Castle, Canal & College

Worcester Street Car Park was part of the former Oxford Canal wharf which itself was built within the outworks of Oxford Castle.  The site was purchased by Lord Nuffield for his new college but was never built on and its original and intended uses have been almost forgotten as it has remained open land for more than half a century.  Public interest in the future potential of the Car Park has increased in recent years.  With the closure of HM Prison in Oxford Castle and the conservation of its historic buildings and their conversion to public uses in 2006 a whole new accessible area for the city was created which has attracted new interest and attention towards this historic but hitherto rather neglected west central quarter of the city. 

In June 2008, Oxford City Council published its West End Area Action Plan, which proposes a framework for development of this neighbourhood.  The Historic Context Study for the Worcester Street Car Park and related areas was commissioned in September 2007 by the Oxford Preservation Trust, in partnership with Nuffield College, and Oxfordshire County Council, in order to develop an understanding of the historic qualities and the opportunities which new development can afford for fostering a sense of continuity and identification for this small but significant element of the west central area.

The study also includes the site of Oxfordshire County Council’s Macclesfield House.  These two sites together are at the core of a story revealing major elements of Oxford’s military and industrial past.  The study was commissioned to draw together this evidence and other information and to establish an understanding of the area’s development, as a basis for future planning. 

The study follows a three-part structure:
Part One: Understanding identifies the topographical elements which go to make up the study area, and traces their historical development through time.
Part Two: Significance establishes types of value and importance embodied in the area, and makes a statement of significance for the area as a whole and for its individual elements.
Part Three: Issues and Principles sets out factors which embody threats and opportunities, and proposes principles which aim to protect or enhance the area’s significance and character through processes of change, conservation or development.

Copies of the full report may be ordered from Oxford Preservation Trust or you can download the main section.
Full reports are £20 each, cash with order please, with cheques made out to Oxford Preservation Trust, please remember to include full postal address.

You may also like to look at the poster displays.

© 2002-9, Oxford Preservation Trust