Oxfordshire

A county with a population of 553,800 and covers 749 square miles (1,940 sq km), located in South Central England. The county seat is Oxford.

In Oxfordshire there are the popular towns of Oxford, Kennington, Faringdon, Banbury and Didcot.
 

Geography

Generally flat except for a branch of the Chiltern Hills in the southeast. Ironstone and limestone are found. The major river is The Thames River (or Isis as it is sometimes locally called) and its tributaries, the Windrush, the Evenlode, the Cherwell, and the Thame.

 

Industry

The chief occupation is arable farming (wheat, barley, and oats), with some dairy cattle and sheep. Oxford is the industrial centre with cars and steel products in decline; the city is now a more commercial centre with computer and electronic companies. Oxfordshire is an appealing mix of old and new, where the commercial, social, cultural, educational and environmental needs of both residents and visitors are well balanced. Tourism contributes over £300 million to the county's economy and is a major growth industry. The county also has the largest concentration of printing and publishing companies in the UK, outside London, and is at the forefront of the country's medical and biotech industries.

 

History

Oxfordshire was a once part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia. It was a significant location for the Romans, who developed a successful pottery industry around the abundance of Oxford’s clay, sand and fuel. In 849AD King Alfred the Great was born in Wantage and made Faringdon the capital of Wessex. William the Conqueror crossed the River Thames at Wallingford in 1067 and built a large castle. Oxford's university began teaching in 1096. By the time the wool industry began to establish itself in the 13th and 14th centuries the county had become extremely prosperous. Wealthy landowners established ‘new’ towns such as Henley and extended existing villages such as Banbury and Witney to increase their revenues from rents and market dues. The expanding wool trade of the Cotswolds enriched many of the county’s churches. During the English civil war it was a stronghold of royalist resistance.