Summertown, Oxford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Summertown |
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 Summertown Parade on Banbury Road |
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 Summertown
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| OS grid reference | SP5008 |
| Civil parish |
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| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Oxford |
| Postcode district | OX2 |
| Dialling code | 01865 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Oxfordshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament |
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| Website | Oxford City Council |
Summertown in North Oxford is a suburb of Oxford, England. Summertown is a one-mile square residential area, north of St Giles, the boulevard leading out of Oxford's city centre. Summertown is home to several independent schools and the city's most expensive houses. On both sides of Banbury Road are Summertown's popular shops. There is also a smaller street of shops and restaurants, South Parade, that links Banbury Road and Woodstock Road. Summertown is home to much of Oxford's broadcast media. BBC Radio Oxford and the BBC Television's Oxford studios are on Banbury Road. Start-ups also have an increasing presence on the parade, such as Brainomix and Passle. The studios for JACK FM, Glide FM, and Six TV Oxford (no longer broadcasting) are on Woodstock Road.
History
Most of north Oxford came into being as a result of the revolutionary decision by the university to permit college fellows to marry and live in real houses, as opposed to rooms in college. Large houses were built on farmland either side of Banbury Road and Woodstock Road. Much of the land belonged to St John's College, Oxford and the houses were originally sold leasehold. St John's has since sold the freehold on most of these properties.
Public transport
In 1898 the City of Oxford Tramways Company extended its Banbury Road horse tram route to a new terminus at Summertown. In 1913 the company replaced its horse trams with motor buses. Buses running between central Oxford and Summertown via Banbury Road include the Oxford Bus Company 2, 2A, 2B, 2C and 2D, Heyfordian Travel 25 and 25A and Stagecoach 7, 7A, 7B, 17 and S5. Banbury Road also has limited-stop Park and Ride bus services linking Water Eaton with central Oxford (route 500 run by the Oxford Bus Company) and with the John Radcliffe Hospital (route 700 run by Stagecoach). As of 2011, Oxford Bus Company and Stagecoach came to an agreement in which they would share the same bus timetable. This eliminated the 7, 7A and 7B buses. This also benefited the public because not only were the buses more coordinated in their schedule but the public could use the same ticket/bus pass on each of the bus companies' buses.
Educational facilities
The following schools and colleges are in Summertown:
- Cherwell School, the secondary school for the area, is on Marston Ferry Road to the east of Banbury Road.
- MECO Islamic School, a Saturday Islamic School for children aged 4–16, is on the site of Cherwell School.
- St. Clare's, Oxford, an independent, international residential college offering the International Baccalaureate Diploma, English-language courses and IB teacher workshops, is on Banbury Road.
- St Edward's School, an independent co-educational (13-18) boarding school, is located on Woodstock Road.
- The independent day and boarding Sixth Form of d'Overbroeck's College is on Banbury Road.
- Summer Fields School, an independent boys' (8-13) preparatory school, is on Mayfield Road.
- The Dragon School, an independent co-educational boarding and day school (4-13), is on Bardwell Road on the perimeter of Summertown. Lynams, the pre-prep school for the Dragon School, is located on Woodstock Road.
- Northern House School, for special needs education, is on South Parade.
- Oxford High School, an independent girls' (11-18) school, is on Belbroughton Road, east of Banbury Road. The two junior sections, Greycotes and The Squirrel, are respectively on Bardwell Road and Woodstock Road.
- Saint Philip and James Primary School, a Church of England Aided Primary School, is on Navigation Way.
- Ewert House in Ewert Place is part of the University of Oxford. It houses lecture and seminar rooms of the Department for Continuing Education and a large examination hall.
- Wolfson College is on Linton Road.
- Magna Carta College is on Mayfield Road.
Notable residents
- Lord Berkeley, chairman of the Rail Freight Group.
- John Bayley, previously Warton Professor of English at Oxford, novelist and literary critic.
- Colin Dexter, author of the Inspector Morse novels.
- Margaret Gowing, academic, first Professor of the History of Science at the University of Oxford, Fellow of Linacre College.
- J.B.S. Haldane, British-born Indian geneticist and evolutionary biologist.
- John Scott Haldane, Companion of Honour, FRS, physiologist, Fellow of New College, famous for intrepid self-experimentation.
- Leszek Kołakowski, philosopher and publicist.
- Archibald MacLaren, gymnast, fencing master and author
- Naomi Mitchison, novelist and poet.
- Desmond Morris, zoologist, ethologist and popular anthropologist.
- Dame Iris Murdoch, author and philosopher.
- James Murray, lexicographer and philologist.
- Yannis Philippakis of Foals.
- Sir Adam Roberts, academic, Emeritus Professor of International Relations at Oxford University, Emeritus Fellow of Balliol College and President of the British Academy.
- Sir Owen St. Clair O'Malley, diplomat.
- Sir Francis Simon, the leading physical chemist, physicist, and Fellow of Christ Church, Oxford.
- J.R.R Tolkien, philologist, author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Rawlingson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford University and Fellow of Pembroke College.
- Tom Ward, actor who plays Harry in the BBC drama series Silent Witness.
- Sir Harold Warris Thompson, physical chemist.
- Athol Williams, award-winning poet and social philosopher.
- Sir Martin Wood, co-founder of Oxford Instruments plc.
- Thom Yorke of Radiohead.
