Introduction - on this page you will find links to
details of Oxford homes for sale, Oxford rental accommodation, holiday
homes and shared housing in Oxford. Oxford is in the English
County of Oxfordshire, north of Newbury and South of Banbury and Milton
Keynes. It is a famous University City with two Universities, Oxford
University and Oxford Brookes University. It is a small City that is big on
history with old Oxford stone buildings, libraries and theatres. Oxford
University is a number of smaller colleges that are spread throughout the
centre of Oxford, each offering the student a particular specialism in
learning. It has come to be known as the City of Dreaming Spires, with over
700 years of Royal and Scholarly history.
The Oxford Property Market
- in and around Oxford are many
wards that have a particular culture of their own, whilst still highly populated
by students. One such area in the East of Oxford is Cowley and "the Cowley
road", where many students will describe their residences, or shared
accommodation to be precise. In some instances, shared accommodation, is not
just shared with other students but rather shared with pests such as mice and
slugs. These are just some of the things that students have to endure along with
long studying hours, lectures, seminars, projects and course work. Headington is
the main campus of Oxford Brookes university, however it too is an area just
outside the city of Oxford, with its own parade of shops, takeaways, and the
football ground. This is almost the main thoroughfare through which the buses
travel from the north, Wheatley into the centre of Oxford. What a bus journey
this is as well. Sitting on the top deck of a double decker bus, the traveller
can see the sprawl of the Victorian terraces, as well as the Georgian houses,
and 1950's semi's that all make Oxford what it is. However, best of all, is
taking in the Oxford stone, light cream and grey stone, which make up most of
Oxford's architecture, its churches, libraries, theatres and University
buildings are made of this stone, and as you enter Oxford, you can see the
Spires of each college, a great sight to take in especially, as a student of
Oxford, sometimes you cannot quite believe that you are fortunate enough to live
there.
Architecture in central Oxford
is inspiring, and so familiar with the populace who enjoy Morse, Lewis, and
recently the Harry Potter films where some filming was carried out. The Bridge
of Sighs is an example of such rich architectural history, as is Radcliffe
Square and the Ashmoleum.
In the north of Oxford is
Summertown, many of its houses are Victorian or Edwardian, and this area is a
popular residential area with a small number of shops. It is a bus ride out of
the centre of Oxford and as such is not as popular with students as it is with
families or working professionals.
In the south is Iffley, which is
again quite a student area with many shared houses. However, it is a bus ride
into Oxford and any student of Oxford Brookes university will have quite a trek
getting to lectures everyday from Iffley. In the West of Oxford is Botley, where
the park and ride is situated for the city. Botley joins the A34 from where you
can travel south to Southampton and north to Banbury.
Oxford University students tend
to live on campus within hundred year old halls of residence, right in the
centre of their learning space. Oxford Brookes University, once Oxford
Polytechnic, is spread over three campuses, one in Headington, north of the City
of Oxford, one in Wheatley, which is a village about 8 miles out from Oxford
centre, and one called the Helena Kennedy Campus which is slightly closer.
Around 10 years ago, students of Oxford Polytechnic would have to live at least
100 miles away before coming to the University, before being considered eligible
for Halls of Residence. However, since this time, many new halls of residences
have been built, some out of the town in and around the Cowley area, where the
Rover factories once stood. The Wheatley campus boasts some of the largest rooms
available, in the Lady Spencer Churchill halls. If a student is studying
business or business linked degree, then many prefer to live on campus at
Wheatley, allowing them to be just a short walk from lectures and seminars. The
village of Wheatley does not have much to offer however, in the way of
entertainment, other than a couple of local pubs and a small and over priced
convenience store. On the other hand, living in Wheatley, whether in Halls on
campus or in digs with a family, there is a sense of belonging and family. The
Wheatley campus has a small but well stocked library, which seems more friendly
than that in Headington. Wheatley campus also has its own student union bar, and
often in the summer, the ground of Wheatley are host to May balls, and other
outdoor concerts.
Student Town -
Other activities that students,
locals and all visitors to Oxford can partake in is shopping. There is the
covered market, which has a variety of retail outlets selling clothing to meat.
The Westgate centre is a shopping mall with all the modern chain retailers
housed under one roof. However, more interesting is the number of independent
shops in the city that are catering for the affluent tourist.
Living in Oxford as a student
one is offered a choice of vibrant city centre lodgings in the way of University
halls of residence, to shared housing and rooms to let in many of the outskirt
areas of the city. However living in Oxford as a professional or family is a
different matter, with many of the larger houses having been converted to shared
living space, a family has to be more particular in the choice of area to live.
Hence living outside the city in places such as Botley, Abingdon, or perhaps
closer to Oxford in Summertown, is appealing to families whose consideration is
more with regards to locality of schools than public houses.
University History -
Colleges such as the Nuffield College, Keble College, Pembroke College, Queens
College and Magdalen College make up the many colleges of the Oxford University,
each offering a vast number of courses from strict academic subjects for example
English Literature, to more vocational courses such as Economics. Magdalen
college is situated just by Magdalen bridge which is famous for its May day
adventures, and much reported exploits of students who have taken the plunge
into the river below. Once, this activity had been banned but in very recent
times has been allowed to continue under the watchful eye of the emergency
services.
