Paradise Street is a historical street in central
Oxford
Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town.
The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
, England.
It is in the
St Ebbe's area of Oxford, to the southwest of
Oxford Castle
Oxford Castle is a large, partly ruined medieval castle on the western side of central Oxford in Oxfordshire, England. Most of the original moated, wooden motte and bailey castle was replaced in stone in the late 12th or early 13th century and ...
.
The street runs from
Paradise Square to
Quaking Bridge, across
Castle Mill Stream
Castle Mill Stream is a long Backwater (river), backwater of the River Thames in the west of Oxford, England. It has its own secondary backwater, known as the Wareham Stream, that is long.
Course Castle Mill Stream
The Castle Mill Stream l ...
. It continues to the east into
Castle Street.
Historically, both
Greyfriars and
Blackfriars lived here.
The Jolly Farmers public house, a tavern originating in 1592, and in continual use ever since, sits on the corner of Paradise Street and Square. It has been the main Oxford LGBTQ+ venue since 1982. On the south side of the street is a late 17th-century house, Greyfriars, conserved in 1985. The two Greyfriars buildings on this street are now luxury holiday rentals called Greyfriars Hideaway.
Swan Bridge is a
Grade II listed
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...
bridge over the Castle Mill Stream forming part of Paradise Street. The bridge was Grade II listed in 1972.
The
Swan's Nest Brewery, later the Swan Brewery, was established by the early 18th century in Paradise Street. In 1795, it was acquired by William Hall. The brewery became known as Hall's Oxford Brewery, which acquired other local breweries. Hall's Brewery was acquired by
Samuel Allsopp & Sons in 1926, after which it ceased brewing in Oxford.
In 1885,
Castle Terrace was built by
F. J. Codd in the street. This became
Simon House but has since been demolished and is now under transformation to become apartments. At the top end of the street is
Westgate Oxford, the transformed shopping centre that is now home to many luxury brands, coffee shops, gyms, cinema, delis and restaurants.
See also
*
Westgate Shopping Centre, Oxford
Gallery
File:Old rectory in Paradise Square - geograph.org.uk - 1321325.jpg, The former St Ebbe's Rectory, designed by G. E. Street in 1852, off Paradise Street
File:Old house off Paradise Street - geograph.org.uk - 1388686.jpg, Another view of the St Ebbe's Rectory
File:Blue Plaque - geograph.org.uk - 1388677.jpg, .Blue plaque
A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom, and certain other countries and territories, to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving a ...
for John Stansfeld (1854–1939), Rector of St Ebbe's Church 1912–26, on the wall of the former St Ebbe's Rectory
File:Detail on the porch - geograph.org.uk - 1388698.jpg, Detail of the porch on the former school on Paradise Street
File:The Jolly Farmer - geograph.org.uk - 1388626.jpg, The Jolly Farmer public house
A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...
on Paradise Street
References
Streets in Oxford
{{Oxfordshire-geo-stub