Oxford Street It was known as Tyburn Road through the Middle Ages when it was notorious for public hangings of prisoners in Newgate Prison. It became known as Oxford Road and then Oxford Street in the 18th century, and began to change from residential to commercial and retail purposes by the late 19th century, attracting street traders, confidence tricksters and prostitution. The first department stores in Britain opened in the early 20th century, including Selfridges, John Lewis and HMV. Unlike nearby shopping streets such as Bond Street, it has retained an element of downmarket trading alongside more prestigious retail stores. The street
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