Walton Well Road
Encyclopedia
Walton Well Road is a road in central north Oxford
, England
. It provides the main link from central Oxford to Port Meadow and beyond.
. At the eastern end is the north end of Walton Street
and the south end of Kingston Road
at the junction with St Bernard's Road. To the west it provides the main access to Port Meadow from central Oxford, over Walton Well Road Bridge spanning the Oxford Canal
and also across the railway line to a car park for the meadow run by Oxford City Council
. Half way along to the north is a junction with Longworth Road and Southmoor Road
.
The Oxford-Man Institute
, a research institute of Oxford University established in 2007, is located at Eagle House in Walton Well Road.
known as Walton Well (aka Bruman's Well)
At the location of the spring, there is a drinking fountain in the road, with a plaque dated 1885.
It was erected by William Ward
, who was Mayor of Oxford in 1851 and 1861.
The fountain was designed by the architect Harry Wilkinson Moore
and carved in Portland stone
by McCulloch of London
.
, Medley, and Wytham
via a ford
, called Walton Ford or Walton Well Ford.
The Oxford Canal reached the outskirts of Oxford in 1789, when a coal wharf was opened at Heyfield Hutt, now the site of Hayfield Road
to the north of Walton Well Road. The final section into central Oxford was ceremonially opened on 1 January 1790, necessitating to the construction of a bridge over it to maintain the link of Walton Well Road to Port Meadow. The canal led to the industrialization of the area.
In the 19th century, there was a basin
and Walton Well hard
for boats from the canal at Walton Well Road near the junction with Longworth Road.
On the south side of the street for many years was the historic Eagle Ironworks
(aka Lucy's), first established on this site by the Oxford Canal in 1825. The area has now been redeveloped as flats by Berkeley Homes, after an archaeological evaluation. During the archaeological excavation, a 17th-century pit and a possible 19th-century well
were discovered to the rear of 25 Walton Well Road.
The Cotswold Line
railway next to the Oxford Canal was opened in 1851.
In the 1850s, a railway station was planned at Walton Well. A railway line to Brentford
in west London
was proposed by the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway
from this station, across the parish of St Giles
, just north of the present Bevington Road
and Norham Gardens
. The plan never materialized.
The houses on Walton Well Road were built between 1873 and 1897. Many were designed by the architect H. W. Moore (who also designed the fountain in the street mentioned earlier) in the 1880s , some in collaboration with William Wilkinson
. No. 2 Walton Well Road, an imposing double-fronted residence, was the house of the ironmaster
at the adjacent Lucy's foundry.
During the early 20th century, the poet and short story writer A. E. Coppard
(1878–1957) worked at the Eagle Ironworks in Walton Well Road, as recounted in his autobiography It's Me, O Lord!.
Also in Walton Well Road was the Catholic Workers College (at No. 2) from 1921 until 1955 when it moved to Boar's Hill south of Oxford and was renamed Plater College
.
Squatters moved into the area during the 1960s and 1970s, and have been dubbed 'Waltons'.
Around 2000, The Waterways
estate with built on on the site of the British Motor Corporation
's former Osberton Radiator Factory immediately to the north of Walton Well Road.
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...
. It provides the main link from central Oxford to Port Meadow and beyond.
Location
The road marks the northern edge of the district known as JerichoJericho, Oxford
Jericho is a historic suburb of the English city of Oxford. It consists of the streets bounded by the Oxford Canal, Worcester College, Walton Street and Walton Well Road. Located outside the old city wall, it was originally a place for travellers to rest if they had reached the city after the...
. At the eastern end is the north end of Walton Street
Walton Street
Walton Street is on the eastern edge of the Jericho district of central Oxford, England.- Overview :The street runs north from the western end of Beaumont Street and northern end of Worcester Street by the main entrance of Worcester College. Somerville College, one of the former women's colleges,...
and the south end of Kingston Road
Kingston Road, Oxford
Kingston Road is a road in Oxford, England. It continues north from Walton Street, at the junction with Walton Well Road to the west and St Bernard's Road to the east, running parallel with and to the west of Woodstock Road. Kingston Road is the main road in Walton Manor. At the northern end, there...
at the junction with St Bernard's Road. To the west it provides the main access to Port Meadow from central Oxford, over Walton Well Road Bridge spanning 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...
and also across the railway line to a car park for the meadow run by Oxford City Council
Oxford City Council
The Oxford City Council provides local government for the city of Oxford in England.- Overview :Between the 2004 local elections, and 2010 the council was in minority administration, first by councillors from the Labour Party, with the Liberal Democrats being the official opposition...
. Half way along to the north is a junction with Longworth Road and Southmoor Road
Southmoor Road
Southmoor Road is a road in Walton Manor, north Oxford, England.- Location:The road runs north-south, with a turn to the east to join Kingston Road, which runs parallel to the east, at its northern end. At the southern end, there is a junction with Longworth Road and Walton Well Road...
.
The Oxford-Man Institute
Oxford-Man Institute
The Oxford-Man Institute of Quantitative Finance is an interdisciplinary research institute of the University of Oxford, England. Founded in June 2007, it brings together faculty, post-docs and students throughout the University who are interested in quantitative analysis of finance problems.The...
, a research institute of Oxford University established in 2007, is located at Eagle House in Walton Well Road.
Spring
The road is on the site of a springSpring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
known as Walton Well (aka Bruman's Well)
At the location of the spring, there is a drinking fountain in the road, with a plaque dated 1885.
It was erected by William Ward
William Ward (mayor)
William Ward was a Victorian Mayor of the city of Oxford, in England.William Ward was the son of Henry Ward , who himself was the son of Abraham Ward from Warwickshire. His mother was Sarah Ward , the daughter of Abraham Ward from Stafford and Oxford.Ward became a coal merchant as his father had...
, who was Mayor of Oxford in 1851 and 1861.
The fountain was designed by the architect Harry Wilkinson Moore
Harry Wilkinson Moore
Harry Wilkinson Moore, FRIBA was a Victorian and Edwardian architect. He was the son of Arthur Moore and Mary Wilkinson , and a nephew of the architects George Wilkinson and William Wilkinson.-Career:...
and carved in Portland stone
Portland stone
Portland stone is a limestone from the Tithonian stage of the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. The quarries consist of beds of white-grey limestone separated by chert beds. It has been used extensively as a building stone throughout the British Isles, notably in major...
by McCulloch of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
History
The road is important historically because not only did it lead to Port Meadow, but it was also used as a short cut to BinseyBinsey, Oxfordshire
Binsey is a village by the River Thames about northwest of the centre of Oxford. It is the opposite side of the river from Port Meadow and about southwest of the ruins of Godstow Abbey.-History:...
, Medley, and Wytham
Wytham
Wytham is a village and civil parish on Seacourt Stream, a branch of the River Thames, about northwest of Oxford. It is just west of the Western By-Pass Road, part of the Oxford Ring Road ....
via a ford
Ford (crossing)
A ford is a shallow place with good footing where a river or stream may be crossed by wading or in a vehicle. A ford is mostly a natural phenomenon, in contrast to a low water crossing, which is an artificial bridge that allows crossing a river or stream when water is low.The names of many towns...
, called Walton Ford or Walton Well Ford.
The Oxford Canal reached the outskirts of Oxford in 1789, when a coal wharf was opened at Heyfield Hutt, now the site of Hayfield Road
Hayfield Road
Hayfield Road is a residential road that runs north-south in Walton Manor, north Oxford, England.- Location :To the south, the road continues as Kingston Road, although it is block to through traffic. Aristotle Lane leads off to the west over the Oxford Canal towards Port Meadow...
to the north of Walton Well Road. The final section into central Oxford was ceremonially opened on 1 January 1790, necessitating to the construction of a bridge over it to maintain the link of Walton Well Road to Port Meadow. The canal led to the industrialization of the area.
In the 19th century, there was a basin
Dock (maritime)
A dock is a human-made structure or group of structures involved in the handling of boats or ships, usually on or close to a shore.However, the exact meaning varies among different variants of the English language...
and Walton Well hard
Hard (nautical)
A hard is a firm or paved beach or slope by water that is convenient for hauling boats out of the water. The term is especially used in Hampshire, southern England.- See also :* Bucklers Hard, Hampshire* Priddy's Hard, Gosport, Hampshire...
for boats from the canal at Walton Well Road near the junction with Longworth Road.
On the south side of the street for many years was the historic Eagle Ironworks
Eagle Ironworks, Oxford
The Eagle Ironworks was an ironworks owned by Lucy's on the Oxford Canal in Jericho, Oxford, England. The ironworks was on Walton Well Road at the northern end of Walton Street and backed onto St Sepulchre's Cemetery...
(aka Lucy's), first established on this site by the Oxford Canal in 1825. The area has now been redeveloped as flats by Berkeley Homes, after an archaeological evaluation. During the archaeological excavation, a 17th-century pit and a possible 19th-century well
Water well
A water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn by an electric submersible pump, a trash pump, a vertical turbine pump, a handpump or a mechanical pump...
were discovered to the rear of 25 Walton Well Road.
The Cotswold Line
Cotswold Line
The Cotswold Line is an railway line between and in England.-Route:The line comprises all or part of the following Network Rail routes:*GW 200 from Oxford*GW 310 from Wolvercot Junction*GW 300 from Norton Junction*GW 340 from Worcester Shrub Hill...
railway next to the Oxford Canal was opened in 1851.
In the 1850s, a railway station was planned at Walton Well. A railway line to Brentford
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in west London, England, and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It is located at the confluence of the River Thames and the River Brent, west-southwest of Charing Cross. Its former ceremonial county was Middlesex.-Toponymy:...
in west London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
was proposed by the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway
Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway
The Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton railway was a company authorised on 4 August 1845 to construct a railway line from the Oxford and Rugby Railway at Wolvercot Junction to Worcester, Stourbridge, Dudley, and Wolverhampton, with a branch to the Grand Junction Railway at Bushbury...
from this station, across the parish of St Giles
St Giles' Church, Oxford
St. Giles' Church is a church in North Oxford, England. It is at the northern end of the wide thoroughfare of St Giles', at the point where meets Woodstock Road and Banbury Road...
, just north of the present Bevington Road
Bevington Road
Bevington Road is a road in central North Oxford, England.The road runs between Woodstock Road to the west and Banbury Road to the east. Winchester Road leads north from half way along Bevington Road....
and Norham Gardens
Norham Gardens
Norham Gardens is a residential road in central north Oxford, England. It adjoins the north end of Parks Road near the junction with Banbury Road. From here it skirts the north side of the Oxford University Parks, ending up at Lady Margaret Hall, a college of Oxford University that was formerly for...
. The plan never materialized.
The houses on Walton Well Road were built between 1873 and 1897. Many were designed by the architect H. W. Moore (who also designed the fountain in the street mentioned earlier) in the 1880s , some in collaboration with William Wilkinson
William Wilkinson (architect)
William Wilkinson was a British Gothic Revival architect who practised in Oxford, England.-Family:Wilkinson's father was a builder in Witney in Oxfordshire. William's elder brother George Wilkinson was also an architect, as were William's nephews C.C. Rolfe and H.W. Moore .-Career:Wilkinson...
. No. 2 Walton Well Road, an imposing double-fronted residence, was the house of the ironmaster
Ironmaster
An ironmaster is the manager – and usually owner – of a forge or blast furnace for the processing of iron. It is a term mainly associated with the period of the Industrial Revolution, especially in Great Britain....
at the adjacent Lucy's foundry.
During the early 20th century, the poet and short story writer A. E. Coppard
A. E. Coppard
Alfred Edgar Coppard was an English writer, noted for his influence on the short story form, and poet.-Life:He was born, the son of a tailor and a housemaid, in Folkestone, and had little formal education...
(1878–1957) worked at the Eagle Ironworks in Walton Well Road, as recounted in his autobiography It's Me, O Lord!.
Also in Walton Well Road was the Catholic Workers College (at No. 2) from 1921 until 1955 when it moved to Boar's Hill south of Oxford and was renamed Plater College
Plater College
Plater College was an adult education establishment which was based in Headington, Oxford, England.- College history :The college was founded in 1922 by the Rev. Leo O'Hea, S.J...
.
Squatters moved into the area during the 1960s and 1970s, and have been dubbed 'Waltons'.
Around 2000, The Waterways
Waterways, Oxford
The Waterways is housing estate in North Oxford, England. It is west of the Oxford Canal and east of the Cherwell Valley railway line. To the west beyond the railway line are Port Meadow and the River Thames...
estate with built on on the site of the British Motor Corporation
British Motor Corporation
The British Motor Corporation, or commonly known as BMC was a vehicle manufacturer from United Kingdom, formed by the merger of the Austin Motor Company and the Nuffield Organisation in 1952...
's former Osberton Radiator Factory immediately to the north of Walton Well Road.
External links
- Walton Well Road houses and Walton Well Road sign photographs on FlickrFlickrFlickr is an image hosting and video hosting website, web services suite, and online community that was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and acquired by Yahoo! in 2005. In addition to being a popular website for users to share and embed personal photographs, the service is widely used by bloggers to...