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Secret Oxford |
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| Mark
Young uncovering the secrets |
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On
this page you can listen and read about some amazing stories from
Oxford.
You
can find out more unusal stories from the rest of the county here.
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| Vincents
Club |
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This
exclusive club was founded in 1863 by W.B Woodgate who offered
membership to the best one hundred "social, physical
and intelectual" candidates - and his club had one advantage
over the Oxford Union, its members were allowed to smoke and
drink. Vincents which occupies premises in Oxford's High Street
is best known for playing host to the Beatles when Jeffrey
Archer invited the group to Vincents on March 5th 1964 as
part of his fund raising intiative for Oxfam.
The
celebrated runner Roger Bannister was the president of Vincents
in 1950. The rules of Vincents club ban the use of mobile
phones and ladies are not admitted to the club before 6pm
from Tuesday to Friday.
|
 Hear
91热爆 Oxford's Mark Young explain more ... |
| Courtroom |
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| The
Old Court Room is a little known treasure which lies on the
first floor of Oxford's Town Hall. It continued to operate as
a court untill 1969 and there are now plans to reopen it as
a centre for citizenship where schoolchildren will act out the
court process.
Many
films have been made in the Court room including the memorable
"A Fish called Wanda" staring John Cleese and Jamie
Lee Curtis where the court posed as one of London's central
criminal courts. One of the most celebrated cases heard in
the Town Hall was of the kidnapper of Lord Nuffield who wanted
a ransom of 拢100.000 for his release.
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| Hear
91热爆 Oxford's Mark Young explain more ... |
| Check
out our photo gallery of the old courtroom. |
| Real
tennis |
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| Oxford
has had a Real Tennis court since 1595 and the game has been
played on its current site close to Merton College since 1798.
The game, which handicaps the superior player, is thought to
have originated in French monasteries. Oxford University's Real
Tennis club has over 250 members including the brother of Tim
Henman and Tim himself is known to like this alternative form
of the game. The club has two resident professionals who not
only teach and coach but make the specialist balls on site. |
| Hear
91热爆 Oxford's Mark Young explain more ... |
| Check
out our photo gallery of Real Tennis. |
| The
Painted Room |
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| The
"Painted Room" which contains painted walls dating
from 1564 was discovered in the 1920's when this property, which
lies above a betting shop in Cornmarket Street, was undergoing
redevelopment. These wall paintings were discovered at what
was originally a tavern at 3 Cornmarket which was known as the
Crown Inn and later renamed the Bull Inn. The tavern was run
by John Tattleton, a tailor who leased the premises from New
College untill his death in 1581. It's thought that Tattleton
had the room painted as a guest room and this type of "posh
wallpaper" was very common in the 17th century. The painting
consists of a design of flowers in barbed quatrefoils on a terracotta
background. The painted room is now used as an office but public
tours are available on Saturdays - enquire at Blackwells Book
shop. |
| Hear
91热爆 Oxford's Mark Young explain more ... |
| Check
out our photo gallery of the Painted Room. |
| Execution |
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It's
generally thought that Oxford's public executions were held
on the prison site close to the Oxford Castle. Local historian
Mark Davies has revealed that contray to the public's belief
hangings were often held close to North Oxford's Park Town
and Oxford University carried out these acts often in St Margarets
Road. Mark has also been active in shedding more light on
who really murded the linen draper David Charteris in 1787
as he walked home to the Oxfordshire village Toot Baldon having
visited the Abingdon Fair.
Oxford's
historic prison site is currently being renovated to become
home to luxury apartments and tapas bars. Prisoners from the
Oxford jail were actually paid to build the Oxford Canal which
opened in 1790 and runs 77 miles to Coventry.
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| Hear
91热爆 Oxford's Mark Young explain more ... |
| The
canal basin |
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| Oxford's
Worcester Street car park was once the original basin for the
Oxford Canal which was designed by the celebrated engineer James
Brindley who died before it opened in 1790. The canal runs 77
miles to Coventry and only a blue brick pillar remains from
the canal basin which was once a hive of activity with barges
bringing coal for the thousands of rooms in Oxford's colleges.
In 1821 the Park End Coal Company advertised coal as being available
in their wharf on the Oxford Canal. Park End Street, now better
know for its clubbing culture, takes its name from the Park
End Coal Company who were based in Gloucestershire's Forest
of Dean. |
| Hear
91热爆 Oxford's Mark Young explain more ... |
| Check
out our photo gallery of the Canal Basin. |
| Kings
door |
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Loggan's
view of Corpus Christi, 1675
Copyright Oxfordshire County Council Photographic Archive
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During
the English Civil War which began in 1642 King Charles I moved
his court to Oxford and made his base in Christ Church. Charles
choose Christ Church because it was the largest and most grand
of the Oxford colleges. While the King took up residence in
Christ Church his queen had her apartments in Corpus Christi
College, which led the construction of a secret gateway which
would enable Charles to meet his Queen by walking across Christ
Church garden through Corpus Christi College and into Merton
Chapel. Hear
when this secret door was last opened.
THIS
IS NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
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| Hear
91热爆 Oxford's Mark Young explain more ... |
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If
you know any interesting or unusual stories about Oxfordshire then
we want to know about it. Email
your story here.
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