Jericho, Oxford
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jericho is an historic suburb of the English city of Oxford. Located just outside the old city wall, it was originally a place for travellers to rest if they had reached the city after the gates had closed. The area was originally an industrial area which grew up because of the presence of the Oxford Canal, which arrived in 1790. Ironworks, wharves and the Oxford University Press were based there and its residential streets are mostly 'two-up, two-down' Victorian workers' houses. With backstreets of 1930s terraced housing and many restaurants, it has become a hugely popular location for student and London commuter accommodation.
In the 1950s, Jericho was briefly a red light area with a pornography cinema (now the independent Phoenix Picture House).[citation needed] Thanks to gentrification in part and the presence of a growing number of Dons, and other senior University officials, Jericho is now very much one of Oxford's most sought after areas. Jericho is believed to be named after the local pub, the Jericho Tavern. The area, especially along Walton Street, is very fashionable among diners, pub enthusiasts and cinema goers. Among some of the more recognizable places to relax are The Jericho Cafe and 'Jude The Obscure', a public house highly popular with local residents.[citation needed]
With its gentle biblical name, Jericho is also known for its iconic places of worship. The Anglo-Catholic St Barnabas Church [1] is the Church of England parish church in Jericho, next to the Oxford Canal. The Jericho Street Fair is held in mid-June each year, around the feast day of the patron saint Barnabas (11 June). The Albert Street Chapel [2] (Reformed Baptist) is also in the neighbourhood. The Oxford Oratory [3] with a shrine for Our Lady of Oxford is nearby in Woodstock Road.
The Oxford Synagogue (one of the few in England with more than one denomination of Judaism worshipping in the same house) and the Oxford Jewish Centre [4] are located in Jericho.
The headquarters of the Oxford University Press and St Sepulchre's Cemetery are located in the area off Walton Street on Great Clarendon Street.
Castlemill Boatyard is a 160-year-old wharf on the canal in Jericho, owned by British Waterways and now closed. There are controversial plans to sell the site. Since the yard's closure of the yard, Jericho Community Boatyard Ltd has been set up to restore services for Oxford Boaters and protect the future of Castlemill Boatyard[citation needed].
At the northern end of Jericho for many years, also by the canal, was Lucy's Eagle Ironworks, also now closed and awaiting redevelopment.
[edit] Jericho in literature
An episode of ITV drama series Inspector Morse, starring British actor John Thaw called "The Dead of Jericho", was partially filmed in the streets of Jericho and in the iconic 'Bookbinders Arms' pub on the corner of Victor Street.
Philip Pullman set parts of his novels Northern Lights and Lyra's Oxford in Jericho. In the books, Jericho is home to the water-dwelling "Gyptians". He has been a vocal advocate of the residential boaters fight to save the Castlemill Boatyard [5].
