A religious cult is hounded out of Oxford
St. Thomas Street, Oxford
In 1825, many men in Oxford fell under the spell of a fanatical evangelist whose preaching urged them to leave their wives.
Door knocker-stealing craze of the 1830s
Merton Street, Oxford
In the 1830s, university authorities were locked in an ongoing battle of wits with students intent on stealing college door knockers!
The Oxford Rail Disaster of 1853
Oxford Railway Station, Rewley Road
On the 8th January 1853, a series of misunderstandings led to one of the most deadly rail disasters in Oxford's history.
A roundabout above a graveyard
The Plain, St. Clement's, Oxford
Travellers across the Plain may not be aware that they are crossing the site of a disused graveyard.
Magpie Lane or Grope Lane?
Magpie Lane, Oxford
This Oxford street once went by a considerably cruder name than it does today!
Deaths at the opening of Oxford's first public bath
Corner of Castle Street and New Road, Oxford
Joy turned to horror in June 1852 when two were killed in an explosion at the opening of the Oxford City Bath and Washhouse.
Infant deaths at the 'Home of Compassion'
Catherine Street, Oxford
The 'Home of Compassion' was a Cowley-based foundling hospital, but with a shocking mortality rate.
Littlemore Lunatic Asylum
Sandford Road, Littlemore
In 1884 a misunderstanding between staff at Littlemore Asylum saw a confused visitor being stripped, bathed and confined to bed as a patient.
The Hanging of a Royal Pretender and his Cat
Beaumont Street, Oxford
In 1318 John Deydras made an extraordinary claim: he had been swapped with Edward II as a baby and was the true heir to the English throne!
Oxford's Sheela Na Gig
St Michael at the North Gate Church, Cornmarket Street, Oxford
This explicit stone carving is an unusual addition to one of Oxford's oldest churches.