Directions and opening times for the Oxfordshire History Centre

How to find us

The centre is based in Cowley, about three miles from the centre of Oxford and just off the eastern ring road. There is limited free parking.

Oxfordshire History Centre
St Luke's Church
Temple Road
Cowley
Oxford
OX4 2HT

Google map directions

Buses run every few minutes from:

Oxford city centre:
5 (Oxford Bus Company);
1 and 10 (Stagecoach),

Oxford Railway Station:
5 (Oxford Bus Company)
1 (Stagecoach)

How to contact us.

Opening hours

The centre is closed on bank holidays and bank holiday weekends.

Saturdays

Please note that the centre is open on Saturdays for research only. It will not be possible to accept deposits or arrange withdrawal of material without prior agreement.

In the event of unexpected staff absence, production of material may be suspended at certain times, and it may even be necessary to close for lunch.

Planned Saturday closures

• 13 July
• 24 August
• 14 September
• 5 October
• 2 November
• 7 and 28 December

Reception café

In reception we have a pleasant café area where we sell teas, coffees and cold drinks, alongside a small selection of chocolate bars, biscuits and crisps. Visitors are welcome to eat their own packed lunch there.

Viewing unique material

You will need a reader's ticket to see unique material – that is, anything of which there’s only one copy.

Book in advance

Family and local history are popular, so it’s a good idea to book a seat in advance. Contact us and give us a contact number in case we need to get back to you.

Documents held in our strongrooms cannot usually be ordered in advance of a visit, as we aim to retrieve requested items within a few minutes once visitors have filled out order slips when they arrive.

Staff can produce documents up to 4.30pm each day we are open.