The Saturday
Street is our weekly series in which we unlock the stories behind
the names of London's famous thoroughfares. It's compiled by London Walks guide Karen
– listed by Travel +
Leisure magazine as The
World's Greatest Tour Guide. You can find Karen on Saturdays guiding
her Old
Westminster and British
Museum walks. If you've got a London street query or suggestion,
email Karen at the
usual address
Oxford Street W1 Location: Westminster
Oxford Street takes its name from the Earl of Oxford who purchased the surrounding land in the early 18th Century. It follows the line of a Roman Road, known as the via Trinobantina which linked Hampshire with Colchester. From the 12th Century it was known by a variety of names, most famous (or infamous) of which was Tyburn Road. Named for the nearby Tyburn river, it was the final stretch of road traversed by condemned men before their, er, final stretch on the gallows near modern-day Marble Arch.
