Portal:Oxfordshire


The Oxfordshire Portal

A panoramic view downstream of the River Thames from Folly Bridge, in Oxford

Oxfordshire (/ˈɒksfərdʃər, -ʃɪər/ OKS-fərd-shər, -⁠sheer; abbreviated Oxon) is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Gloucestershire to the west. The city of Oxford is the largest settlement.

The county is largely rural, with an area of 1,006 sq mi (2,605 km2) and an estimated population of 763,218 in 2024. Oxford, which is famous for its university, is near the centre of the county. Other settlements include Banbury in the north, Bicester in the north-east, Abingdon-on-Thames and Didcot in the south, and Witney in the west. For local government purposes Oxfordshire is a non-metropolitan county with five districts. The part of the county south of the River Thames, largely corresponding to the Vale of White Horse district, was historically part of Berkshire.

The lowlands in the centre of the county are crossed by the River Thames and its tributaries, the valleys of which are separated by low hills. The south contains parts of the Berkshire Downs and Chiltern Hills, and the north-west includes part of the Cotswolds; all three regions are Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The county's highest point is White Horse Hill (261 metres/856 ft), part of the Berkshire Downs. (Full article...)

Selected article

Harwell in 1957

The Atomic Energy Research Establishment (AERE), also known as Harwell Laboratory, was the main centre for atomic energy research and development in the United Kingdom from 1946 to the 1990s. It was created, owned and funded by the British Government. A number of early research reactors were built here starting with GLEEP in 1947 to provide the underlying science and technology behind the design and building of Britain's nuclear reactors such as the Windscale Piles and Calder Hall nuclear power station. To support this an extensive array of research and design laboratories were built to enable research into all aspects of nuclear reactor and fuel design, and the development of pilot plants for fuel reprocessing. The site became a major employer in the Oxford area.

In the 1990s demand for government-led research had significantly decreased and the site was subsequently gradually diversified to allow private investment. Since 2006 it has been known as the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus. (Full article...)

Selected biography

Henman at the 2006 Australian Open.

Timothy Henry Henman OBE (born 6 September 1974) is a British former professional tennis player. He was ranked world No. 4 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) during the early 2000s. Henman won 15 career ATP Tour titles (eleven in singles and four in doubles), including a Masters event at the 2003 Paris Masters. A serve-and-volley player, he was the first British man to reach the singles semifinals of Wimbledon since Roger Taylor in the 1970s. Henman reached six major semifinals, and earned a 40–14 win-loss record with the Great Britain Davis Cup team.

Henman started playing tennis before the age of three, and began systematic training in the Slater Squad at eleven. After suffering a serious injury, he began touring internationally as a junior with some success. He rose quickly up the ATP rankings, and in 1996 reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon. For most of his career, Henman was considered a grass court specialist, reaching four Wimbledon semifinals between 1998 and 2002. He also achieved considerable success on hard courts early in his career. He became comfortable on clay only later in his career, when in 2004 he reached the semifinals of the French Open. Henman retired from professional tennis in late 2007, but remained active on the ATP Champions Tour (a tour for former professional tennis players). (Full article...)

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Oxfordshire
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  • Wikipedia:WikiProject University of Oxford
  • Wikipedia:WikiProject England
  • Wikipedia:WikiProject UK Waterways
  • Wikipedia:WikiProject UK geography

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