History of Oxford
The city of Oxford is no doubt most closely associated with its University, however, the town was already well established long before the arrival of the first academics.
The area was first settled in the Bronze Age, and by the Iron Age there were numerous small farms in the district.
By the Saxon era there was an established community here, and in the 8th century the Abbey of St Frideswide was established here.
This heralded the beginnings of Oxford's ecclesiastical associations, and its subsequent reputation as a centre of learning.
It is also from the Saxon era that the name of the town dates from. It is literally derived from the "oxen ford" that used to cross the River Isis at today's Folly Bridge.
By the 10th century, Oxford was a bustling community built up around four roads that met up at Carfax - and this part of Oxford remains at the heart of the city to this day.
Oxford's long association with learning dates from the 12th century when the monastery of St Frideswide set up a centre of learning for its Augustinian monks.
And it was only a few decades later that Oxford's future role as a centre of learning for all scholars, and not just monks, became evident.
In the 12th century, the University of Paris was the academic centre of Europe, attracting scholars from every country. But in the 1160s there was a feud between the French and the English that resulted in English scholars being expelled from the University of Paris.
These scholars were attracted to Oxford because of the town's growing reputation as a centre of religious learning, and so many of them travelled to Oxford from Paris.
By the end of the 12th century Oxford could boast its own University, a new rival to the University of Paris.
At first the students in Oxford studied according to monastic tradition, whereby each student was apprenticed to a master. However, by the 13th century it became the tradition for each bishop to establish his own academic college in the town.
This tradition of separate colleges still dominates Oxford University today, for it is actually made up of 36 distinct colleges, each with its own unique history and traditions.
The oldest colleges in Oxford date from the 13th century, and include University College, Merton College and Balliol College. And the most recent colleges were added in the late 19th century, several of them so that women could at long last be admitted to the University.
Right from its earliest history, there has been friction between the University and the ordinary citizens of Oxford - a state of affairs that is often referred to as "town and gown".
In fact, it was a dispute between students and townspeople in the 13th century that led to some Oxford students leaving the town for Cambridge where they set up England's other famous University.
Today the violent disputes between town and gown are a thing of the past, however, that isn't to say that the city isn't still strongly divided.
Even during a brief visit to the city the visitor will no doubt notice the way in which the students seem to cloister themselves within their college walls, whilst the townspeople get on with their everyday business indifferent to the academics around them.
Whilst there is little doubt that the University has been central to the development of Oxford, it is important to remember that there have also been other influences on the city.
For example Oxford has a long tradition of publishing. In fact one of the world's first printed books was published here in 1478, and ever since the town has played a significant role in the UK publishing industry.
Today there are more than a dozen publishers located in Oxford, and the town is one of the most prolific publishing centres in the whole of the UK.
In addition, it is important to remember that Oxford also has a long industrial tradition, a fact often overlooked in favour of the more famous academic heritage of the city.
Industrialisation first arrived in Oxford in the 1790s, when the canals first reached the city. Then in 1844 the railways reached Oxford, making travel between Oxford and London much easier.
Then in the early 20th century William Morris began to build cars in Oxford. Within a decade Oxford was a significant industrial centre, and the city lay at the heart of the British car manufacturing industry.
Even to this day the car industry is still a major influence in the city, and so amidst the elegant colleges there is still an industrial feel to the town, particularly as you head out of the town centre.
It is these very contrasts - between town and gown, past and present, the traditional and the forward thinking - that make Oxford such an interesting city to visit.
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