Oxford Street floors, it is the company's largest retail premises. Oxford Street is served by major bus routes and by four tube stations of the London Underground. From Marble Arch eastwards, the stations are: The four stations serve an average of 100 million passengers every year, with Oxford Circus being the busiest. Crossrail, a major project involving an east-west rail route across London, will have two stations serving Oxford Street, at Bond Street and Tottenham Court Road. Each station will be "double-ended", with exits through the existing tube station and also some distance away: to the east of Bond Street, in Hanover
Oxford Street began in the 18th century after many surrounding fields were purchased by the Earl of Oxford. In 1739, a local gardener, Thomas Huddle, built property on the north side. John Rocque's Map of London, published in 1746, shows urban buildings as far as North Audley Street, but only intermittent rural property beyond. Buildings were erected on the corner of Oxford Street and Davies Street in the 1750s. Further development occurred between 1763 and 1793. The Pantheon, a place for public entertainment, opened at No. 173 in 1772. The street became popular for entertainment including bear-baiters, theatres and public houses. However,