Swans and ducks on the Isis in Port Meadow

Swans and ducks on the Isis in Port Meadow. In winter, they are joined by huge flocks of migrating geese.


An injured adult swan is removed for treatment by the charity Swan Support while its cygnets are distracted by the provision of snacks

An injured adult swan is removed for treatment by the charity Swan Support while its cygnets are distracted by the provision of snacks. All swans on the Thames are technically the property of the Queen, although Oxford was given a special dispensation in 1577 to raise its own game of swans specifically for consumption at civic banquets.


Port Meadow from the north, in flood: an almost annual occurrence

Port Meadow from the north, in flood: an almost annual occurrence. The boat is an Environment Agency inspection launch, whose crew check for unlicensed or speeding boats, are available in case of emergencies and assess the general condition of the river.


Swans

Swans


Tumbling Bay Bathing Place, 1984

Tumbling Bay Bathing Place, 1984. The bathing place is on the Bulstake Stream which was the main navigation course of the River Thames until the building of Osney Lock, a short distance downstream, provided a more efficient and shorter route through Oxford. It is still a popular bathing spot to this day.


In 1895 the exceptionally cold winter led to the Isis freezing over

In 1895 the exceptionally cold winter led to the Isis freezing over. The coach and horses drove triumphantly onto the ice! (The most recent freezing of the Isis was in 1963).


Inter-college Torpids rowing race on flooded River Thames, 1904 (Henry Taunt)

Inter-college Torpids rowing race on flooded River Thames, 1904 (Henry Taunt). The Torpids are held in the Hilary (Spring) term, and were originally devised as a competition between the second-string crews of eight.


Torpids (a university Rowing competition) during floods on the Isis

Torpids (a university Rowing competition) during floods on the Isis. What young men would be discouraged from competing in rowing because it was impossible to reach dry land? Certainly not these students in 1904.


Willow Walk

Willow Walk, a beauty spot in the south-west of the city, under water in 1904.


A flooded Abingdon Road in 1910

A flooded Abingdon Road in 1910. The car in the picture belonged to Paul Gavrilovitch Vinogradoff, a notable Russian who was Corpus Professor of Jurisprudence at the University of Oxford.


The 1998 floods arrived in late spring

The 1998 floods arrived in late spring. Ferry Road leads from the suburb of Marston across fields to the University Parks and the centre of Oxford, but for days this road was completely impassable.


A solitary walker at the far end of the Ferry Road path, trudging towards Marston

A solitary walker at the far end of the Ferry Road path, trudging towards Marston. He will probably have to swim in order to reach it.


Oxford

Section 5. Nature and Weather

Our rivers and canal are full of wild life – animals, birds, plants – which we can see and hear as we punt gently along the Cherwell or stroll along the ‘Thames Path’. However, our climate is very temperate: instead of great heat or cold, in Oxford we experience regular flooding and sometimes catastrophic flooding. When the winter flooding in Port Meadow is followed by a hard frost, we can enjoy a huge skating rink, with water only half-a-metre deep. You can see pictures of three big floods, in 1904, in 1910 and in 1998. Nothing is going to stop the students rowing and racing on the Isis during February when, traditionally, we get our heaviest rain.

City & Water

International virtual exhibition of documents of twin-cities Perm, Louisville & Oxford.

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