Merton Street
Merton Street is a cobbled street in central Oxford, England. It runs east–west just south of the High Street and connects with the High Street near the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art and the Eastgate Hotel at the east gate. The street continues west to Oriel Square, where an entrance to Christ Church is located, and at the eastern end you’ll find the Pink House and an entrance to University College.
To the south lies Merton College, and to the west the street fronts Corpus Christi College. North of the street are Logic Lane and Magpie Lane. The Merton Street tennis court is a rare surviving real tennis court. Merton Grove on the south side provides pedestrian access between Merton College, Corpus Christi College, and Christ Church Meadow.
The A420 designation applies because the High Street is blocked to regular traffic. The western part of the street used to be called Coach & Horses Lane and later King Street. The eastern part was originally St John Baptist’s Street. In 1751 the whole street became King Street, but by 1772 the east–west section was named Merton Street, and it wasn’t until the 20th century that the entire street was known as Merton Street.
Notable residents have included poet Siegfried Sassoon, who stayed at number 14 in 1919; historian Michael Brock and his wife Eleanor in the early 1950s; and author J. R. R. Tolkien, who lived there in the late 1960s to early 1970s.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 09:04 (CET).