A TIMELINE OF OXFORD
By Tim Lambert
Late 9th Century Alfred the Great creates a fortified settlement at Oxford
911 Oxford is first mentioned in writing. It is a small but flourishing market town.
1009 The Danes burn Oxford
1018 A conference is held at Oxford following a dispute over who is king of England
1072 The Normans build a fort at Oxford
1086 Oxford has a population of about 5,000
1142 During a civil war Oxford is burned
1167 Oxford University is founded
1228, 1236, 1238, 1248, 1272 and 1298 Riots take place at Oxford
1258 Rebel barons meet at Oxford and force the king to accept reforms called the Provisions of Oxford
1355 Three days of fighting between townspeople and students at Oxford
1542 Despite the decline Oxford is made a city and given a bishop
1550 Oxford has declined since the Middle Ages and only has a population of about 3,500. The townspeople rely on the students to buy their goods.
1603 Oxford suffers an outbreak of plague
1625-26 Plague strikes again
1642 During the civil war royalists occupy Oxford
1651 The first coffee house in England opens in Oxford
1659 A free grammar school opens in Oxford
1770 Radcliffe Infirmary is built. Oxford remains a quiet market town.
1771 A body of men are formed to pave, clean and light the streets of Oxford (with oil lamps)
1774 A covered market is built for vegetables, meat and fish
1776 New Road is built
1801 Oxford has a population of nearly 12,000
1819 Oxford is lit by gas
1826 Warneford Hospital is built
1832 Cholera strikes Oxford
1844 A railway is built from Oxford to London
1847 Littlemore Hospital is built
1849 Cholera strikes again
1854 Another outbreak of cholera in Oxford
1860 The Natural History Museum opens
1889 Oxford is made a county borough
1892 The first electricity generating station in Oxford opens
1910 The first cinema opens
1913 Morris begins making cars in the city
1924 The Museum of the History of Science opens
1926 Christchurch Memorial Gardens are laid out
1934 Hincksey Park opens
1936 Oxford Police Station is built
1938 Oxford airport opens
1940 Churchill Hospital is built
1952 Cutteslowe Park is laid out
1965 Cowley Shopping Centre is completed
1966 The Gallery of Modern Art opens
1970 Queen Street is pedestrianised
1972 Westgate Shopping Centre opens
1975 The Museum of Oxford opens
1986 Westgate is refurbished
2001 The population of Oxford 121,000