Name: North Hinksey Conduit House
Rating: 5.0

North Hinksey Conduit House

Harcourt Hill, Oxford, Oxfordshire OX2 9AS, UK

1-99 Years

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Description

North Hinksey Conduit House This roofed conduit house is a remarkable survival of Oxford’s first piped water supply. Built during the early 17th century, it was part of a system designed to take clean drinking water from the springs at North Hinksey to the Carfax Conduit, an extravagantly decorated fountain in the centre of Oxford.

Resembling a miniature fortress, the conduit house covered and protected a 20,000-gallon lead cistern which continued to supply water to the city until 1868. On the walls are some beautifully chiselled graffiti dating from the 17th to 19th centuries.

Free Entry. If you are looking for Best place for day out with kids and families then this is the perfect destination offering fun, adventure, and unforgettable memories for everyone.

Features

Free
Host birthday parties: No

Features

History of North Hinksey Conduit House: North Hinksey Conduit House is located on a hillside with views over the busy Oxford ring road to the spires of the city below.
The conduit house, which covers and protects a shallow well, was built in about 1617 as part of a system constructed to take clean drinking water from the springs at North Hinksey downhill to the Carfax Conduit, a fountain in the centre of Oxford.
The lawyer Otho Nicholson promoted the system, and erected the ornate fountain to mark James I’s visit to Oxford. The fountain was dismantled as part of street improvements in 1787, but re-erected in the same year by the second Lord Harcourt as an eye-catcher at Nuneham Park, a few miles outside the city.
The ditch through which water flowed downhill from North Hinksey is no longer visible at ground level and has been cut and removed at many points. The conduit house itself, however, survives in its original location as a fine example of early civic clean-water provision.
Description: The conduit house is a single-storey structure, built of dressed limestone. Recent repair work has involved the replacement of some of the stones with a finer-grained limestone. The stone roof and some of the coping stones are modern.
The building measures 13 metres (43 feet) by 8 metres (26 feet), the walls standing to a height of about 4 metres (13 feet) at the gable ends. The side walls each have two gabled buttresses.
A round-headed doorway provides an entrance to the structure on the front gable end, above which is carved the coat of arms of Otho Nicholson. Narrow, two-light vents pierce the structure on both gable ends. There is some beautifully chiselled graffiti from the late 17th and 18th centuries on the exterior of the building.

Facilities

Dogs: Dogs on leads are welcome.

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Price

Price: Free

Birthday Parties

Offer Birthday Parties: No

Open for pre-scheduled guided tours only.
Visit Oxfordshire Preservation Trust's website for further details.

Address: Harcourt Hill, Oxford, Oxfordshire OX2 9AS, UK

Post Code: OX2 9AS

Council: Vale of White Horse

County: Oxfordshire

Road Access: In North Hinksey off A34; 1 1⁄2 miles W of Oxford. Located off track leading from Harcourt Hill.
Bus Access: Heyfordian service 44; also Stagecoach Brookes bus service U1 passes within 3⁄4 mile.
Train Access: Oxford 1 1⁄2 mile.
Bicycle Access: Find this site on The National Cycle Network.