Iffley Road is a major arterial road inOxford,England. It leads fromthe Plain, nearMagdalen Bridge, southeast towards the village ofIffley. While it becomes Henley Avenue at Iffley Turn, and thenRose Hill, the whole stretch from the ring road to the Plain is referred to by some as Iffley Road.[citation needed] Formerly named asHenley Road in the 19th century,[citation needed] as it leads towardsHenley-on-Thames, this entire route is designated theA4158.
The road is the location for theOxford University athletics venue, theIffley Road Track, whereRoger Bannister was the first person to run amile in under four minutes, on 6 May 1954. The feat is commemorated byblue plaque on Iffley Road. The track is next door toIffley Road rugby ground, home ofOxford University Rugby Football Club. Also in Iffley Road isGreyfriars, aCapucin priory that was formerly a permanent private hall of theUniversity of Oxford. TheOxford Centre for Animal Ethics is based at 91 Iffley Road, and the headquarters ofTransun are to be found at the start of the road.
There are a number ofpublic houses including the Cape of Good Hope at the Plain and 1 Iffley Road,[1] the Cricketers' Arms, now a cocktail bar renamed The Mad Hatter in 2013, and the Fir Tree Tavern.[2][3]
Iffley Road is referenced inEmerald Fennel's 2023 film,Saltburn,[4] of which the first act is set inOxford at a fictional college of theUniversity of Oxford. The two main protagonists, Oliver Quick and Felix Catton first meet as Felix's bicycle is immobilised with a punctured tyre. Oliver offers his own bicycle to Felix so he may proceed to his tutorial class on Iffley Road. This encounter is the genesis of their friendship.
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