Broad Street Webcam

Broad Street lies right in the heart of Oxford’s “dreaming spires”, between the Weston Library, Blackwells, Trinity and Balliol Colleges on one side and the Clarendon Building, Sheldonian Theatre, Museum of the History of Science, and Exeter College on the other. In the 10th century this site – then little more than a ditch – marked the edge of the city walls. During the middle ages it was known as Horsemonger Street as it became the home of the city’s horse market (and local pub The White Horse helps carry on part of this legacy in its name).

The webcam at https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/webcam/ or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=St7aTfoIdYQ (operated by the Oxford Martin School) looks East down Broad Street from its Westernmost end. That webpage also contains a helpful guide to the buildings visible in the image, if you’re interested.

Your task is to capture a photo of yourself (either using a portable device or by having a friend take a screenshot) visible in its frame. Post the image with your log. If you’ve brought a friend and a laptop, be advised that the Weston Library has a free public WiFi hotspot. Note that the webcam has a “lag” of up to a minute behind real-world events.

The posted coordinates are usually the best place to stand – near the North-Western corner of the steps of the archway-shaped Clarendon Building – but sometimes school and tour groups fill up the space and you’re better standing on the opposite side of the road. Please don’t stand in the road to capture your picture: neither motorists nor cyclists are very forgiving of tourists shuffling about on the street, and the 20mph speed limit is routinely disobeyed.