Oxford has much increased of late years ; new streets, elegant houses, both in rows and detached, and a number of smaller tenements have been erected. The streets are well-paved and cleansed, and aro lighted with gas. The public buildings, which are numerous, are mostly noticed sander OXFORD UNIVERSITY.
The cathedral, which ist.he chapel of Christ's College, and noticed under that head, is mostly of Norman date, cruciform, with a tower and spirt) at the intersection of the nave and transepts. The length of the building is 154 feet; its breadth 102 feet. On the north of the choir aro the Dean'a ohapel and the Lady chapel ; on the south side are the cloisters of perpendicular character, the chapter-house of the early English period, and some other apartments. In the interior are many interesting monuments. Tho cathedral has been newly roofed, and otherwise repaired and restored. St. Mary's, the University church, is a singularly interesting edifice : the tower and spire, and the chancel are of the decorated style, but the body of the church is perpendicular ; the south porch, an incongruous addition with twisted pillars, was erected by Archbishop Laud. The spire is the finest feature of the exterior; it has elaborate pinnacles, with statues in niches, and bold crockets and finials. SL Martin's, or Carfax church, the tower of ethic!), with its illuminated clock, fronts the High-street, is usually regarded as the city church, it being attended by the mayor and corporation. SL Peter's-in-the-East is the oldest church in the city. It has a crypt of early Norman date ; the chancel is wholly and the nave partly Norman; the south aisle (is of the decorated character. A few years back it was admirably restored. St Mary Magdalene's church has some beautiful decorated features. When the Martyrs' Memorial, which stands close to it, was built, this church was carefully restored, and a new aisle, called the Martyrs' aisle, added. St. Oilee's church is partly of early English date. St Michael's church is ancient but of different dates. St. Aldate's church is partly. of the decorated style. All Saints' church, erected from tho designs of Dean Aldrich early in the 18th century, is a curious mixture of classic and gothic forms. At the time of the Census of 1851 there
were 32 places of worship in Oxford, of which 19 belonged to the Established church, 4 to Methodists, 9 to Baptiste, 2 to Independents, and 1 each to Quakers, Swodenborgians, Roman Catholics, and Jews. There were 81 day schools, of which 23 were public schools with 2322 scholars, and 59 were private schools with 1121 scholars. There are a book-club, a reading-room, a savings bank, a house of industry, a medical dispensary, and a pauper lunatic asylum for the city and borough.
Some remains of Oxford castle and of the ancient town wall, as well as of the works raised for the defence of the town in the civil war of Charles I., are still in existence. The town-hull erected in 1745, and subsequently improved, is a spacious stone building. There I. a town-jail or bridewell. The county-hall was erected in 1810 at a cost of 15,000/. The other public) buildings are the music ball and the Radcliffe infirmary. The market-days are Wednesday and Saturday. Fairs are held three times in the year. The prosperity of the town depends to a groat extent on the University. Consider able traffic is carried on by the river, by tho Oxford Canal, which here communicates with it, and by railway. Oxford has railway com munications with the south and west of England, and with Wales by the Great Western railway ; and with the north and east of England, the midland counties, and Scotland by means of tho North-Western railway and connected lines. Quarter-sessions for the city, weekly petty sesalons, a mayor's court, and a county court are held.
The see of Oxford was founded by Henry VIII. in 1542; the seat of it was at first fixed in the abbey church of Cheney, but removed in 1516 to Christ church in Oxford. The diocese iocludes the counties of Oxford, Berke, and Bucks, each of which constitutes an arch. deaconry. The chapter consists of the bishop, the three archdeacons, a dean, chancellor, and eight canons. The income of the bishop is 50001.