Known locally as 'The High' — Oxford's grand sweep from Carfax to Magdalen Bridge.
The High Street in Oxford runs east-west between Carfax — the historic centre of the city — and Magdalen Bridge over the Cherwell. Locals call it simply "the High". Architecturally it's the most famous street in Oxford: a gentle curve flanked by college frontages, the spire of the University Church of St Mary, and Magdalen Tower at its eastern end.
Most of the High is a Conservation Area with little altered since the eighteenth century. Three Oxford colleges — Queen's, University, and All Souls (set back behind its screen wall) — have their main fronts here, alongside the Examination Schools, Brasenose Lane, the old Mitre Inn, and the Eastgate Hotel marking the line of the medieval city wall.
On May Morning, the dawn choir on Magdalen Tower draws thousands to the eastern end of the High. The street is closed to traffic for the occasion.
Sources: Wikipedia: High Street, Oxford · OpenStreetMap · Oxford Preservation Trust
The 144-foot perpendicular Gothic tower of Magdalen College (1509) — the centrepiece of the High Street and the gathering point for May Morning.
The University's church on the High Street, with one of the best tower views in Oxford and a 13th-century spire.
The retail home of the world's largest university press — dictionaries, academic texts, and OUP's full catalogue on the High Street.
Antique maps, prints, and engravings on the High Street — established 1967.
