Merton Street
Encyclopedia
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It joins the High Street
High Street, Oxford
The High Street in Oxford, England runs between Carfax, generally recognized as the centre of the city, and Magdalen Bridge to the east. Locally the street is often known as The High. It forms a gentle curve and is the subject of many prints, paintings, photographs, etc...
at its northeastern end, between the Ruskin School of Drawing & Fine Art (together with the Examination Schools
Examination Schools
The Examination Schools of the University of Oxford are located at 75–81 High Street, Oxford, England.The building was designed by Sir Thomas Jackson , who also designed the cricket pavilion in the University Parks...
) and the Eastgate Hotel
Eastgate Hotel
The Eastgate Hotel was originally a 17th century coaching inn on the south side of the High Street in central Oxford, England....
at the historic east gate of the city. It then runs east-west, parallel and to the south of the High Street for most of its length.
Merton College, one of Oxford's older colleges, is situated to the south of the street. To the west of Merton, Corpus Christi College
Corpus Christi College, Oxford
Corpus Christi College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom...
, one of Oxford's smallest colleges, also fronts onto the street. At the very western end, actually in Oriel Square
Oriel Square
Oriel Square, formerly known as Canterbury Square is a square in central Oxford, England, located south of the High Street. The name was changed after the Second World War at the request of Oriel College which maintained that the square had originally been known as Oriel Square.To the east at the...
, is an entrance to Christ Church
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
, Oxford's largest college. At the eastern end can be found the notorious 'Pink House', as well as an entrance to University College
University College, Oxford
.University College , is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2009 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £110m...
.
Logic Lane
Logic Lane
Logic Lane is a small historic cobbled lane through University College in Oxford, England, so-called because it was the location of a school of logicians. It links the High Street at the front of the college with Merton Street to the rear, which is also cobbled...
(through University College, which backs onto the street) and Magpie Lane
Magpie Lane, Oxford
Magpie Lane is a narrow historic lane in central Oxford, England. It leads south from the High Street where it is at its narrowest, now completely pedestrianised as a pavement, and north from the cobbled Merton Street....
, both narrow lanes, lead off the street to the north. Also located here is the Merton Street tennis court
Merton Street tennis court
Merton Street tennis court is the home of the Oxford University Real Tennis Club. It stands on the north side of Merton Street in central Oxford, England, and forms part of Merton College....
, a rare example of an extant real tennis
Real tennis
Real tennis – one of several games sometimes called "the sport of kings" – is the original indoor racquet sport from which the modern game of lawn tennis , is descended...
court. To the south is Merton Grove (opposite Magpie Lane), providing pedestrian access between Merton College and Corpus Christi College to Christ Church Meadow to the south.
The street is designated the A420
A420 road
The A420 is a road between Bristol and Oxford in England. Between Swindon and Oxford it is a primary route.-Present route:Since the opening of the M4 motorway, the road is in two sections. The first section begins on Old Market Street near the centre of Bristol, it passes through Kingswood before...
due to the blockage of the High Street to normal traffic. To the west it continues through Oriel Square, where Oriel College is located.
The street occasionally gets repaired incompetently by Oxford City Council using Asphalt, as reported in the Oxford Mail.
History
The part of modern-day Merton Street adjoining the High Street used to be known as Coach & Horses Lane, named after a public house on the west side of the lane. From the early 18th to the late 19th century, it became known as King Street.The rest of the street (the part running east-west) was originally known as St John Baptist's Street, named after the church which is now Merton College's chapel. In 1751, the whole street had become King Street, but by 1772 just the east-west part was called Merton Street. The entire street became known as Merton Street only in the 20th century.
The academic and author J. R. R. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
had rooms in Merton Street towards the end of his life in the early 1970s.