Oxford University Track

Oxford

Oxford University Track

Oxford University Sports Centre
Iffley Road
OXFORD
OX4 1EQ

Telephone: 01865 240476
Fax: 01865 240894

Email:
Website:

Type: Synthetic, 400m, 6 lanes, 8 lane straight

Authority: Oxfordshire
Ceremonial County: Oxfordshire

NUTS Name: Oxford

Electronic Map Links:
Multimap 1:10,000 (Street Level)
Multimap 1:25,000 (Area Level)
Multimap 1:50,000 (Area Level)
Multimap 1:100,000 (Road Level)
Multimap 1:200,000 (Road Level)
Streetmap (Street Level)
Streetmap (Area Level)
Streetmap (Road Map)

OS National Grid Reference: SP 524055
National Grid Reference: 452400, 205500

Paper Maps:
A-Z Oxford 3A 16
OS Explorer Map: 180
OS Landranger Map: 164
OS/Philip's Oxfordshire 141 F4
Red Book Oxford & Abingdon 13 H6

Train: Oxford (2M)

Opening Times: Mon-Sun 0700-Dusk. Club times (exclusive, term-time only) Tue & Thu eves
Is track locked/unavailable for casual use at other times: Yes
Charges: Adult £1.50, Junior unknown

Track Diagram: Click here
Field Event Facilities: Full - 1 HJ, 2 PV (1L-DE), 2 LJ/TJ (1L-DE), 1 SP, 2 DT, 1 HT (DT/HT 1C-EXT, DT only INT), 1 JT
S/C Water Jump: Inside track, height fixed

Changing: Full in stadium building
Floodlights: Home straight only
Seating: 499 covered

Track Certification: Restricted - valid until 31st Mar 2005 (DT excluded from internal cage)

Clubs: Headington RRC, Oxford University AC, Oxford University Cross Country Club

Pictures: Please browse the selection here.

The display of inline maps of track locations is no longer
a free service and so has had to be withdrawn

Please use the Electronic Map links

Sponsorship for www.runtrackdir.com is being sought
Please contact Tim Grose

Click the picture for a larger view
Click here to see the list of pictures for this track.

Click the diagram for a larger view

Other Info:
Oxford University had a cinder track at the Marston Ground from 1867 but it was built on clay and was often flooded, or became so soggy it was unusable. A decision was thus made to build a new track at Iffley Road. The ground, leased from Christchurch College, was levelled in September 1876. The contractor, Mr Hobdell, used nine inches of burnt ballast as a foundation and four inches of fine cinders as the top dressing. The work was finished only 48 hours before the first meeting, which was the University Freshmen's Sports on 29-30 November 1876. Like Marston, the track was one-third of a mile round. Iffley Road was rebuilt as a 440y track on Roger Bannister's initiative in the post-war period, and there is a photo in "First Four Minutes" of the new track under construction. It was opened by the Vice-Chancellor in 1950, two years after Bannister's speech proposing a new track and also had a 220y straight. He subsequently recorded the legendary 3:59.4 mile on 6th May 1954 on the track. There is some footage of the actual race in the film 'The Four Minute Mile'. The track was officially opened as a synthetic (Chevron 440) track on 4th May 1977 although the work had been carried out in 1976. It was resurfaced in 1989 with Spurtan V. The track is now fairly worn and the LJ/TJ and PV runways are particularly bad. The capacity of the stand has been reduced to 499 to save money because, as a result of the Hillsborough tragedy, the cost of maintaining ones with 500 or more is substantially higher. The DT/HT cage is situated in an adjoining field and was built in Feb 2000 to replace the old external which was lost when an all-weather pitch was built over it several years ago. Click here to read details of the revamped Bannister track officially opened by Seb Coe on 10th May 2007.

Last update: 10/05/2007

Please send any amendments to Tim Grose