Oxford Preservation Trust
Encyclopedia
The Oxford Preservation Trust was founded in 1928 to preserve the city of Oxford
, England
. The Trust seeks to enhance Oxford by encouraging thoughtful development and new design, while protecting historic buildings and green open spaces.
The Trust is run by a board of trustee
s and an executive committee. It employs five staff including its Director
, Debbie Dance.
The Trust is a member of the Oxfordshire Blue Plaques Board
.
in the early 1990s
from a county jail
into a tourist attraction including a Malmaison hotel
. It has also published reports advising on the redevelopment of parts of Oxford including Broad Street
and the former site of the terminus of the Oxford Canal
opposite the end of George Street
.
The Trust has an ongoing role in preserving Oxford's green belt
. To this end it owns several pieces of land at Boars Hill
and elsewhere in and around Oxford. In 2007 and 2008 the Trust successfully opposed the Bodleian Library
's proposal to build a new book depository that would have obstructed a view from Boar's Hill of Oxford's skyline that the poet
Matthew Arnold
(1822-1888) called the city's "dreaming spires
".
.
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...
. The Trust seeks to enhance Oxford by encouraging thoughtful development and new design, while protecting historic buildings and green open spaces.
The Trust is run by a board of trustee
Trustee
Trustee is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, can refer to any person who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the benefit of another...
s and an executive committee. It employs five staff including its Director
Executive director
Executive director is a term sometimes applied to the chief executive officer or managing director of an organization, company, or corporation. It is widely used in North American non-profit organizations, though in recent decades many U.S. nonprofits have adopted the title "President/CEO"...
, Debbie Dance.
The Trust is a member of the Oxfordshire Blue Plaques Board
Oxfordshire Blue Plaques Board
The Oxfordshire Blue Plaques Board, established in 1999, is administered by the Oxford Civic Society. It oversees the installation of blue plaques on historic buildings in the county of Oxfordshire, England to commemorate famous residents and events...
.
Projects
The Trust's notable projects have included the successful conversion of Oxford CastleOxford Castle
Oxford Castle is a large, partly ruined Norman medieval castle situated on the west edge of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England. The original moated, wooden motte and bailey castle was replaced with stone in the 11th century and played an important role in the conflict of the Anarchy...
in the early 1990s
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
from a county jail
Jail
A jail is a short-term detention facility in the United States and Canada.Jail may also refer to:In entertainment:*Jail , a 1966 Malayalam movie*Jail , a 2009 Bollywood movie...
into a tourist attraction including a Malmaison hotel
Malmaison (hotel chain)
Malmaison is a hotel brand in the United Kingdom. The group operates 12 hotels and is wholly owned by MWB Group Holdings.-History:The hotel brand was formed in 1994 and is named after the Château de Malmaison on the outskirts of Paris....
. It has also published reports advising on the redevelopment of parts of Oxford including Broad Street
Broad Street, Oxford
Broad Street is a wide street in central Oxford, England, located just north of the old city wall.The street is known for its bookshops, including the original Blackwell's bookshop at number 50, located here due to the University...
and the former site of the terminus of the Oxford Canal
Oxford Canal
The Oxford Canal is a narrow canal in central England linking Oxford with Coventry via Banbury and Rugby. It connects with the River Thames at Oxford, to the Grand Union Canal at the villages of Braunston and Napton-on-the-Hill, and to the Coventry Canal at Hawkesbury Junction in Bedworth just...
opposite the end of 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...
.
The Trust has an ongoing role in preserving Oxford's green belt
Green Belt (UK)
In United Kingdom town planning, the green belt is a policy for controlling urban growth. The idea is for a ring of countryside where urbanisation will be resisted for the foreseeable future, maintaining an area where agriculture, forestry and outdoor leisure can be expected to prevail...
. To this end it owns several pieces of land at Boars Hill
Boars Hill
Boars Hill is a hill hamlet southwest of Oxford, straddling the boundariy between the civil parishes of Sunningwell and Wootton. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire.-History:...
and elsewhere in and around Oxford. In 2007 and 2008 the Trust successfully opposed the Bodleian Library
Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library , the main research library of the University of Oxford, is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and in Britain is second in size only to the British Library...
's proposal to build a new book depository that would have obstructed a view from Boar's Hill of Oxford's skyline that the poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
Matthew Arnold
Matthew Arnold
Matthew Arnold was a British poet and cultural critic who worked as an inspector of schools. He was the son of Thomas Arnold, the famed headmaster of Rugby School, and brother to both Tom Arnold, literary professor, and William Delafield Arnold, novelist and colonial administrator...
(1822-1888) called the city's "dreaming spires
Thyrsis
Thyrsis is the title of a poem written by Matthew Arnold in December 1865 to commemorate his friend, the poet Arthur Hugh Clough, who had died in November 1861 aged only 42....
".
Chairmen
During its history OPT has been chaired by a number of prominent academic and other figures. Several have chaired OPT at the same time as being vice-chancellor of the University of OxfordUniversity of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
.
- Herbert FisherHerbert FisherHerbert Albert Laurens Fisher OM, FRS, PC was an English historian, educator, and Liberal politician. He served as President of the Board of Education in David Lloyd George's 1916 to 1922 coalition government....
(1927–35) - Professor Sandie Lindsay (1935–38)
- Professor G.S. GordonGeorge Stuart GordonGeorge Stuart Gordon was a British literary scholar.Gordon was educated at Glasgow University, Oriel College, Oxford ....
(1939–41) - Sir David RossW. D. RossSir David Ross KBE was a Scottish philosopher, known for work in ethics. His best known work is The Right and the Good , and he is perhaps best known for developing a pluralist, deontological form of intuitionist ethics in response to G.E. Moore's intuitionism...
(1941–44) - Sir Richard LivingstoneRichard LivingstoneSir Richard Winn Livingstone was a British classical scholar, educationist, and academic administrator.He promoted the classical liberal arts....
(1944–47) - Dr. William StallybrassWilliam StallybrassWilliam Teulon Swan Stallybrass was a barrister, Principal of Brasenose College, Oxford from 1936, and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1947, just before his death....
(1947–49) - Very Rev. John Lowe (1949–51)
- Sir Maurice BowraMaurice BowraSir Cecil Maurice Bowra was an English classical scholar and academic, known for his wit. He was Warden of Wadham College, Oxford, from 1938 to 1970, and served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1951 to 1954.-Birth and boyhood:...
(1951–54) - A.H. SmithAlic Halford SmithAlic Halford Smith was a British philosopher and Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University.Alic Smith was educated at Dulwich College in south London and New College, Oxford. He began his career at the Scottish Office . Subsequently, he was a Fellow at New College, where he was tutor in philosophy ,...
(1955–56) - Rt. Hon. Lord Salter (1957–59)
- William Harcourt, 2nd Viscount Harcourt (1959–79)
- David Hennessy, 3rd Baron WindleshamDavid Hennessy, 3rd Baron WindleshamDavid James George Hennessy, 3rd Baron Windlesham and Baron Hennessy, CVO, PC, FBA was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom who held visiting professorships at various universities....
(1979–89) - Professor Sir David Yardley (1989–2009)
- Professor Roger AinsworthRoger AinsworthRoger Ainsworth is Master of St Catherine's College, Oxford and Professor of Engineering Science at the University of Oxford, England....
(2009– )
Secretaries
Some of OPT's Secretaries have also been prominent academic or other figures:- Miss H.E. Fitzrandolph (1936–45)
- John BetjemanJohn BetjemanSir John Betjeman, CBE was an English poet, writer and broadcaster who described himself in Who's Who as a "poet and hack".He was a founding member of the Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture...
(1946–49) - Sam Smith, JP (1949–58)
- Sir Douglas VealeDouglas VealeSir Douglas Veale was a British civil servant and university administrator, who served as Registrar of the University of Oxford from 1930 to 1958.-Life:...
(1958–62) - Ivan Lloyd-PhillipsIvan Lloyd-PhillipsDr Ivan Lloyd-Phillips was a British national who served in the Colonial Administrative Service.He was the son of Revd...
(1962–66) - R.W.S. Malcolm (1966–78)
- Alderman Frank Pickstock (1978–82)
- Mrs. Helen Turner (1982–90)
- Mrs. Moyra Haynes (1990–98)
- Mrs. Debbie Dance (1998– )