The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word COBBLES
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
C
O
B
B
L
E
S
More clues leading to the result COBBLES
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Maybe patches up Oxford/medieval road surface" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case maybe patches up oxford/medieval road surface = cobbles.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does COBBLES mean?
COBBLES noun- A cobblestone.
- A particle from 64 to 256 mm in diameter, following the Wentworth scale.
- To make shoes (what a cobbler does).
- To assemble in an improvised way.
- To use cobblestones to pave a road, walkway, etc.
- Small flat-bottomed fishing boat suitable for launching from a beach, found on the north-east coast of England and in Scotland.