Oxford Street
| Oxford Street | |
|---|---|
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| Oxford Street (2005) | |
| Basic data | |
| city | London |
| Borough | City of Westminster |
| Created | middle Ages |
| Hist. Names | Tyburn Road Oxford Road |
| Name received | between 1718 and 1729 |
| Connecting roads | New Oxford Street Bayswater Road |
| Places |
St Giles Circus Oxford Circuit Marble Arch |
| Subway stations |
Tottenham Court Road Oxford Circus Bond Street Marble Arch |
| use | |
| User groups | Individual transport, cyclists, buses |
The Oxford Street is a significant and high-volume shopping street in the district of Westminster the city London . The 2 km long road forms the border between the two districts of Mayfair and Marylebone . It begins in the west at Marble Arch and ends in the west at St Giles Circus , where Center Point is located.
history
A path to Uxbridge already led along the current road in ancient times . From 1196–1782 it was known as Tyburn Street , after the name of the River Tyburn . Along the road, prisoners from Newgate Prison were led to the execution site by the Tyburn Tree by Marble Arch. In the early 17th century, Robert Harley was the first Earl of Oxford to buy large estates along the road, which is why the road was named after him Oxford Road and later Oxford Street .
In the 1810s, Regent Street, which crosses Oxford Street at Oxford Circus, was built - the square was therefore first called Regent Circus . As early as the 1890s, it had become a notorious traffic junction that was overcrowded with horse-drawn carriages from morning to evening. In 1900, today's Central Line began operating. There are four stations on the underground line on Oxford Street. They encouraged customers of the shops on Oxford Street to take longer journeys.
From 1912 the Oxford Circuit was rebuilt over a period of eleven years. In 1930 the last private houses on the street disappeared, so that Oxford Street became a pure shopping street.
Since the year 1959 is to Christmas , the light show Christmas Lights organized. It is often officially opened by celebrities , in 2004 by Steven Redgrave and Emma Watson . In the run-up to Christmas, the Oxford Circuit is so congested with customers that police officers have to direct traffic at the pedestrian crossings .
Development
Oxford Street is home to major fashion brands such as Topshop , Gap and River Island . Then there are the famous British department stores such as the Selfridges department store, opened in 1909 , the first British department store where you could walk around at will instead of being guided by department to department. Shortly after the opening, the aircraft with which Louis Blériot flew over the English Channel was exhibited there .
John Lewis was one of the first department stores. It opened in 1864 as a ribbon and haberdashery store and expanded significantly in the years that followed. During the Second World War , the department store was hit by an incendiary bomb and cremated. Today's John Lewis department store dates back to the 1950s.
Shortly after John Lewis opened, DH Evans department store opened and became the House of Fraser in 2001 . Other department stores are Debenhams and Marks & Spencer , which is represented twice on Oxford Street - once the branch opened in 1930 at Marble Arch and once the one opened in 1938 at the Pantheon .
There are also two branches of the music and film retailer HMV, as well as the Irish textile discounter Primark .
Traffic significance and pollution
Oxford Street is an important east-west link in central London.
In July 2014, scientists named Oxford Street the “most polluted place in the world” due to the heavy traffic and the highest nitrogen dioxide pollution ever recorded . Diesel exhaust from buses and taxis cause the harmful gas. Peak values of up to 463 mg / m³ are reached and concentrations averaged over 24 hours up to 135 mg / m³, which is three times the value permitted by the EU.
The road is closed to cars and trucks between seven in the morning and seven in the evening and is only accessible to urban buses and taxis . Bus routes were diverted in several steps until 2014 in order to also reduce this burden. Nevertheless, there were still 168 buses per hour in rush hour in mid-2016.
The remaining traffic is to be removed from Oxford Street by 2020 and the street to be expanded into a pedestrian zone . The decisive factor here will be the opening of the Crossrail line, which will take place in 2021 at the earliest. It will replace several bus routes.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f Oxford Street. In: Hidden London. Retrieved April 26, 2020 (UK English).
- ^ Oxford Street. In: Visit London. Retrieved April 26, 2020 (English).
- ^ Christopher Hooton: Oxford Street is the most polluted place in the world, say scientists. In: Independent. July 7, 2014, accessed April 26, 2020 .
- ↑ Citylab: The World's 'Most Polluted Street' Will Go Pedestrian-Only , July 14, 2016
Coordinates: 51 ° 30 ′ 49 ″ N , 0 ° 9 ′ 20 ″ W.