Modern Oxford Map (1940-89)

In 2023 Blue Crow Media commissioned Photolanguage to produce a Modern Map of Oxford. Whilst providing a detailed record of the university commissioned architecture of the post-war period, it also traces Oxford’s growth as a modern city beyond the historic centre, through the work of Douglas Murray and the Oxford City Architects, and the church design of Colin Shewring in Cowley. The map documents the whole campus, college commissions of St Catherine’s and Wolfson, by Arne Jacobsen and Powell & Moya respectively, and explores the wealth of interventions into the historic grain of college quad urbanism. The 1960s saw a growth and diversification of the student population. This spurred a rapid increase in the provision of bespoke, student halls of residence, and expansion of the science faculties. Many of the leading British, modernist firms received significant commissions, making Oxford an eclectic test bed of contextual, late modernism, including the work of Philip Dowson of Ove Arup; Oxford Architects Partnership; Ahrends, Burton & Koralek; Howell, Killick, Partridge and Amis; Alison and Peter Smithson and James Stirling.

Supports: Blue Crow Media.  With particular thanks to Ruth Bernatek