The ward covers two broad areas of Oxford divided and distinguished physically by the eastern by-pass ring road. In the west running between the London Road and Old Road lies a large section of residential housing in Headington east of Windmill Road, close to the main amenities of the centre of Headington itself, as well as an area of older housing stock in Quarry, including Headington Quarry.

To the east of the ring road lies Risinghurst mainly made up of inter-war housing developed in the 1930s with the rise of the automotive industry in Oxford. It is bounded by the London Road in the north, Risinghurst sports ground in the east, and Shotover to the south. The area of Risinghurst also forms part of the Risinghurst and Sandhills parish council formed in 1956.

Quarry and Risinghurst have their problems. As in other parts of the city, maintenance of the public realm has been an issue in recent years, with the local area suffering years of neglect from successive city council administrations.

A number of areas within the ward have been blighted by graffiti. Within recent years, two childrens’ play areas in the ward, Quarry Hollow and Sermon Close, have been threatened with closure. Subways have become the focus for litter and have often been poorly maintained and lit. Quarry & Risinghurst Conservatives have been running a 'Twenty's the Limit' campaign and have been lobbying the County Council for a feasibility study into the introduction of residential twenty mile per hour zones.

Overdevelopment has become an increasing problem with more and more family houses being converted into flats by developers. Tia strongly welcomes Oxford City Council’s recent policy which now looks at the mix of housing in any area and seeks to protect family housing.