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Bicester
Bicester (/ˈbɪstər/ ⓘ BIST-ər) is a market town and civil parish in the Cherwell district of Oxfordshire, England, 11 miles (18 km) north-east of Oxford. The town is a notable tourist attraction due to the Bicester Village shopping centre. The historical town centre – designated as a conservation area – has a local market and numerous independent shops and restaurants. Bicester also has a town council and a mayor.
The town has long had good transport links, being at the intersection of two Roman roads (Akeman Street and a north–south route between Dorchester and Towcester). It has direct rail connections to Oxford, London and Birmingham, and is on the route of under-construction East West Rail which will link it directly to Milton Keynes and Cambridge. The A41 primary road runs through the town, connecting it to Aylesbury, the M40 and the A34.
Bicester experienced significant growth in the 20th century due to its strategic military role, with RAF Bicester established in 1917 and a major ordnance depot built in 1942 to support World War II operations. These installations spurred post-war urban development. RAF Bicester closed and has since been repurposed for civilian use as a heritage centre.
Bicester is one of the fastest-growing towns in Oxfordshire.[citation needed]. It lies within the Oxford-Cambridge Arc, a nationally desginated area for growth and development, and has expanded rapidly in recent generations, and more residential development is planned to bring the population up to around 50,000. The town was awarded Garden Town status by the government in 2014, although the designation has been criticised for not having a substative effect on the way development is carried out in the town. Nonetheless, high-quality and environmentally friendly housing stock has been constructed. Examples of new development include the North West Bicester eco-town and the self-built homes at Graven Hill.[citation needed]
There are several theories about the origin of the name Bicester. One theory is that it may be derived from a personal name Beorna, meaning the 'Fort of the Warriors'. It may also be derived from the Latin for Bi-cester, meaning 'two forts'—Alchester is 2 miles (3 km) southwest of the town, and Chesterton village is on the course of Akeman Street, the Roman road between Watling Street and Cirencester, about 1 mile (1.6 km) northwest of Alchester. Bicester has been inhabited since the mid-7th century and derives from earlier forms including Berncestre, Burencestre, Burcester, Biciter and Bissiter; the John Speed map of 1610 shows four different spellings, and historian G. H. Dannatt found 45 variants in wills from the 17th and 18th centuries.
Bicester lies close to the junction of two Roman roads – Akeman Street, an east–west route between St Albans and Cirencester, and a north–south route between Dorchester and Towcester, which lies under Queen's Avenue. A Roman fort at Alchester lies 2 miles (3 km) southwest of the town. The West Saxons established a settlement in the 6th century at a nodal point of these ancient routes.
St. Edburg’s Church in Bicester was founded as a minster, perhaps in the mid-7th century after St. Birinus converted Cynegils, King of Wessex, following their meeting near Blewbury. The site was just east of the old Roman road between Dorchester and Towcester that passed through the former Roman town Alchester. The earliest church was probably a timber structure serving the inhabitants of the growing Saxon settlements on either side of the River Bure, and as a mission centre for the surrounding countryside. Archaeological excavations at Procter's Yard identified the ecclesiastical enclosure boundary, and a large cemetery of Saxon graves suggesting a much larger churchyard has been excavated on the site of the Catholic Church car park almost opposite St. Edburg's.
The first documentary reference is the Domesday Book of 1086 which records it as Berencestra, its two manors of Bicester and Wretchwick being held by Robert D'Oyly who built Oxford Castle. The town became established as twin settlements on opposite banks of the River Bure, a tributary of the Ray, Cherwell, and ultimately the River Thames.
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Bicester AI simulator
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Bicester
Bicester (/ˈbɪstər/ ⓘ BIST-ər) is a market town and civil parish in the Cherwell district of Oxfordshire, England, 11 miles (18 km) north-east of Oxford. The town is a notable tourist attraction due to the Bicester Village shopping centre. The historical town centre – designated as a conservation area – has a local market and numerous independent shops and restaurants. Bicester also has a town council and a mayor.
The town has long had good transport links, being at the intersection of two Roman roads (Akeman Street and a north–south route between Dorchester and Towcester). It has direct rail connections to Oxford, London and Birmingham, and is on the route of under-construction East West Rail which will link it directly to Milton Keynes and Cambridge. The A41 primary road runs through the town, connecting it to Aylesbury, the M40 and the A34.
Bicester experienced significant growth in the 20th century due to its strategic military role, with RAF Bicester established in 1917 and a major ordnance depot built in 1942 to support World War II operations. These installations spurred post-war urban development. RAF Bicester closed and has since been repurposed for civilian use as a heritage centre.
Bicester is one of the fastest-growing towns in Oxfordshire.[citation needed]. It lies within the Oxford-Cambridge Arc, a nationally desginated area for growth and development, and has expanded rapidly in recent generations, and more residential development is planned to bring the population up to around 50,000. The town was awarded Garden Town status by the government in 2014, although the designation has been criticised for not having a substative effect on the way development is carried out in the town. Nonetheless, high-quality and environmentally friendly housing stock has been constructed. Examples of new development include the North West Bicester eco-town and the self-built homes at Graven Hill.[citation needed]
There are several theories about the origin of the name Bicester. One theory is that it may be derived from a personal name Beorna, meaning the 'Fort of the Warriors'. It may also be derived from the Latin for Bi-cester, meaning 'two forts'—Alchester is 2 miles (3 km) southwest of the town, and Chesterton village is on the course of Akeman Street, the Roman road between Watling Street and Cirencester, about 1 mile (1.6 km) northwest of Alchester. Bicester has been inhabited since the mid-7th century and derives from earlier forms including Berncestre, Burencestre, Burcester, Biciter and Bissiter; the John Speed map of 1610 shows four different spellings, and historian G. H. Dannatt found 45 variants in wills from the 17th and 18th centuries.
Bicester lies close to the junction of two Roman roads – Akeman Street, an east–west route between St Albans and Cirencester, and a north–south route between Dorchester and Towcester, which lies under Queen's Avenue. A Roman fort at Alchester lies 2 miles (3 km) southwest of the town. The West Saxons established a settlement in the 6th century at a nodal point of these ancient routes.
St. Edburg’s Church in Bicester was founded as a minster, perhaps in the mid-7th century after St. Birinus converted Cynegils, King of Wessex, following their meeting near Blewbury. The site was just east of the old Roman road between Dorchester and Towcester that passed through the former Roman town Alchester. The earliest church was probably a timber structure serving the inhabitants of the growing Saxon settlements on either side of the River Bure, and as a mission centre for the surrounding countryside. Archaeological excavations at Procter's Yard identified the ecclesiastical enclosure boundary, and a large cemetery of Saxon graves suggesting a much larger churchyard has been excavated on the site of the Catholic Church car park almost opposite St. Edburg's.
The first documentary reference is the Domesday Book of 1086 which records it as Berencestra, its two manors of Bicester and Wretchwick being held by Robert D'Oyly who built Oxford Castle. The town became established as twin settlements on opposite banks of the River Bure, a tributary of the Ray, Cherwell, and ultimately the River Thames.