View source for Oxford Circus

{{Short description|Road junction in London, England}}
{{good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Infobox road junction
|country=UK
|type=Road junction
|name=Oxford Circus
|image=Oxford Circus - New crossing - geograph.org.uk - 1568709.jpg
|image_caption=Oxford Circus in November 2009
|location=[[West End of London]]
|coord={{coord|51|30|55|N|00|08|31|W}}
|roads={{ubl|[[Oxford Street]]|[[Regent Street]]}}
|opened= {{Start date|1819|11|}}
|maint=[[Transport for London]]
}}
'''Oxford Circus''' is a [[road junction]] connecting [[Oxford Street]] and [[Regent Street]] in the [[West End of London]]. It is also the entrance to [[Oxford Circus tube station]].

The junction opened in 1819 as part of the Regent Street development under [[John Nash (architect)|John Nash]], and was originally known as '''Regent Circus North'''. After the original lease expired, it was redesigned around a series of four quadrant buildings by [[Henry Tanner (architect)|Henry Tanner]] between 1913 and 1928, the north-eastern of which has been used by [[Peter Robinson (department store)|Peter Robinson]], [[Topshop]], the [[BBC]] and the [[London Co-operative Society]]; these are now [[listed building|Grade II listed buildings]].

Oxford Circus remains a busy junction for traffic, and a £5&nbsp;million upgrade for pedestrians opened in 2009. It has also attracted attention as a place for demonstrations and protests, including several by [[Extinction Rebellion]].

==History==
===19th century===
[[File:Regent Circus North around 1850.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Life Guards (United Kingdom)|Life Guards]] parading across Regent Circus North around 1840, past [[The London General Mourning Warehouse]]]]
The junction was designed as part of [[John Nash (architect)|John Nash]]'s work on [[Regent Street]].{{sfn|Weinreb|Hibbert|Keay|Keay|2008|p=685}} Circuses had become popular in English architecture after [[George Dance the Younger]] had popularised them in the [[Minories]] in East London. Nash wanted to use extra land space so that vehicles could move around one another when turning, with a concave layout attracting shopkeepers and increasing the potential for land value. He originally intended the circus to be [[colonnade]]d, but when the New Street Bill was proposed to parliament, it was rejected, with one MP fearing the circus would "be a nuisance by day and something worse by night".{{sfn|Bartlett|p=1}} He redesigned the circus so that the new Regent Street would meet the established Oxford Street at a near right-angle, with a smaller {{convert|164|ft|adj=on}} diameter reducing its land intake.  Parliament approved the design, passing the [[New Street Act 1813]] ([[53 Geo. 3]]. c. 121).{{sfn|Bartlett|p=2}}

Construction of the circus began in 1816, with Nash working in association with Samuel Baxter. Work was complicated by the [[compulsory purchase]] of properties along Oxford Street. Eight houses on the north side and eleven on the south were demolished to make way for the junction.{{sfn|Bartlett|pp=3–4}} To avoid legal challenges, Nash attempted to rehouse existing tenants in the new buildings around the circus wherever possible. After John Richardson, proprietor of Richardson's silk shop on 118 Oxford Street died, Nash ensured his widow and surviving family and employees were all housed in a building on the circus's north-eastern section. After the family complained and demanded changes, Nash worked with Baxter to try to accommodate them as much as possible.{{sfn|Bartlett|pp=3–5}}

Most buildings around the circus were designed in a more disciplined manner than some of Nash's later work, and were based on [[Palladian architecture]]. They featured [[Fluting (architecture)|fluted]] [[Corinthian order|Corinthian]] [[pilaster]]s and artificial stone capitals. The pilaster order continued down Regent Street.{{sfn|Bartlett|p=7}}

[[File:Oxford Circus (22891646886).jpg|thumb|Oxford Circus in 1904, still showing [[John Nash (architect)|John Nash]]'s original design]]
The circus opened officially in November 1819.{{sfn|Bartlett|p=3}} It was originally known as Regent Circus North, with the corresponding [[Piccadilly Circus]] named Regent Circus South.{{sfn|Weinreb|Hibbert|Keay|Keay|2008|p=685}}<ref>{{cite journal|title=The rebuilding of Piccadilly Circus and the Regent Street Quadrant|journal=Survey of London|volume=31 and 32, St James Westminster, Part 2|editor=F H W Sheppard|location=London|year=1963|pages=85–100|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vols31-2/pt2/pp85-100|access-date=11 February 2020}}</ref> However, unlike Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Circus had no decorations and was designed as a straightforward traffic crossing.{{sfn|Glinert|2008|p=88}} Fellow architect [[James Elmes]] described Nash's work on the circus as giving "an air of grandeur" and "as elegant in form as it is useful in application".{{sfn|Bartlett|p=8}} The current name began to be used around 1836.{{sfn|Bartlett|p=2}}

In 1842, the MP [[Joseph Hume]] proposed a commemorative [[obelisk]] should be constructed in the middle of the circus.{{sfn|Bartlett|p=8}} Construction began in December 1842, but was quickly disrupted and abandoned after the Marylebone parish [[vestry]] realised they only had authority to clean and maintain the circus, and not to construct anything on top of it. The obelisk was eventually built in 1850 at [[Nunhead Cemetery]] to a slightly different design.{{sfn|Bartlett|p=10}}

In the Victorian era, [[mourning]] was elaborate and expensive.  This area had [[mourning warehouse]]s, selling the clothes, fabrics and accessories required for this.  The most important of these was [[The London General Mourning Warehouse]], commonly known as Jay's.  This was founded in Regent Street in 1841 and expanded north so that it occupied all of the SW quadrant of the circus by 1880.<ref>{{citation |pages=90–91 |title=A History of Regent Street |author=Hermione Hobhouse |author-link=Hermione Hobhouse |year=2008 |publisher=Phillimore |isbn=978-1-86077-585-7}}</ref>

===20th century===
[[File:London Oxford Circus, 1949 geograph-3044387-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg|thumb|left|Oxford Circus in 1949 with temporary facade to the Peter Robinson building]]
The lease on the four quadrants around the interchange was due to expire in 1917, and it was determined they would need to be rebuilt. In 1904, the [[Commissioners of Woods and Forests]] outlined a plan to redevelop Regent Street, including Oxford Circus. In 1909, they invited proposals to redevelop the site.{{sfn|Bartlett|p=11}} The new design was awarded in October 1910 to [[Henry Tanner (architect)|Henry Tanner]], who saw off several rival designs, and was built in stages between 1913 and 1928.{{sfn|Weinreb|Hibbert|Keay|Keay|2008|p=610}}{{sfn|Bartlett|p=14}} Tanner's design was inspired by 18th-century French architecture, particularly that of [[Ange-Jacques Gabriel]].{{sfn|Bartlett|p=15}} Each quadrant was designed to be symmetrical with the others.<ref name=NHLE/>

The south-eastern quadrant was completed first in 1913, before work stopped at the beginning of [[World War I]].{{sfn|Bartlett|p=16}} The north-western quadrant opened in May 1922 as the London premises for the [[Magasins du Louvre]]. The store was never popular and closed in 1930.{{sfn|Bartlett|p=17}} The south-western quadrant followed in 1925 and the north-eastern in 1928.{{sfn|Weinreb|Hibbert|Keay|Keay|2008|p=610}}{{sfn|Bartlett|p=17}}

The new north-eastern quadrant was originally occupied by the [[Peter Robinson (department store)|Peter Robinson]] department store. An extension to the store was added to the original quadrant building in 1924.{{sfn|Bartlett|p=17}}<ref>{{NHLE|num=1227690|desc=Peter Robinson|access-date=13 February 2020}}</ref> During [[World War II]], it was badly damaged by bombs in September 1940 but survived owing to its steel frame construction and was quickly repaired to a high standard. The [[BBC]] requisitioned part of the block and it saw significant use in overseas broadcasting during the war. It was sold to the [[London Co-operative Society]] in 1944.{{sfn|Bartlett|p=18}} In 1969, the fourth floor of the Peter Robinson department store was leased by [[Record producer|producer]] [[George Martin]]'s [[Associated Independent Recording]] company, which opened the first [[AIR Oxford Circus|AIR Studios recording complex]] there the following year, with the studio operating in this location until 1991.<ref name="SOSJune2015">{{cite web|last=Bieger|first=Hannes|title=Studio File: AIR Lyndhurst, London|url=https://www.soundonsound.com/music-business/air-lyndhurst-london|website=Sound On Sound|date=June 2015|access-date=9 July 2024}}</ref> Through a series of buyouts and mergers, Peter Robinson became [[Topshop]], which occupied the site until 2020, after it went into liquidation.{{sfn|Bartlett|p=17}}<ref name=les_covid>{{cite news|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/business/topshop-ikea-london-oxford-street-2021-changes-house-of-fraser-b973556.html|title=Goodbye Topshop, hello Ikea: How London's Oxford Street transformed in 2021|work=London Evening Standard|date=27 December 2021|accessdate=5 December 2023}}</ref> It was the flagship store of the franchise, covering four floors and attracting around 28,000 shoppers a day, half of whom would buy something.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/21/business/worldbusiness/21topshop.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1415214562-edQGoGWtOdP4K7Vcqbj+RA|title=But Will It Play in Manhattan?|newspaper=New York Times|date=21 June 2006|access-date=13 February 2020}}</ref>

The buildings are constructed of [[Portland stone]] with a cladding steel frame and slate roofs. They have been Grade II listed since 1973.<ref name=NHLE>{{NHLE|num=1227716|desc=Oxford Circus W1, 250-270, Regent Street W1|access-date=13 February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{NHLE|num=1235171|desc=Oxford Circus W1, 249-259, Regent Street W1, 1 and 2, John Princes Street W1|access-date=13 February 2020}}</ref>

==Tube station==
[[File:Oxford Circus Tube Station Entrance.jpg|thumb|One of the entrances to [[Oxford Circus tube station]]]]
The [[Oxford Circus tube station|tube station]] opened on 30 July 1900 when the first section of the [[Central line (London Underground)|Central line]] opened. A connection to the [[Bakerloo line]] opened on 10 March 1906; the station was modified below ground to accommodate this.{{sfn|Wolmar|2005|p=173}}{{sfn|Horne|2001|p=17}}

For five years from 1963 as part of connecting the tube station to the [[Victoria line]], the road surface was carried on a temporary 850-ton umbrella bridge, accommodating all four directions of travel while work continued underneath.{{sfn|Day|Reed|2010|p=161}}<ref name=londonist>{{cite web|url=https://londonist.com/london/5-secrets-of-oxford-circus|title=5 secrets of Oxford Circus|work=Londonist|date=14 November 2016|access-date=11 February 2020}}</ref> This was dismantled on 12 April 1968.<ref>{{cite news|title=BY A STAFF REPORTER. "'Umbrella' bridge is removed#|newspaper=The Times|date=13 April 1968|page=2|url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CS34696845/TTDA?u=kccl&sid=TTDA&xid=1c704400|access-date=13 February 2020|url-access=subscription}}</ref> In 1976, a {{convert|20|lb|adj=on}} bomb planted by the [[Provisional IRA]] was detected at the station and successfully defused.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TTawDQAAQBAJ&q=%2213+February+1976%22+oxford+circus+bomb&pg=PA374 |title=London: Bombed Blitzed and Blown Up: The British Capital Under Attack Since 1867 |page=374|isbn=9781473879027 |last1=Jones |first1=Ian |date=31 October 2016 |publisher=Pen & Sword Books Limited }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/15/newsid_2543000/2543605.stm|title=IRA Link|work=BBC News|date=15 March 2008|access-date=18 November 2020}}</ref> The station was badly damaged by [[Oxford Circus fire|fire]] in November 1984, but there were no fatalities.{{sfn|Bartlett|p=32}}
{{Clear}}

==Traffic==
{{wide image|Oxford circus panorama.jpg|800px|Panorama view of the Oxford Circus diagonal crossing, 2014}}
Oxford Circus is one of the busiest pedestrian crossings in London.<ref name=atkins/> In 1924, shipbuilder [[Alfred Yarrow]] proposed building a [[Interchange (road)|grade-separated junction]] to segregate traffic, paid for by his own funds. The offer was turned down by Westminster City Council.<ref>{{cite news|title=Sir Alfred Yarrow's Traffic Scheme|newspaper=The Times|date=16 April 1924|page=11|url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CS186717840/TTDA?u=kccl&sid=TTDA&xid=456e859f|access-date=13 February 2020|url-access=subscription}}</ref> In 1935, Westminster City Council proposed fitting pedestrian guard rails at the junction, restricting crossing in order to improve safety.<ref>{{cite news|title=Proposed Railings At Oxford Circus|newspaper=The Times|date=20 December 1935|page=11|url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CS186330516/TTDA?u=kccl&sid=TTDA&xid=e5374bba|access-date=13 February 2020|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

At the end of the 2000s, Oxford Circus had the highest pedestrian volumes recorded anywhere in London.<ref name="atkins" /> At the busiest times, over 40,000 pedestrians per hour pass through the junction, including those accessing the tube station. The average traffic flow is around 2,000 vehicles per hour during the week, and the junction operates at near capacity for most of the day with regular queues, particularly west along Oxford Street. 24 bus routes pass through Oxford Circus, and over 400 buses cross the junction on an average weekday. There are bus stops within {{convert|200|m}} on every arm of the crossing.<ref name=atkins>{{cite report|url=https://www.atkinsglobal.com/~/media/Files/A/Atkins-Global/Attachments/sectors/roads/library-docs/technical-journal-4/scrambled-pedestrian-crossings-at-signal-controlled-junctions-a-case-study.pdf|page=57|title='Scrambled' pedestrian crossings at signal controlled junctions – A case study|first=Chris|last=Greenwood|publisher=Atkins Global|access-date=11 February 2020|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304044604/http://www.atkinsglobal.com/~/media/Files/A/Atkins-Global/Attachments/sectors/roads/library-docs/technical-journal-4/scrambled-pedestrian-crossings-at-signal-controlled-junctions-a-case-study.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2009, [[Transport for London]] redesigned the intersection to facilitate a [[pedestrian scramble]]. The crossing opened in November and cost around £5&nbsp;million.<ref name=bbcx>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/8337341.stm|title=Oxford Circus X-crossing' opens|work=BBC News|date=2 November 2009|access-date=9 February 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/nov/02/x-oxford-circus-crossing|title=X marks the spot: new Oxford Circus crossing opens|newspaper=The Guardian|date=3 November 2009|access-date=9 February 2009}}</ref> It was inspired by street crossings in [[Tokyo]], and opened by the [[Mayor of London]], [[Boris Johnson]], who called the scheme "a triumph for British engineering, Japanese innovation and good old fashioned common sense".<ref name=bbcx/><ref name=londonist/> The scheme added an additional {{convert|312|m2}} of pedestrian space and removed the guard rail, adding 70% more capacity to the crossing.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/04/06/UK.urban.oxford.street.crossing/index.html|title=Londoners love Tokyo-style crossing|work=CNN|date=7 April 2010|access-date=18 February 2020}}</ref>

==Events==
[[File:Berta Cáceres boat.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Extinction Rebellion]] protesting in Oxford Circus with the [[Berta Cáceres]] boat]]
In February 1872, a tripartite arch made of flowers and decorated with flags was erected in the middle of Oxford Circus, to commemorate the [[Edward VII|Prince of Wales]]'s recovery from [[typhoid fever]]. [[Queen Victoria]] passed along the parade with the Prince to a crowd of cheering children.{{sfn|Bartlett|p=10}}

On 20 December 1938, 50 people took part in an unemployment protest staged in Oxford Circus. Campaigners threw themselves into the road shouting "We want work, we want bread", before being restrained by police.<ref>{{cite news|title=Unemployed Demonstration In Oxford Circus|newspaper=The Times|date=21 December 1938|page=6|url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CS102052757/TTDA?u=kccl&sid=TTDA&xid=70de8969|access-date=13 February 2020|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

On 1 May 2001, an anti-capitalism demonstration converging on Oxford Circus broke into violence. Police attempted to contain the crowd in the circus, but 50–60 demonstrators broke free and started destroying property and set fire to a nearby shop.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/may/01/mayday.immigrationpolicy1|title=Violence erupts in central London|newspaper=The Guardian|date=1 May 2001|access-date=13 February 2020}}</ref> Along with 3,000 others, Lois Austin was kept [[kettling|kettled]] in the circus for around 7 hours. She later appealed to the [[European Court of Human Rights]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2009/jul/19/metropolitan-police-kettling-human-rights|title=Metropolitan police's 'kettling' tactic challenged in European court|newspaper=The Guardian|date=19 July 2009|access-date=13 February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2011/sep/14/kettling-student-european-court-lois|title=Kettled British woman takes case to European court of human rights|date=14 September 2011|access-date=13 February 2020}}</ref>

On 26 March 2011, around 500,000 protested against government public service cuts in London. At Oxford Circus, they clashed with [[riot police]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2011/mar/26/thousands-march-against-cuts-in-pictures|title=Thousands march against spending cuts – in pictures|newspaper=The Guardian|date=26 March 2011|access-date=13 February 2020}}</ref>

On [[Black Friday (shopping)|Black Friday]], 24 November 2017, the [[Oxford Circus panic]] broke out after a fight in Oxford Circus tube station turned into a mass stampede. The area was busy and commuters and shoppers took refuge in shops. The Metropolitan Police later announced it would stand down the response.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/live/2017/nov/24/oxford-circus-police-london-tube-gunshots-live|title=Oxford Circus: police stood down after incident in central London – as it happened|newspaper=The Guardian|date=24 November 2017|access-date=13 February 2020}}</ref>

In April 2019, the environmental group [[Extinction Rebellion]] protested by blockading Oxford Circus.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.brightonandhovenews.org/2020/01/28/green-councillor-in-court-over-extinction-rebellion-protests/|title=Green Councillor in Court over Extinction Rebellion Protests|date=28 January 2020|access-date=11 February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-51389053|title=Priest, 77, joined Extinction Rebellion protest 'to save human life'|date=5 February 2020|access-date=11 February 2020}}</ref> Protesters chained themselves to the road, and the [[Metropolitan Police]] drafted additional police officers to help clear the area, who helped tear down a pink boat named after the environmental activist [[Berta Cáceres]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/apr/20/extinction-rebellion-protests-police-start-to-clear-oxford-circus|title=Extinction Rebellion: protest lawfully or go home, urges Met police chief|work=April 2019|access-date=13 February 2020}}</ref> In October, protesters erected a giant wooden pyramid structure in the centre of the circus, which had to be dismantled by a JCB.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-50094594|title=Extinction Rebellion: Central London targeted despite ban|work=BBC News|date=18 October 2019|access-date=12 February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/extinction-rebellion-protests-london-oxford-circus-whitehall-red-hand-march-a9161936.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/extinction-rebellion-protests-london-oxford-circus-whitehall-red-hand-march-a9161936.html |archive-date=24 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Extinction Rebellion protests: Activists blockade Oxford Circus with wooden pyramid before 'red hand' march on Westminster|newspaper=The Independent|date=18 October 2019|access-date=13 February 2020}}</ref>

In August 2019, a protest against the imprisonment of far-right extremist [[Tommy Robinson]] at the circus descended into violence. A man was arrested for [[actual bodily harm]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/tommy-robinson-protest-arrest-met-police-medic-attack-london-a9044696.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/tommy-robinson-protest-arrest-met-police-medic-attack-london-a9044696.html |archive-date=24 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Tommy Robinson: Man hands himself in after medic kicked in head at London protest|newspaper=The Independent|date=7 August 2019|access-date=12 February 2020}}</ref>

==References==
===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book|last1=Day|first1=John R|last2=Reed|first2=John|year=2010|orig-year=1963|title=The Story of London's Underground|publisher=Capital Transport|isbn=978-1-85414-341-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Glinert|first=Ed|title=West End Chronicles: 300 Years of Glamour and Excess in the Heart of London|publisher=Penguin|year=2008|isbn=978-0-141-02464-6}}
* {{cite book |last=Horne |first=Mike |year=2001 |title=The Bakerloo Line: An Illustrated History |publisher=Capital Transport |location=Harrow |isbn=978-1-85414-248-1 }}
* {{cite book |last=Wolmar |first=Christian |author-link=Christian Wolmar |title=The Subterranean Railway: How the London Underground Was Built and How It Changed the City Forever |publisher=Atlantic Books |location=London |isbn=978-1-84354-023-6 |orig-year=2004 |year=2005 }}
* {{cite book|title=Oxford Street|series=[[Survey of London]]|editor-last=Saint |editor-first=Andrew |editor-link=Andrew Saint |publisher=Bartlett School of Architecture|chapter-url=https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/architecture/sites/bartlett/files/sol_oxfordst_chapter12.pdf|volume=52|chapter=Oxford Circus|ref={{harvid|Bartlett}}}}
{{london encyclopedia}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{commons category-inline}}

[[Category:Oxford Street]]
[[Category:Road junctions in London]]