The County of Oxford Archives has committed to undertake an extensive project to digitize and make available on the internet historical municipal records of the County of Oxford. While digitization will continue indefinitely, the goals of this first phase of the project include creating the initial stages of a virtual tour of Court House Square, the administrative centre of the County of Oxford.

Since the County Court House has long been an object of interest to tourists, historians, and architecture buffs, Archives Staff decided to begin the virtual exhibit by telling the history of both the old (pre 1890) Court House and then the present building. Text is accompanied by documents from the collections in the Archives.

Because many people are intrigued by the heavy stone coursework and large arched entries on the Court House building, we wanted to provide an architectural tour of the exterior façade. A glossary of architectural terms is included for the viewer’s convenience.

A virtual tour of the public areas of the Court House itself allows internet visitors to look around the Council Chambers or to peer down hallways or up the unique floating staircase. Floor plans of the three levels of the building are marked where there is either a mini video or a photograph of interest.

The County of Oxford Archives would like to thank these funding bodies for not only their financial support but also for their interest and trust in this project: