Littlemore

Coordinates: 51°43′12″N 1°13′37″W / 51.720°N 1.227°W / 51.720; -1.227

Littlemore
Littlemore  Littlemore shown within Oxfordshire
Population	7,421 (2001 census)[1]
OS grid reference	SP537028
Civil parish	Littlemore
District	Oxford
Shire county	Oxfordshire
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Oxford
Postcode district	OX4
Dialling code	01865
Police	Thames Valley
Fire	Oxfordshire
Ambulance	South Central
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	Oxford East
List of places: UK • England • Oxfordshire

Littlemore is a district of Oxford, England. It has a parish council that also represents parts of Rose Hill. It is about 2.5 miles (4 km) southeast of the city centre of Oxford, between Rose Hill, Blackbird Leys, Cowley, and Sandford-on-Thames.

History

In the Middle Ages, and perhaps earlier, most of Littlemore was a detached part of the parish of St Mary the Virgin in Oxford^[2]. Other parts of the township were in the parish of Iffley. Littlemore did not become a separate ecclesiastical parish until 1847. It became a civil parish in 1866^[3].

Until the early 20th century Littlemore was a rural area. Extensive development started in the 1920s and continued in the 1950s^[2].

Parish church

Until the 19th century Littlemore had no church. In 1828 John Henry Newman was appointed vicar of St. Mary's and he started agitating for a separate church at Littlemore. The new parish church of Saint Mary and Saint Nicholas, designed by the architect H.J. Underwood, was consecrated in 1836.^[2] The church was built in the Gothic Revival style and became a model for smaller churches of the time.^[2]

Littlemore Hospital

Dominating the southeast side of Littlemore on Sandford Road is the Littlemore Mental Health Centre, which includes Ashurst Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)^[4].

Across the road is the former Littlemore Asylum building, founded in 1846^[5], which has been converted to private dwellings and renamed "St George's Manor", along with several newbuild blocks named "Surman House" and "Radcliffe House". Mandelbrote Drive, which services the estate, is named for the association with Bertram Mandelbrote, whose pioneering work in the area of the therapeutic community^[6] ultimately led to the move to new accommodation and sale of the building to private developers.

Littlemore Park & SAE Institute

The SAE Institute moved their headquarters in 2008 to the former Yamanouchi building, itself using a building from the former hospital. The building was acquired by RO Developments Limited in 2005 from Yamanouchi (more latterly Astellas Pharma). RO Developments then converted the former hospital and extensively refurbished the building prior to selling to SAE Institute in 2008.

Railway

The Wycombe Railway opened Littlemore railway station in 1864 as part of its extension from Thame to Oxford.

In 1963 British Railways withdrew passenger services between Princes Risborough and Oxford and closed all intermediate stations including Littlemore. The line through Littlemore remains open for freight traffic between the Didcot   Oxford main line at Kennington Junction and the BMW Mini factory at Cowley.

Notable residents

John Henry Newman

Littlemore is now probably best known for the work of Cardinal Newman, whose connection with the village began in 1828, when he was appointed vicar of St Mary the Virgin and soon began holding classes for the residents of Littlemore. He organised a successful petition to have a new church built. From 1842 to 1846 Newman lived at Littlemore, in a house in College Lane, under a rule of strict monastic discipline^[2]. There he took up orders with the Roman Catholic Church (a sensation at the time), and was accepted into the faith by Father Dominic Barberi, a prominent Passionist active in England at the time. The Birmingham Oratory bought the property in 1951^[2], and members of an International Religious Order are residents and custodians of "The College."

Other inhabitants

The trade unionist Henry Broadhurst (1840–1911) was born in the village, the son of a local stonemason^[2].

The local historian Edmund Arnold Greening Lamborn lived at 34 Oxford Road, Littlemore from 1911 to 1950.^[7]

Gallery

• 

  The Parish Church of Saint Mary and Saint Nicholas

• 

  The College

• 

  The Roman Catholic Church of Blessed Dominic Barberi

See also

• Littlemore Brook

References

Sources and further reading

• Lobel, Mary D, ed. (1957). Victoria County History: A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 5: Bullingdon Hundred. pp. 206–214. 
• Page, William, ed. (1907). Victoria County History: A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 2. pp. 75–77. 
• Sherwood, Jennifer; Pevsner, Nikolaus (1974). The Buildings of England: Oxfordshire. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. pp. 688–690. ISBN 0-14-071045-0. 

External links

Media related to Littlemore at Wikimedia Commons

v t e The City of Oxford Oxfordshire • County Council elections • City Council elections • Oxford East Borough Constituency • Oxford West and Abingdon County Constituency Wards, suburbs, neighbourhoods and districts Barton • Binsey • Cowley (Florence Park, Temple Cowley) • Cutteslowe • Donnington • Godstow • Grandpont • Headington (Headington Hill, New Headington, Old Headington) • Holywell • Iffley • Jericho • New Botley • New Hinksey • New Marston • Norham Manor • North Oxford (Central North Oxford, Park Town) • Northway • Osney • Port Meadow • St Clement's • St. Ebbes • St John Street area • St. Thomas' (Oxpens) •Science Area • Summertown • Sunnymead • Walton Manor • Wolvercote • Waterways Civil parishes Blackbird Leys (Greater Leys) • Littlemore (Rose Hill) • Marston • Risinghurst and Sandhills (Risinghurst, Sandhills, Barton, Headington Quarry, Wood Farm) Former district and borough County Borough of Oxford • Headington Rural District Former constituencies Oxford Borough Constituency • Oxfordshire County Constituency • Oxford University Constituency List of Parliamentary constituencies in Oxfordshire • List of places in Oxfordshire • List of civil parishes in Oxfordshire