What is it?

This strange floor is made from real animal bones! Back in the 1600s, people in Oxford used the knuckles of sheep, cows, and oxen to create tough pavements like this one. This piece came from Park End Street, a place once alive with cattle and sheep markets. It might have been from the floor of a house, a butcher’s yard or even an abattoir. Why use bones for a floor? These big, knobbly knuckles didn’t have much meat on them, so they weren’t much good for cooking. But they made a super-strong, long-lasting surface that drained water really well. Recycling at its best! This kind of pavement was mostly a local thing—only 17 have been found in the UK, and 12 of those are from Oxfordshire. You can even peek at a cut-away section here to see how the bones were packed into the ground. Why do you think they used bones instead of stones for a pavement? If you made a floor out of recycled materials today, what would you use?

Where is it?

You can find it at Museum of Oxford

Gallery 2

When can I see it?

You can see this item up until 21/12/2025

Can I collect it?

This item can't be collected at the moment but check back in the future!