Post-medieval Oxford - Oxford City Council

Transport and communication
A system of medieval high roads ran through Carfax; the east-west route from
London, Oxford, and on to Gloucester; and a north-south route from Southampton
through Winchester, to Oxford and on to Banbury and the Midlands. There were
other, earlier routes such as the Portway on the east side of the Cherwell and a
network of lesser roads connecting the local market towns with Oxford (Rhodes
2006). A number of improvements to the existing roads were undertaken under the
Mileways Act of 1576. Stage coaches arrived in Oxford in the 1660s.
Road transport was particularly important in the 16th century because of the poor
quality of navigation along the Thames, which was not improved until the early 17th
century. Consequently, Henley, not Oxford, remained the most significant river port
for Oxfordshire, exporting firewood, Chiltern timber, timber products, and malt to
Oxford (Plot 1677). Recent studies suggest that imports and exports were transshipped
from there to Oxford, by road or by river (Prior 1982; Peberdy 1996). The
17 th improvements to navigation along the Thames to Oxford was important for the
export of Headington Stone and the import of coal (Rhodes 2006). For example, the
new telescopes for the Radcliffe Observatory were brought from London by water in
1773. In 1790, the Oxford Canal was opened connecting with Coventry and London
and remained important for the importing of coal and building materials and exporting
agricultural and industrial product. The Thames remained as the onward link from the
canal system to London. (Bloxham and Bond 1981; Hadfield 1970).
The road network and bridges
The insertion of New Road in 1769 was the first major alteration to the medieval
street plan undertaken in response to improvements along the new turnpike road
from Oxford to Witney (Munby and Walton 1990: 123). It cut through the Castle
precinct and the base of the motte. Pacey's Bridge was then constructed to continue
the route westward. This was a single arched bridge over the Castle Mill Stream. It
was widened in 1856 and rebuilt as a flat structure in 1922 (VCH iv). The original
bridge was drawn by Malchair (Minn 1943-4).
A number of changes to the urban and suburban street network, primarily through the
actions of the colleges, are recorded in documentary sources. At St Aldates, the
network of streets adjacent to the former St Frideswide’s was removed and a new
street (now called Blue Boar Street) was built as a replacement while Kybald Street
was gated by Corpus Christi in 1567, and the lane between Corpus and Christ
Church closed by the former in 1606 (VCH iv: 85).
Road Date
Brasenose Lane 1579 Gated
Road west of Smith Gate 1612 Blocked
Kepeharm Lane 1606 Closed
Turl Street 1551 Gate made in City Wall
Broad Street 17th century Street developed
George Street 17th century Street developed
Table 4: Changes to the road network
Magdalen Bridge was rebuilt in the late 18
OXFORD ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCE ASSESSMENT- POST MEDIEVAL 28
th century as part of the improvements
along the eastern road initiated by the Paving Commission of 1771. This involved the
demolition of a substantial number of properties in St Clements to accommodate the
new bridge structure. A bridge had been in this location since the medieval period at
least, and past incarnations had included a wooded trestle construction, possibly
similar in design to a drawbridge and a later stone bridge that collapsed in 1772
(Jaine 1971: 9).