Headington

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Headington is a residential suburb of Oxford, England, lying on top of a hill of the same name overlooking the city of Oxford in the river valley below.

The site of Headington shows evidence of continued occupation from the Stone Age, as the 2001 field excavations in Barton Lane found, suggesting a date in the 11th century BC. Pottery was found on the Manor Ground, suggesting an Iron Age settlement there in the 600s BC. A Roman kiln from around 300, now on display at the Museum of Oxford, and Anglo-Saxon burial remains from c.500 have also been discovered.

The name "Headington" stems from Saxon times, and comes from "Hedena's dun", "Hedena's hill", when it was the site of a palace or hunting lodge of the Kings of Mercia. In a charter of 1004, Ethelred II of England, "written at the royal ville called Headan dune", gave land in Headington to Frideswide's priory, which included the quarry and the area around it.

Headington developed rapidly in the early 20th century. In 1927, it became an urban district separate from the Headington Rural District and, in 1929, it was added to the city of Oxford. [1]

Headington's main employers are medicine, education, and research; it has a large and growing population. In the centre of Headington are a number of shops, pubs, cafes, restaurants, and other services. The area also contains the main campus of Oxford Brookes University, and the city's main hospitals, including the John Radcliffe and Churchill. Oxford United were originally known as Headington United and their home ground until 2001, the Manor Ground (now demolished), had its main entrance on London Road.

The most famous landmark is The Headington Shark sculpture. The area contains number of green spaces including Headington Hill and Bury Knowle parks. Close by is Shotover Hill, a heath and woodland area with views over Oxfordshire, and listed as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

J. R. R. Tolkien, the author of The Lord of the Rings, lived at 76 Sandfield Road in Headington, from 1953 until 1968. C. S. Lewis, author of "The Chronicles of Narnia", also lived in the district, at his cottage "The Kilns". Lewis is buried at Holy Trinity Church at Headington Quarry. Another famous resident as of 2001, was John Simpson, senior editor of the Oxford English Dictionary. He lived on Kennett Road. indeed a number of academics decamped to Headington - prefering here to North Oxford where most dons lived. Sir Isaiah Berlin, the historian A. B. Emden, Lord Elton, John Johnson (the University Printer) were among them. Others included the author Elizabeth Bowen, Robert Maxwell, and Lord Nuffield (as William Morris the boy.) Brian Aldiss, the science fiction writer, lives in Old headington.