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BBC News
07-03-2025
- BBC News
Cowley Road: Is this multi-cultural street the 'real' Oxford?
Think of Oxford and you might picture the dreaming spires, the university's colleges, or punting on the just outside the historic centre there is a bustling, multi-cultural street that some consider to be "the real Oxford".Cowley Road is only about a 10 minute walk from tourist attractions like the Radcliffe Camera, but it represents a completely different side of the city. And with a huge array of countries and cultures represented within the space of a few hundred metres, it is an area that would be unrecognisable without immigration. As part of the BBC's Immigration Week, we spoke to some of Cowley Road's business owners about its diverse character. Cowley Road once formed the main route to London from Oxford - and in the mid-19th Century began to be the hub for an expanding Annie Skinner suggests, according to the 1951 census, it was predominantly inhabited by white working class families, before a wave of immigration over the next few decades transformed the area. Now every shop and restaurant has a story to tell, often of moving far from home in sometimes difficult circumstances. Masood Khamloo came to the UK as a refugee from Iran and now owns the restaurant Shiraz - he wants to use it as a place to show people Iranian culture."As you know - there is lots going on in Iran," he said. "Our culture is not that of our government presently. "We have a very rich culture and to be honest we try... to show our customers and other nationalities - that we are not thinking how they do."We are not that kind of people." At a time when the subject of immigration is divisive, there is a sense on Cowley Road that the area owes its vibrant identity to its is something that Denise Mosciatti, who runs Italian restaurant La Smorfia said: "There's so much that one can learn from another culture; confronting themselves with other people, getting comfortable with other people's customs as well because they make you think, make you open your eyes and widen your horizons as well. "This is something that's enriching, it's not scary. "I feel like... especially in this area, people are very open and this is beautiful." One of the road's most recent arrivals is the restaurant Afghan Cuisine, which was set up by business partners Hijarat Meshwanai and Abdullah Sarkani said their food is appealing to a wide range of people, but they are getting increasing interest from English said: "You're coming from a small village, move to this country and then... serving the food and the people like and love your food. "That's a very big thing." Shaista Aziz is a long-term East Oxford resident and an antiracism campaigner - she says the road is "very special"."We're very lucky for a city of this size to have so much diversity on this road alone - and it does draw lots of people in," she said."And it also shows how people have been living together for decades and decades and where there are challenges people work through those challenges. "That's what you do when you're in a community."Cowley Road for me is the heart of East Oxford - and East Oxford is where the real Oxford is." You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Stunning shots show Jupiter and Uranus above Oxford University
Jupiter and Uranus have been spotted over Oxford University in a starry night sky. The rare sight of the two planets being visible up ahead was experienced last month in February at the historic institution. Two photos uploaded to the official University of Oxford X account show the iconic Radcliffe Camera as well as the stars and planets in the blue sky. READ MORE: Oxford University researcher finds hidden Shakespeare sonnet Planetary Parade over Radcliffe Square 🔭 Jupiter, the second brightest planet, commands the sky above the Radcliffe Camera, with the Uranus nearby in Taurus (invisible to the naked eye). Constellations Taurus, Orion, and Auriga can also be seen. 📷 IG | Ox_Stars (Feb, 2025) — University of Oxford (@UniofOxford) March 3, 2025 A statement accompanying the pictures said: 'Planetary Parade over Radcliffe Square. 'Jupiter, the second brightest planet, commands the sky above the Radcliffe Camera, with the Uranus nearby in Taurus (invisible to the naked eye). 'Constellations Taurus, Orion, and Auriga can also be seen.' The Northern Lights were previously spotted above the university at the end of last year too with college porters taking stunning photos of the night sky.
