Gloucester Green
Encyclopedia
Gloucester Green is a square in central Oxford
, England
, and the site of the city's bus station
. It lies between George Street
to the south and Beaumont Street
to the north. To the west is Worcester Street
and to the east is Gloucester Street.
The green was once an open space outside Gloucester College
(now Worcester College
), after which it was named. From 1783 to 1915 a fair was held on the green, and from 1835 to 1932 it was the site of the city's cattle market. In 1935, after the cattle market had been moved, the western half of Gloucester Green became the site of the city's bus station, and the eastern half became a car park.
In 1987, a major redevelopment of the area began. The eastern half became a square, surrounded by shops, restaurants and residential accommodation. A new, smaller, bus station was built on the site of the old bus station, and an office block was built between the bus station and Worcester Street
. An underground car park was also provided.
Today, the Gloucester Green bus station is the Oxford terminus for long-distance coach services, including the very frequent services to London
and route X5 to Cambridge
. The bus station is too small to accommodate more than a few local bus services.
A food market is held in the square every Wednesday and an antiques market every Thursday.
Close by are the Burton Taylor Studio on Gloucester Street and the OFS Studio
in the Old Fire Station on George Street.
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and the site of the city's bus station
Bus station
A bus station is a structure where city or intercity buses stop to pick up and drop off passengers. It is larger than a bus stop, which is usually simply a place on the roadside, where buses can stop...
. It lies between George Street
George Street, Oxford
George Street is a street in central Oxford, England. It is a shopping street running east-west. Its eastern end meets Broad Street at a crossroads with Cornmarket Street to the south and Magdalen Street to the north...
to the south and Beaumont Street
Beaumont Street
Beaumont Street is a street in the centre of Oxford, England.The street was laid out from 1828 to 1837 with elegant terraced houses in the Regency style. Before that, it was the location of Beaumont Palace, now noted by a plaque near the junction with Walton Street...
to the north. To the west is Worcester Street
Worcester Street
Worcester Street is a street in west central Oxford, England.The street runs north-south in two sections that are separated for traffic. The northern section forms part of the A4144 road. It starts opposite the eponymous Worcester College, one of the colleges of the University of Oxford, at the...
and to the east is Gloucester Street.
The green was once an open space outside Gloucester College
Gloucester College, Oxford
Gloucester College, Oxford was a Benedictine institution of the University of Oxford, from the late thirteenth century until the Dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century. It was never a typical college of the University, in that there was an internal division in the College, by staircase...
(now Worcester College
Worcester College, Oxford
Worcester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in the eighteenth century, but its predecessor on the same site had been an institution of learning since the late thirteenth century...
), after which it was named. From 1783 to 1915 a fair was held on the green, and from 1835 to 1932 it was the site of the city's cattle market. In 1935, after the cattle market had been moved, the western half of Gloucester Green became the site of the city's bus station, and the eastern half became a car park.
In 1987, a major redevelopment of the area began. The eastern half became a square, surrounded by shops, restaurants and residential accommodation. A new, smaller, bus station was built on the site of the old bus station, and an office block was built between the bus station and Worcester Street
Worcester Street
Worcester Street is a street in west central Oxford, England.The street runs north-south in two sections that are separated for traffic. The northern section forms part of the A4144 road. It starts opposite the eponymous Worcester College, one of the colleges of the University of Oxford, at the...
. An underground car park was also provided.
Today, the Gloucester Green bus station is the Oxford terminus for long-distance coach services, including the very frequent services to London
Oxford to London coach route
The Oxford to London coach route is an express coach route between Oxford and London along the M40 motorway. The Oxford Tube, which is operated by Stagecoach runs 5 coaches an hour via Lewknor, Hillingdon in west London, Shepherd's Bush and terminates in Buckingham Palace Road, Victoria...
and route X5 to Cambridge
Stagecoach bus route X5
Stagecoach bus route X5 is an inter-urban bus service linking Oxford and Cambridge via Bicester, Buckingham, Milton Keynes, Bedford and St Neots. The route started in 1995 with an hourly service which was increased to half-hourly in 2005 and new vehicles were introduced in 2009. It has since won...
. The bus station is too small to accommodate more than a few local bus services.
A food market is held in the square every Wednesday and an antiques market every Thursday.
Close by are the Burton Taylor Studio on Gloucester Street and the OFS Studio
OFS Studio
The OFS Studio is a theatre in Oxford, England at 40 George Street.One of the smaller studio theatres in the city, it was refurbished in the early 1990s under the supervision of producer Cameron Mackintosh, opening with Moby Dick.About twenty student shows are performed there per year, with the...
in the Old Fire Station on George Street.