About our Oxford Street news
Latest news on Oxford Street, a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, running from Tottenham Court Road to Marble Arch via Oxford Circus. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, with around half a million daily visitors, and as of 2012 had approximately 300 shops.
Oxford Street has a long and rich history, dating back to the Roman times, when it was part of the Via Trinobantina, a road that linked Essex with Hampshire. It has witnessed public executions, royal processions, political protests, and terrorist attacks. It has also been a centre of entertainment and culture, hosting the flagship store of HMV, where the Beatles signed their first major record deal in 1962, and the Crystal Palace Bazaar, designed by Owen Jones, the architect of the 1851 Great Exhibition.
Today, Oxford Street is facing many challenges, such as high commercial rents, air pollution, traffic congestion, and competition from online retailers. A plan to pedestrianise the street by 2020 was scrapped by the Mayor of London in 2019, due to opposition from local residents and businesses.