Harcourt Hill is a hill and community in North Hinksey in Oxfordshire, England, west of the city of Oxford. There is a good view of the city from the hill. It lies between Hinksey Hill to the southeast, Boars Hill to the south and Botley to the north. Until 1974 it was in Berkshire, but was transferred to Oxfordshire in that year.

Harcourt Hill
Harcourt Hill is located in Oxfordshire
Harcourt Hill
Harcourt Hill
Location within Oxfordshire
OS grid referenceSP4904
Civil parish
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townOxford
Postcode districtOX2
Dialling code01865
PoliceThames Valley
FireOxfordshire
AmbulanceSouth Central
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Oxfordshire
51°44′20″N 1°17′35″W / 51.739°N 1.293°W / 51.739; -1.293

History

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The Conduit House on the northeast side of Harcourt Hill was built in 1616–17[1] to supply water to the city of Oxford and was in use until the middle of the 19th century.

Harcourt Hill was part of an estate acquired by Earl Harcourt in 1772. The Harcourt family promoted various plans for developing the hill in the 19th century,[2] and about 50 houses were eventually built there between the 1920s and the early 1960s.

In 1959 Westminster College moved from London to a new site on the northwest side of Harcourt Hill, which is now a campus of Oxford Brookes University.

Notable people

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Well-known residents of Harcourt Hill have included Professor Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir Muirhead Bone and Martin Gilbert.

References

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  1. ^ Pevsner, Nikolaus (1966). Berkshire. The Buildings of England. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. p. 186.
  2. ^ Hanson, W.J. (1996). A Thousand Years: a study of the interaction between people and environment in the Cumnor, Wytham and North Hinksey Area. Wytham Publications.