Jericho, Oxford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jericho |
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 Jericho and the tower of St Barnabas Church seen from the Oxford Canal |
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 Jericho
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| OS grid reference | SP504069 |
| Civil parish |
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| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Oxford |
| Postcode district | OX2 |
| Dialling code | 01865 |
| Police | Thames Valley |
| Fire | Oxfordshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament |
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| Website | Oxford City Council |
Jericho is a cool, historic neighborhood in the English city of Oxford. It's surrounded by the Oxford Canal, Worcester College, Walton Street, and Walton Well Road. Long ago, it was outside the old city wall. This made it a perfect resting spot for travelers who arrived after the city gates had closed for the night. The name Jericho might have been chosen because it felt like a 'remote place' outside the city. In early 2021, about 7,000 people lived in the Jericho and Osney areas.
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Jericho's Past: A Look Back
Jericho started as an industrial area. This was because the Oxford Canal arrived in 1790, making it easy to transport goods. Factories like the Eagle Ironworks (now apartments) and the Oxford University Press were built here. Many homes were small, two-story houses for workers from the Victorian times. Today, with its old terraced houses and many restaurants, Jericho is a popular place for students and people who travel to London for work.
In the 1870s, many homes in Jericho had very poor drainage. This meant that low-lying areas often flooded. Poor drainage and crowded living conditions led to health problems. Diseases like typhoid and dysentery were common. For example, in 1873, five out of eleven typhoid deaths in Oxford happened in Jericho.
In the early 1960s, there were plans to knock down Jericho. The idea was to replace it with new factories and homes. But many people loved Jericho and fought to save it. Local councillor Olive Gibbs and the Jericho Residents Association led the effort. Their hard work paid off, and the plans were changed. Some houses that were too old to fix were taken down. However, many others were improved in the late 1960s and early 1970s with help from the city council. This encouraged many young professionals and families to move in. Soon, Jericho became one of Oxford's most popular places to live. New council and social housing were also built in the 1970s and 1980s.
Community Spirit in Jericho
Jericho has a very strong community spirit. The Jericho Community Association helps run the Jericho Community Centre on Canal Street. They also manage the community website, Jericho Online. Each year in mid-June, they organize the fun Jericho Street Fair. This fair happens around June 11th, which is the feast day of Barnabas, the area's patron saint. The association also works on other community projects. They are actively involved in planning how the land next to the canal, behind St Barnabas Church, should be developed. They hope to build a new Community Centre there as part of the Jericho Wharf Trust.
Jericho has a primary school called St Barnabas Primary School. It's a large school where more than half of the students speak English as a second language. Since 2011, parents and teachers from the school's PTA have organized "Run Jericho." This popular running event takes place every June. It includes a 1-mile fun run for kids, plus 5 km and 10 km races. The routes go through Worcester College, the streets of Jericho, Port Meadow, Wolvercote, and along the River Thames path. Run Jericho is the biggest fundraising event for St Barnabas Primary School. It promotes healthy living and helps strengthen the community. Since 2023, St Barnabas Primary School, St Barnabas Church, and the Jericho Community Association have teamed up to create "Jericho Fest." This means the Jericho Street Fair, Run Jericho, and St Barnabas Day Mass all happen on the same weekend in June!
Jericho is also known for its many places of worship, which fits its biblical name. The Church of England parish church is the Anglo-Catholic St Barnabas Church. It's located right next to the Oxford Canal. St Sepulchre's Cemetery is off Walton Street. The Albert Street Chapel (Reformed Baptist) is also in the neighborhood. The Oxford Synagogue and the Oxford Jewish Centre are in Jericho too. The synagogue is special because it's one of the few in England where different types of Judaism worship in the same building.
Castlemill Boatyard is an old wharf on the canal in Jericho. It's over 160 years old. It used to be owned by British Waterways but is now closed. The land was sold to a company that later had financial problems. A new developer bought the land, but it hasn't been built on yet. The Jericho Wharf Trust is working with the developer. They want to create a community hub there, including a new boatyard and community center. One part of the Trust, Jericho Community Boatyard Ltd, wants to bring back services for boaters in Oxford.
Next to the Castlemill Boatyard was an old ferry house and chain ferry. This ferry helped people cross to the South Oxford Canal towpath. From there, they could walk to Port Meadow and the River Thames. Now, a footbridge has replaced the ferry. The site is now the College Cruisers Wharf, accessed from Combe Road off Canal Street. It's a busy place for hiring boats and a working boatyard. It provides important services for local and visiting narrowboats. It's the first and last service stop for boats before they travel on the River Thames or leave it.
The local cinema has changed names a few times. It opened in 1913 as the North Oxford Kinema. In 1925, it became The Scala. In 1977, a London company called Contemporary Entertainments took over. They renamed it the Phoenix, which is its name today. It shows new movies and special art house films.
In 2015, a local group started a campaign called 'Change Your Mind'. They wanted to change how people thought about North Oxford. They hoped to correct wrong ideas and offer support for people joining their activities.
In 2017, Jericho was ranked number 11 on a list of the UK’s 'most hip' places. This ranking was made by TravelSupermarket. They looked at things like vegan cafes, independent bike shops, vinyl record stores, and local coffee shops. In 2018, Jericho dropped to number 20 on the list. However, it still got full marks for 'creative capital' for the second year in a row. This category looked at co-working and creative spaces.
Jericho in Stories and TV
The famous author Thomas Hardy set a scene in his novel Jude the Obscure at St Barnabas Church. It's thought that the town called 'Beersheba' in the book is based on Jericho. To honor Hardy, one of Jericho's pubs was renamed Jude the Obscure in 1996.
The first episode of the long-running TV show Inspector Morse was partly filmed in Jericho. This episode, called "The Dead of Jericho", featured streets like Combe Road. It also showed the outside of the Bookbinders Arms public house. The spin-off show Lewis also has stories set in this area.
Author Philip Pullman set parts of his books Northern Lights and Lyra's Oxford in Jericho. In these stories, Jericho is home to the "Gyptians," who live on the water. Pullman has also spoken out to support the boaters who live on the canal. He helped them fight to save the Castlemill Boatyard.
Pip Williams, an author from London, set her 2023 book, The Bookbinder of Jericho, in this working-class neighborhood. The main characters, twin sisters Peggy and Maude Jones, work at the bindery at Oxford University Press. They live on a narrowboat on the Oxford Canal. Their story takes place when World War I was starting, and the Oxford English Dictionary was being put together and printed.
Images for kids
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Looking north down Walton Street from the southeast corner of Jericho. Oxford University Press is on the left and Somerville College on the right
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The former Jericho Health Centre on Walton Street, seen in 2005
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Jericho Street Fair Stalls.
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Morris dancers in Cardigan Street
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Music outside the Bookbinders pub in Canal Street
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The Jericho Tavern and the Phoenix Picture House
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Jubilee Street Party, 2012, in Cardigan Street
