Shopping In Bicester Town Centre | Features | Homepage - Bicester Advertiser

The Market Square is the venue for a traditional street market on Friday and a farmer’s market on the second Thursday of every month. Located out-of-town, Bicester Avenue features one of the largest Wyevale Garden Centres in the UK, next to other big-name retailers such as Lakeland and Laura Ashley.

The historic shopping streets, particularly Sheep Street and Market Square, have a wide range of local and national shops together with cafés, pubs and restaurants. Sheep Street is now pedestrianised with car parks nearby. Weekly markets take place on Fridays in the town centre along with farmers' markets and an occasional French market. A £70 million re-development of the town centre, originally planned to start in 2008, had been delayed by the onset of the credit crunch; Sainsbury's pledged develop the project itself in January 2009, Development (phase one) to divert the river to the other side of the road started August 2010.

The town has grown in recent years, mainly through new housing developments on the edge of the town, and is well-placed for the M40 and access to Oxford, the Midlands and London. Bicester North is its main railway station on the Chiltern line, connecting to London Marylebone and Birmingham. The smaller Bicester Town station is the terminus of the branch from Oxford.

Places of interest

Rousham House, Steeple Aston
Built by Sir Robert Dormer in 1635.
Visits by appointment only.
The gardens are open 10.00am to 6.00pm, with last admission at 4.30pm.
Nearest railway station is Heyford.
For information, call 01869 347110, or visit the website: www.rousham.org

Bicester Town Council:
The Garth, Launton Road, Bicester, Oxon OX26 3YH.
Tel: 01869 252915
Tel: www.bicester.gov.uk

Post offices:
48-50 Sheep Street and 9 Bassett Avenue.

Bicester Leisure Centre:
Tel: 01869 253914

Newspapers:
The Bicester Advertiser, 35p, every Thursday
Website: www.bicesteradvertiser.net
Oxford Mail, daily, 40p.
The Oxford Times, Thursdays, 80p.