Oxford Street

For the Oxford Street in Sydney, see Oxford Street, Sydney.

Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in London, England in the City of Westminster. With over 300 shops, it is probably the world's largest shopping street - [1]

It runs for approximately a mile and a half from Marble Arch at the north east corner of Hyde Park, through Oxford Circus to St Giles' Circus, at the intersection with Charing Cross Road and Tottenham Court Road. Eastwards, the road then becomes New Oxford Street until it runs into High Holborn. West of Marble Arch, Oxford Street becomes Bayswater Road or the A40 which continues west towards Oxford. Oxford Street intersects with other London roads including Park Lane, New Bond Street and Regent Street.

History

The street follows the route of a Roman road which linked Hampshire with Colchester and became one of the major routes in and out of the city.

Between the 12th century and 1782 it was variously known as Tyburn Road (after the River Tyburn that ran just to the south of it, and now flows underneath it), Uxbridge Road, Worcester Road and Oxford Road [2]. It became notorious as the route taken by prisoners on their final journey from Newgate Prison to the gallows at Tyburn near Marble Arch.

In the late 18th century, many of the surrounding fields were purchased by the Earl of Oxford, and the area was developed. It became popular with entertainers including tiger-baiters and masquerades. During the 19th century, the area became known for its shops.

Oxford Street is a square on the British Monopoly board. It is part of the green set together with Regent Street and Bond Street.

Oxford Street today

Oxford Street is home to major department stores and hundreds of smaller shops. It is the major shopping street in central London, though not the most expensive or fashionable, and part of a larger shopping district with Regent Street, Bond Street and other smaller nearby streets. The other principal shopping area in central London is Knightsbridge, famous for Harrods department store.

For many British chain stores, their Oxford Street branch is regarded as their 'flagship' store and used for celebrity launches and promotions.

• Selfridges, a department store that has been on this site for more than a century.
• Marks and Spencer, of 170,000 square feet, on the junction of Oxford Street and Orchard Street.
• HMV, although it moved from its original location in 2000 after 80 years. HMV has three stores on the street including a concession within Selfridges and its shop at 150 Oxford Street, which is Europe's largest music shop at 50,000 square feet.
• Borders, bookshop.
• Other department stores including; John Lewis, Debenhams (historically Debenham & Freebody and Marshall & Snelgrove prior to combining following a rebuild in the 1960s when it became Debenhams) and House of Fraser (historically known as DH Evans prior to rebranding as House of Fraser in 2000).
• Virgin Megastore, at the intersection of Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road, an entertainment retailer.
• The Disney Store
• Centred around Oxford Circus are fashion shops including Topshop.
• From 2007 Oxford Street will also have a Primark in the building that formerly housed C&A and latterly Allders.
• Adidas, a sports brand, has a store on Oxford Street opposite Selfridges. Adidas are the manufacturers of the football kit of the the London-based football team Chelsea F.C.
• There are also a number of stores on Oxford Street which operate on short term leases in empty retail units and advertise themselves as Closing Down Sales. However in some cases these Closing Down Sales can operate on rather a long term or even permanent presence. [3]

Oxford Street can become congested both on the footpath and on the road due to the number of buses which use the street and the high number of shoppers and tourists on the street. Common sights on Oxford Street include preachers (such as Philip Howard who was at Oxford Circus), political demonstrations (such as the 2001 May Day protests and small scale protests) and Hare Krishnas.

Christmas lights

Each Christmas the street is decorated with festive lights. In mid-to-late November a celebrity turns on the lights and they remain on until January 6.

The use of Christmas lights began in 1959, five years after its neighbour Regent Street had begun the tradition. In 1967, as the recession hit London, the lights were stopped and only returned in 1978 when Oxford Street organised a laser display.

Celebrities who turned on the Christmas lights

• 2006 — All Saints (Peter Andre & Katie Price aka Jordan, G4, Andy Abraham)
• 2005 —
• 1996 — Spice Girls
• 1995 — Coronation Street Cast
• 1994 — Lenny Henry
• 1993 — Richard Branson
• 1992 — Linford Christie
• 1991 — Westminster Children's Hospital
• 1990 — Cliff Richard
• 1989 — Gorden Kaye
• 1988 — Terry Wogan
• 1987 — Derek Jameson
• 1986 — Leslie Grantham, Anita Dobson (Den and Angie Watts from Eastenders)
• 1985 — Bob Geldof
• 1984 — Esther Rantzen
• 1983 — Pat Phoenix
• 1982 — Daley Thompson
• 1981 — Pilin Leon (Miss World, Venezuela)

Transport

Oxford Street is served by the Central, Jubilee, Bakerloo, Northern and Victoria London Underground lines, as well as bus routes.

Tube stations along Oxford Street, starting at Marble Arch (western-most):

• Marble Arch
• Bond Street
• Oxford Circus
• Tottenham Court Road

Heavy congestion has led to proposals to pedestrianise Oxford Street with a tram service running end to end [4]. Current plans for Crossrail also include two stations serving Oxford Street at Bond Street and Tottenham Court Road2

References

• "London through a lens No 41 — Groovy Christmas Lights, 1967" Time Out London, November 23, 2005.

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