Ever wondered about the story behind these elegant crescents? Park Town in Oxford is a testament to Victorian planning and design. It is one of the earliest planned suburban developments in the area. Most of the houses here are Grade II listed.
Samuel Lipscomb Seckham developed Park Town. He built the main crescent houses in 1853 to 1854. These homes featured Bath stone front elevations. The west-facing crescent with its elevated pavement called “The Terrace” followed in 1854 to 1855. The Park Town Estate Company was formed in September 1857 through Seckham’s efforts.
Originally ornamental iron railings surrounded many houses and gardens in Park Town. During the Second World War, those for detached houses were removed for war use. Some have been restored since then. In 1977 the Friends of Park Town restored the railings and lanterns around the central garden in the main crescent. The Oxford Preservation Trust recognized their work with an award.
Park Town features two crescents of townhouses. These surround communal gardens and several larger villas. Banbury Road lies to the west, with Canterbury Road on the opposite side. The Dragon School is to the east. St Anne’s College also has student accommodation in this area.
Let’s talk about some famous residents of Park Town. Miss Sarah Angelina Acland lived and died at her home in Park Town. A blue plaque marks her former residence. Acland was a pioneer in colour photography in the early 20th century. Many of her significant early examples are held at the History of Science Museum. Some were even taken right here in Park Town.
At number 5 Park Town, you will find the second home of the Central Labour College. It was here from 1910 to 1911 before it moved to London.
Park Town has been home to many notable individuals. Edmund Bowen was a chemist and Fellow of University College. Godfrey Rolles Driver was an orientalist and Fellow of Magdalen College. Professor Sir Michael Dummett was a philosopher and anti-racism campaigner. Charles Sutherland Elton was a zoologist and Fellow of Corpus Christi College. John Flemming was an economist and Warden of Wadham College. James Clerk Maxwell Garnett was an educationist and Secretary of the League of Nations. Aung San Suu Kyi, the Myanmar State Counsellor also resided here. Booker Prize winning novelist Ian McEwan once called Park Town home. William Richard Morfill the first Professor of Russian and Slavonic Languages at Oxford lived at number 42. Leonid Pasternak a Russian painter spent his last six years here. He lived with his daughter Lydia Pasternak Slater a chemist and poet.
Look around at the communal gardens. Samuel Lipscomb Seckham designed Park Town with landscaping by William Baxter. Baxter was curator of the Oxford Botanic Garden. The development includes terraces, townhouses, detached houses, and villas.
Notice the level terrain. Park Town is approached from Banbury Road to the west. A crescent road forms the west end of Park Town Road. The Crescent and Banbury Road enclose the Half Circle. This raised semicircular lawn is planted with mature specimen trees.
The Centre Garden is oval. It is bounded by iron railings set on a stone plinth. A perimeter clipped hedge and shrubbery surround it. Within the perimeter path four cross paths lead to a central lawn. Here you’ll see a specimen Atlantic cedar.
At the east end of the Centre Garden is the Terrace Garden. It fronts the curved Terrace houses. The Terrace Garden was laid out as a balancing green space. An archway inscribed “Park Town 1855” straddles a passage. This divides The Terrace into two halves. Park Town stands as a remarkable example of Victorian planning. Its communal gardens and architectural unity make it special.