North Oxford's main artery — Victorian villas of the Norham Manor estate, Summertown shops, schools, and college institutions.
Banbury Road runs north for around six kilometres (designated the A4165) from St Giles' at the top of central Oxford, through the Victorian suburb of North Oxford and the local shopping centre at Summertown, and on to the ring road and Kidlington. With the parallel Woodstock Road to its west, it is one of the two main north-south arteries of the city.
Most of the road's character belongs to the Norham Manor estate, laid out from 1860 by the Oxford architect William Wilkinson on land owned by St John's College. Wilkinson designed many of the houses himself — number 60 Banbury Road (1865–66) is among them — and was joined by Charles Buckeridge and Frederick Codd. The result is a long stretch of large Italianate and Gothic-Revival villas, many built with low front walls and generous gardens. The whole stretch sits inside the North Oxford Victorian Suburb conservation area; many of the houses now serve as university faculty offices, B&Bs, and academic family homes.
Banbury Road is also a string of institutions. The Mathematical Institute sits at the southern end. Wycliffe Hall, the Anglican theological college, stands at number 54. Further north are Kellogg College and the independent Wychwood School (number 74, founded 1897). BBC Oxford has occupied number 269 in Summertown since 1989. The lexicographer James Murray, first editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, lived in the "Scriptorium" at number 78 from 1885 until his death in 1915. The artist Paul Nash lived at number 106. Wolfson College is reached just off Banbury Road via Linton Road, and St Edward's School — often associated with the area — is in fact on the parallel Woodstock Road.
Sources: Wikipedia: Banbury Road · Wikipedia: Norham Manor · Wikipedia: William Wilkinson (architect) · Wikipedia: Charles Buckeridge · Wikipedia: North Oxford · Oxford City Council — North Oxford Victorian Suburb Conservation Area Appraisal · OpenStreetMap
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