Church of St Ebbe

Church of St Ebbe, Church Street

A church of mid to late 12th century origin with substantial 19th century reconstruction. The building comprises work by William Fisher (1814–17), George Edmund Street (1862–66), and A. Mardon Mowbray (1904).

The church is constructed of rubble stone walls with ashlar coping and quoins to the tower, with slate and tiled (south aisle) roofs. It follows a plan of chancel, nave, north and south aisles, and a west tower.

The tower is probably of the 12th century, though partial rebuilding took place in 1648. The nave and chancel date to 1814–16 and are built of stone in the Early English style with deliberately flat detailing, particularly evident along the north wall. A south aisle with windows in the Decorated style was added in 1862–68 by George Edmund Street, at which time a north aisle was created by inserting an arcade. The top stage of the tower was rebuilt at the same period. The uppermost stage of the tower was added in 1904–05.

A doorway of approximately 1170, with two orders of colonettes decorated with scallop capitals, an inner arch order of beakhead and outer order of zig-zag, was originally taken from the south wall in 1813 and inserted in the west wall to the south of the tower base in 1904–05.

Internally, matching arcades in the Early English style with slender, simple piers separate the nave from the aisles. A 19th century pulpit stands against the north side of the chancel arch, with 19th century choir stalls and early 20th century altar rails (missing gate as of 2005) remaining in the chancel. The first window from the east in the south aisle contains armorial glass dating from the 15th to 17th centuries. An octagonal stone font of crisp gothic carving dates to 1810–20. Three tablets on the north wall record armorial cartouches to Robert Whorwood (died 1688) and Frances Whorwood (died 1678), described as a "virtuous gentlewoman", and a simple classical monument to William Bodley (died 1717).

The dedication to a little-known Northumbrian saint may suggest an early foundation, possibly of the 10th century. St Ebbe's was granted to Eynsham Abbey around 1005. A rebuilding stylistically dated to approximately 1170 represents the earliest surviving fabric. Various enlargements and additions were made during the Middle Ages and early modern period. By 1813 the church was reported by two architects to be in dangerous condition. On their recommendation it was demolished, except for the lowest part of the tower and 22 feet of walling at the south-west corner. A new church was built 1814–16 to a design by William Fisher in the Early English style on the same site but extending further north to include the site of the former rectory house on the corner of St Ebbe's Street and Church Street. By 1826 this was deemed too small, but enlargement and restoration did not occur until 1862–68 under George Edmund Street, the diocesan architect. In 1904 under A. M. Mowbray the tower was heightened and a 12th century door from the old church inserted in the west wall.

St Ebbe's has been part of Oxford's ecclesiastical fabric for more than a thousand years. Although the medieval and later church was largely rebuilt in the early 19th century, the tower and parts of the nave were retained, forming an imposing composition. The two-phase 19th century rebuild is austere in character, yet William Fisher's early 19th century interpretation of the Early English style possesses academic interest.