Early history There was a
Bronze Age or
Iron Age settlement on the site. Evidence has been found suggesting pits and
roundhouses, with remains of pottery and a cylindrical
loom weight of a kind previously known only from
East Anglia. The area was originally called Blackford Leys;
blackford after the dark-coloured ford which crossed the southern branch of Northfield Brook at the entrance to Blackbird Leys farm. The ford would be located where Windale Avenue crosses Northfield Brook. The farm was also called Blackford Leys farm. The
Middle English leys meaning pasture or meadow.
Modern history The Blackbird Leys Estate was built mainly in the 1950s and 1960s to meet the then pressing need for housing. It was part of a plan to re-house people from the dilapidated inner city. This included large-scale clearance of a site near to where the
Oxford Ice Rink was built (
The Oxpens). Many of the families that moved onto the estate originally came from this area. It was also a convenient site for factory workers at the
Morris Motors Limited plant in nearby
Cowley.
Politics The area has traditionally been staunchly
Labour. The
Independent Working Class Association performed strongly in the mid-2000s, holding three of the four council seats on
Oxford City Council between 2006 and 2008.
Andrew Smith, the local MP from 1987 to 2017, lives on the estate. His late wife, Valerie Smith, was also a
city councillor and
county councillor for the area and former
Lord Mayor of Oxford. In stark contrast to Oxford as a whole, which had a Remain result of 71% in the
2016 UK referendum on EU membership, Blackbird Leys and neighbouring estates voted narrowly to leave the European Union.
1991 street disturbances Around 1991, Blackbird Leys suffered from
joy riding. Young men from the estate would steal cars and 'display' them (with a variety of high-speed
stunts) to an audience gathered outside the estate shops (known locally as the 'Top Shops'). Following a crackdown by police on joyriding in September 1991, some 150 youths stoned police officers. Two women suffered stab wounds and two men suffered other injuries during the riots. Local MP, Andrew Smith, stated in 1991 that the extensive national media coverage of confrontations with the police in August and September left the wider public with a distorted picture of the problem. Some say journalists visiting helped encourage some of the action for filming.
Sports and leisure , home to
Oxford United Football Club The
Kassam Stadium is the home of
Oxford United Football Club and is just within the greater boundary of Blackbird Leys in an area known as Minchery Farm. Initial construction began in 1996 and the first football match took place on 4 August 2001. It is also home of Oxford Speedway hosting Oxford Spires, Cheetahs and Chargers at the Oxford Stadium.
Musical groups In 2006, residents from the estate took part in
The Singing Estate, a
Channel Five reality TV show following their progress from amateur singers to classical choir. The
Blackbird Leys Choir emerged from the original choir and continues today. ==Education==