Oxford Street
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- For the Oxford Street in Sydney, see Oxford Street, Sydney.
Oxford Street is a major London thoroughfare in the City of Westminster, and one of the world's most famous streets for shopping.
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. To the west, Oxford Street becomes Bayswater Road (at Marble Arch). Oxford Street intersects with other famous 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 variably 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 [link]. 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 soon became popular with entertainers including tiger-baiters and masquerades. During the 19th century, the area became known for its shops and this has continued.
Oxford Street is a square on the British Monopoly board. It is part of the green set together with Regent Street and Bond Street.
Shopping
-->Oxford Street is considered one of the world's best known shopping streets, 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. It is part of a larger shopping district with Regent Street, Bond Street and many 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.
Major retail shops
- Selfridges, a luxury department store that has been on this site for more than a century.
- Marks and Spencer, the 170,000 square feet flagship Marble Arch store 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 flagship at 150 Oxford Street, which is Europe's largest music shop at 50,000 square feet.
- Borders, a large bookshop.
- John Lewis, Debenhams and House of Fraser.
- Virgin Megastore, at the intersection of Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road, a very large entertainment retailer.
- The Disney Store flagship location.
- Centred around Oxford Circus are major fashion shops including Topshop London, which bills itself as "the world's biggest fashion store" (being the biggest single shop, not including department stores).
- From 2007 Oxford Street will also have the flagship Primark in the building that formerly housed C&A and latterly Allders.
Christmas lights
Each Christmas the street is decorated with an array of festive lights. The heavily publicized 'turning-on' ceremony is in mid-to-late November, when a celebrity flicks the switch to illuminate the decorations. The lights remain until January 6.The annual addition of the 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
- 2005 — Westlife
- 2004 — Steve Redgrave, Emma Watson
- 2003 — Enrique Iglesias
- 2002 — Blue
- 2001 — S Club 7
- 2000 — Charlotte Church
- 1999 — Ronan Keating
- 1998 — Zoë Ball
- 1997 — Peter Andre
- 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)
Tube stations
Tube stations along Oxford Street starting at Marble Arch (western-most):
See also: List of upscale shopping districts
References
- "London through a lens No 41 — Groovy Christmas Lights, 1967" Time Out London, November 23, 2005.
External links
- [Oxford Street's official website]
- [Oxford Street landscape architecture]
- [Michael Pead :: Photos of Oxford Street]
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