An image of a traditional British red telephone box on St.Giles in Oxford appears on our Mexican Tanzanian coffee packets.

St. Giles is a very wide street in Oxford leading from Magdalen Street at the south end and splitting into Woodstock Road and Banbury Road in the North. Lined with buildings from seven Oxford colleges the road has maintained a traditional feeling with old fashioned street furniture such as the red telephone box noted above. A row of traditionally styled street lights delineate the centre of the wide road.

As well as the college buildings, St. Giles has a number of tourist and independent shops and pubs, including the Eagle and Child pub where J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis used to drink, eat, write and read.

At the southern end is the Ashmolean Museum, and at the northern end is St. Giles Church which houses the Citys main War Memorial. Sitting in an island where St. Giles and Magdalen Street meet is the Martyrs memorial. The three "Oxford Martyrs" were convicted of heresy in 1555 and burnt at the stake for their religious teachings. Their deaths are said to be the basis for the nursery rhyme "Three Blind Mice".

Every year St. Giles is closed for two days in September for Oxfords largest fun fair. Stretching back to the 19th century it is also Oxfords longest running fair.

Further Reading :

- St. Giles, Oxford
- A Virtual Tour of St. Giles
- St. Giles on Wikipedia