“Oxford’s base and brickish skirt”: the development of the suburbs, 1850 – 1914

Thursday 24th February, 8pm
Rewley House, 1 Wellington Square.

In 1850 Oxford was still contained largely within its medieval city walls. By the eve of the First World War, its footprint had quadrupled, thousands of new brick terraced houses had been built and the suburbs had “grown up around Oxford on every side like a huge swelling which needs to be cured.” Local historian Liz Woolley examines why the suburbs grew so rapidly, what factors affected how they developed differently to the north, south, east and west of the city, and the effects that suburban growth had on Oxford and its residents.