Oxford Street No. 400. Most of the southern side west of Davies Street was completely rebuilt between 1865 and 1890, allowing a more uniform freehold ownership. By the 1930s, the street was almost entirely retail, a position that remains today. However, unlike nearby streets such as Bond Street and Park Lane, there remained a seedy element including street traders and prostitutes. Aside from a number of fixed places, there are no provisions for selling licensed goods on Oxford Street. Oxford Street suffered considerable bombing during the Second World War. During the night and early hours of 17 to 18 September 1940, 268
High Street, Oxford The architectural critic Nikolaus Pevsner wrote in 1974 that "The High Street is one of the world's great streets. It has everything." He may have been echoing Thomas Hardy's comment in Jude the Obscure: "And there's a street in the place – the main street – that ha'n't another like it in the world." The following streets, also of historical significance, are off the High Street: High Street, Oxford The High Street in Oxford, England, runs between Carfax, generally recognised as the centre of the city, and Magdalen Bridge to the east. The street has been described by Nikolaus Pevsner