Turl Street
street in Oxford, United Kingdom
Turl Street is a historic street in central Oxford, England.
Location
The street is located in the city centre, linking Broad Street at the north and High Street at the south. It intersects with Brasenose Lane to the east, and Market Street and Ship Street to the west. These streets link Turl Street to the busy Cornmarket, and to the iconic Radcliffe Square.
It is colloquially known as The Turl and is home to three of the University of Oxford's historic colleges: Exeter, Lincoln and Jesus. It meets the High Street by the early 18th century All Saints church, which has been Lincoln College's library since the 1970s.
History
Turl Street was called St Mildred's Street in 1363, but was known as Turl Gate Street by the mid-17th century. It acquired this name from a twirling gate (demolished in 1722) which was in a postern in the Oxford city wall. The part to the south of Ship Street was known as Lincoln College Lane in 1751.
Originally the Turl came to an abrupt halt at its junction with Ship Street, where it reached the city wall and the twirling gate.
The public source identifies “Turl Street” as street in Oxford, United Kingdom. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Turl, Street and street.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Turl Street”, the useful work is to connect “street in Oxford, United Kingdom” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 28, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7855565. VIAF identifies the subject as 315170640. The Library of Congress control number is sh2011004580. Authority coordinates are 51.754, -1.256. 1 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1363, 1722 and 1751.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Turl Street”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Turl Street primary sources, Turl Street archive and Turl research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Turl Street”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Turl Street” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.