Oxford (England) is a city and administrative center of Oxfordshire, south central England, near the confluence of the Thames (known here as the Isis) and the Cherwell rivers. The city is famous as the seat of the University of Oxford, one of the oldest and best-known universities in the world. Oxford is also an industrial center with printing operations; other manufactures include motor vehicles and steel products.
The heart of the city is Carfax (Latin quadrifurcua, "four-forked"), from which the main streets run to the four points of the compass; this was the center of the walled medieval city. Among the city's many notable structures are the churches of Saint Michael (11th century) and Saint Mary the Virgin (13th century); the Bodleian Library; and the Sheldonian Theatre (1664-1669), designed by the architect Christopher Wren. Also here are the Museum of Modern Art (1965) and the Ashmolean Museum (1683), containing the university's outstanding collections of art and archaeology. Oxford Brookes University (1992, formerly a polytechnic college) is located in the city as well.
An early Saxon trading settlement was located near the fords in the rivers here. During the 10th and 11th centuries the town was attacked by Danes. By the 13th century, with the establishment of the university, it had become a major educational center of Europe. Charles I had Oxford as his capital from 1642 to 1645, during the English Revolution.