Queen's Lane

Queen's Lane is a historic street in central Oxford, England, named after Queen's College, to the south and west.

At the south-eastern end of Queen's Lane is a junction onto the High Street. To the west is Queen's College and to the east on the corner is the Queen's Lane Coffee House, a historic coffee house dating from 1654, probably the oldest in Oxford.

Just to the north on the eastern side of the lane is the main entrance to St Edmund Hall, one of the smallest colleges in Oxford. The former Church of St Peter-in-the-East with a square stone tower, now the library of St Edmund Hall, is just to the north of the college's entrance.

There is a sharp bend in the lane about half way along, following the boundaries of the surrounding colleges. The lane is largely surrounded by high stone walls with few windows, but with some good examples of gargoyles, a feature of Oxford college architecture.

At the north-western end, the lane continues as New College Lane, named after New College to the north of Queen's Lane. There is a barrier in the road at this point to prevent through-traffic.

History

The part of the lane near the High Street was formerly called St Edmund Hall Lane in the 18th century. Past the bend at the middle of the current Queen's Lane it was called Torald Street. By 1772, both of these became known by the present name of Queen's Lane.

External links

* [http://www.headington.org.uk/oxon/high/tour/north/queens_lane.htm Queen's Lane, off High Street, Oxford]
* [http://www.dailyinfo.co.uk/reviews/venue/321/Queens+Lane+Coffee+House/ Queen's Lane Coffee House] information from Daily Information
* [http://www.oxfordcityguide.com/Eat/ByCuisine.html Queen's Lane Coffee House information from OxfordCityGuide.com]
* [http://oxford.openguides.org/wiki/?Queen's_Lane_Coffee_House Queen's Lane Coffee House] information from The Oxford Guide
* [http://home.clara.net/reedhome/oxford/2_ne.html Oxford Walks: Inner circuit] — From Broad Street to Merton Street