Kemp Hall

Kemp Hall is a Grade II* listed building located at the south end of the garden of No 130 High Street, Oxford. Built in 1637 by Alderman William Boswell, it is recognized as one of the best preserved and least altered sub-medieval buildings in Oxford. The house features a long rectangular plan oriented north-south and faces east. It is two storeys high, constructed with plastered timber framing, and includes cellars and five attic gables that correspond to five bays. The west wall is made of stone and contains the stacks, featuring four gables.

The east elevation has a stone plinth with cellar windows, and the ground floor includes a wood-framed doorway with moulded jambs and a four-centred head, which displays the date 1637 in the spandrels. Above the doorway is an elaborate hood with moulded pendants. There are three original window frames with two and three lights, each having moulded mullions. The first and second floors feature an overhang and five scroll-bracketed oriels with moulded frames and mullions; the two oriels on the north side have been altered and combined into one. The gables contain two, three, and four-light mullioned windows, with the central gable window being boxed out. The roof is covered with tiles and Welsh slate.

Inside, Kemp Hall retains original fireplaces, doorways, and an original staircase. Alderman Boswell lived in No 130 and built this house in his garden. In the 19th century, it was used as a police station. The building is part of a group of listed buildings on the south side of the street.