Although it was actually developed before Oxford, Headington is now a suburb of Oxford just a couple of miles from the city centre. It is an exciting area with a lively shopping centre and it even has its own university.
Headington is particularly famous for its many hospitals including the John Radcliffe, Churchill, Nuffield and Manor; many people use us to find accommodation while relatives are having treatment. We can arrange a stay on a B & B basis either in our own home or locally. Contact us for details.
Headington has its own website which is very extensive so feel free to browse through it. The modern part of Headington dates from around the start of the twentieth century while Old Headington dates from centuries before. At its centre is St Andrews church, Headington’s oldest building dating from the twelfth century. Note that it flies the flag of St Andrews, the patron saint of Scotland.
Crossroads towards Oxford Crossroads towards London St Andrews Church A cottage
We have a very large park called Bury Knowle. Inside there is a children’s playground, our local library, sculptures and an excellent example of a ‘ha ha’ (a wall built by aristocrats in the 17 and18 centuries to divide their houses from their grounds - the walls are invisible from the houses).
The park
Wood sculpture
Squirrel bench
Library
The Shark appeared in 1986 and is linked to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The pillar belongs to a Victorian workhouse and dates back to 1838. Cuckoo Lane is the start of a really pleasant walk down to the centre of Oxford - it originates from early in the seventeenth century.
Shark house
A cobbled pavement
Start of a very special walk
Victorian workhouse pillar
There are two other large parks in Headington. One is South Park while the other is more interesting for its huge range of varied and sometimes unusual trees.
Tree killed by lightening with 3 daughters
Tree with huge leaves
Squirrel
Tree heavy with berries
Very near to our house (three minutes walk) is a cliff wall which is around 160 million years old! It doesn’t look very impressive until you look close-up. Then you can see it is made up of fossils from the time when the area was covered with a warm subtropical sea.
The local wall
Close-up showing fossils
Clearly visible fossil remains
The history of Headington dates from millions of years BC. You can find a detailed history timeline from 160,000,000 BC (Upper Jurassic period) to the present day here and a short summary here. There is also a great deal of further information about Headington on the web; check these references:
Listed Buildings – information about over fifty listed buildings and structures
Headington has its own university whose origins date back to 1865 as a college of art. The Oxford Brookes University main campus is in Headington at the top of Headington Hill. It offers a wide range of courses, both taught and research, from Foundation to PhD. This building dates back to 1850.
