Merton Street, Oxford and its merge with King Street
The two different parts of Merton Street
Merton Street today is L-shaped:
- The first part runs southwards from the High Street between the Eastgate Hotel at 73 High Street (called the Flying Horse until the 1890s) and the Ruskin School of Art (until 1880 the houses at 74. 75. & 76 High Street). It was originally known as Coach & Horses Lane after a pub at 23 King Street on the west side, then from the early eighteenth to the early twentieth centuries it was known as King Street
- The second part runs westwards after a sharp right turn parallel to the High Street all the way to Oriel Square and until the mid-nineteenth century was called St John Baptist’s Street or just St John Street (after the St John the Baptist Church which used to share the Merton College Chapel building).
There were few houses left in King Street by the early twentieth century. The west side, including Tanner's Yard and the Coach & Horses pub at No. 23, had been obliterated by the Examination Schools and the rebuilt Eastgate Hotel (formerly the Flying Horse) had expanded down the east side. As there was now a King Street in Jericho and a King Edward Street in central Oxford, it made sense to lose the name, and the remaining houses in this King Street were tacked on to the end of Merton Street (which had fortunately been numbered from west to east so no numbering was required.)
1876 Street Plan and 1900 map
This section of the Street Plan of Oxford shows in detail all the buildings in Merton Street and King Street in 1876: make it full screen and then zoom in.
See also National Library of Scotland map showing Merton Street and King Street in c.1900 (with matching current map to the right)
Former parishes
- King Street and the eastern part of Merton Street were originally in the parish of St Peter-in-the-East
- The western part of Merton Street was in the parish of St John-the-Baptist until 1890 (when that church was taken over entirely by Merton College) and then in the parish of St Peter-in-the-East
The parish cemetery for this area is Holywell, and many of its residents were buried there from 1848.
The loss of the name “King Street” took place between the 1901 and 1911 census, as shown in the table below:
NORTH SIDE of Merton StreetFrom Magpie Lane (formerly Grove Street) running east to the sharp left turn into what used to be King Street |
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1901 census(Entry in Kelly's Directory |
1911 census |
2024(including Historic England |
Here is Magpie Lane (formerly Grove Street) |
||
1, 2, & 3 Merton Street |
1, 2, & 3 Merton Street |
1, 2, & 3 Merton Street |
4 Merton Street [with H. J. Fletcher, |
4 Merton Street Mr Grundy |
4 Merton Street |
5 Merton Street |
5 Merton Street |
5 Merton Street |
6 Merton Street [John Dickinson in 1899] |
6 Merton Street: Mr Dickinson |
6 Merton Street |
7 Merton Street No listing [H. J. Fletcher, |
7 Merton Street: Stables |
7 Merton Street |
8 Merton Street |
— | 8 Merton Street |
Here is Logic Lane |
||
9 Merton Street [Revd Edward Walker in 1899] |
9 Merton Street
No listing | |
10 Merton Street [Frederick Dolley, Baths in 1899] |
10 Merton Street No listing | 10 & 11 Merton Street Building that used to housethe History Faculty, then the Philosophy Faculty |
11 Merton Street |
11 Merton Street
No listing | |
12 Merton Street [Mrs Margaret Thicke in 1899] |
12 Merton Street Jane Thicke |
12 Merton Street |
13 Merton Street [Richard Dry in 1899] |
13 Merton Street Housekeeper to Mr Theodosius |
13 Merton Street |
14 Merton St |
14 Merton Street William Walton |
14 Merton Street (Sedan Hall) |
15 Merton Street |
15 Merton Street Thomas Johnson |
15 Merton Street |
16 Merton Street |
16 Merton Street Mary Ann Weedon |
16 Merton Street |
17 Merton Street [Mrs Priest in 1899] |
17 Merton Street William Fyfe |
17 Merton Street |
18 Merton Street [The Misses West in 1899] |
18 Merton Street Francis Hill |
18 Merton Street |
SOUTH SIDE of Merton Street, West to EastNo houses: just Corpus Christi College and Merton College |
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The former KING STREET (now the north-east side of Merton Street)Continuation of the street after the corner, running up to the High Street, east side only |
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1901 census |
1911 census |
2024 |
[18 King Street: |
[19 Merton Street: No listing] |
19 Merton Street |
17 King Street [Mrs Sarah Thornton |
20 Merton Street No listing |
20 Merton Street |
| 16 King Street No listing |
21 Merton Street Walter How |
21 Merton Street |
15 [14?] King Street [Miss Archer in 1899] |
22 Merton Street Servants of John Miles |
22 Merton Street |
14 King Street [Miss Martin in 1899] |
23 Merton Street Servants of Percy Allen |
Further expansion down |
13 King Street |
?24 Merton Street Not listed |
|
12 King Street [Mrs Steventon in 1899] |
?25 Merton Street Servants of the Revd C. H. Blagden |
|
11 King Street [Mrs Edmonds in 1899] |
?26 Merton Street | |
10 King Street |
?27 Merton Street | |
9 King Street |
Expansion down Merton Street of Eastgate Hotel at 72 High Street |
|
8 King Street |
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7 King Street [Albert Cripps in 1899] |
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6 King Street |
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4 King Street [Should this be No. 5 |
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The photograph below marks the point where both Merton Street and King Street used to come to an end. On the left are the President of Corpus's lodgings at 18 Merton Street, and on the right are the Warden of Merton's Lodgings at 19 Merton Street (once 18 King Street):
