Iffley Road

Iffley Road is a major arterial road in Oxford, England, at coord|51.747|N|1.242|W|. It leads from The Plain near Magdalen Bridge south-east towards the village of Iffley. While it becomes Henley Avenue at Iffley Turn, and then Rose Hill, many people will refer to the whole stretch from the ring road to The Plain as Iffley Road. This whole route (including all of Iffley Road) is designated the A4158.

The road is famous for the Oxford University athletics venue, the Iffley Road Track, where Sir Roger Bannister ran a mile in under four minutes for the first time ever on 6 May 1954. A blue plaque now records the event for passers by on the road.

Iffley Road used to be known as the Henley Road in the 19th century since it leads towards Henley-on-Thames, the historic centre of the sport of rowing in the United Kingdom, with its famous Henley Royal Regatta further down the River Thames. Now only the few hundred meters before Rose Hill carry any mention of Henley, as Henley Avenue.

External links

* [http://www.headington.org.uk/oxon/streets/name_changes/iffley_road.pdf Iffley Road: 19th-century terraces identified] - PDF linking old names of Iffley Road houses with modern numbers
* [http://www.sport.ox.ac.uk/facilities/track.shtml Famous Roger Bannister sub-four minute mile track]
* [http://www.runtrackdir.com/details.asp?track=oxford Oxford University Track]