the Ashmolean Museum today.
Building Homes for Families
The oldest houses in the Rose Hill neighborhood were built between 1936 and 1939. They were created to provide new homes for people who lived in crowded, run-down areas like Jericho and St. Ebbes in Oxford. A lot of these early homes were designed by George C. Robb, who worked for the Oxford City Council.
Many of the streets in Rose Hill are named after important local leaders and national politicians. For example, Asquith Road is named after H. H. Asquith, who was once the UK Prime Minister and also had a special connection to Oxford.
After the Second World War, more homes were built in the 1950s and 1960s. These were needed to house people, especially factory workers from the nearby Morris Motors Limited factory in Cowley. It was like a "second Rose Hill" grew up to the south!
Rose Hill's Ancient Roots
The areas around Rose Hill, like Iffley and Church Cowley, are very old villages. They are even mentioned in the Domesday Book, which was written over 900 years ago! This means that the fields where Rose Hill now stands were likely crossed by paths used by people for a thousand years, connecting these ancient villages.
The original "Old Rose Hill" included farmhouses and cottages along the main Rose Hill road and a lane that went from Iffley to Cowley. There's even an old stone marker near the bottom of Rose Hill that says "Ifily Hy Way 1635." This was the old name for the road that the council renamed Rose Hill in 1930.
There's also an old turnpike on Rose Hill road. A turnpike was a road where you had to pay a fee to use it, and this one was part of an old route between Oxford and London. It even has an engraving that says "56 miles to London."
Famous Connections
Some famous people have connections to Old Rose Hill. Cardinal Newman, a very important religious figure, lived nearby. His mother lived on Rose Hill, and he once wrote about how much he loved the view from his room there, saying he could "see Iffley church."
Frank Pakenham, who later became Lord Pakenham, also lived on Old Rose Hill. His daughter, Lady Antonia Fraser, who is a well-known writer, grew up in their house on Rose Hill road. She wrote that the views over Oxford from their home were beautiful, with distant spires and college roofs.
