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Canal Street is a residential street in Jericho, an inner suburb of Oxford, England, to the northwest of the city centre.
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The annual Jericho Street Fair takes place in Canal Street, close to 11 June, the feast day of the patron saint Barnabas.
Location
The street runs northwest–southeast, with the Oxford Canal just to the west, hence the name. The street is dominated by the campanile of St Barnabas Church. Towards the southern end is a junction with Great Clarendon Street, a major thoroughfare in Jericho.
The Jericho Community Centre, run by the Jericho Community Association, is located in Canal Street. Canal boats can be rented on the canal at Canal Street. A boatyard is also located on the canal here. To the south are the grounds of Worcester College.
History
Previously the Jericho area was part of the Walton Manor farm owned by St John's College, Oxford. The Oxford Canal was opened in 1790 and the street was named Canal Street around 1870. St Barnabas Church was consecrated in 1869. There used to be a ferry (with ferry house) and coal wharfs close to the north end of Canal Street. Flooding has always been an issue due to the proximity of the canal. Although most of the houses in the street are small two-storey terraced houses, Canal Street is now a popular inner-city residential street with high property prices due to its convenient central location.
Fiction
"Canal Reach" off Canal Street was used as the location of a murder in The Dead of Jericho, the first Inspector Morse novel by Colin Dexter, published in 1981. This was subsequently filmed in the area for television, starring John Thaw as Inspector Morse.