Merton College Chapel from just north of the Meadow

Grove Walk (aka Merton Grove and Grove Passage) is a short historic leafy walkway running north–south 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 England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, situated on land between

Merton College Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor ...

to the east and Corpus Christi College to the west. It provides one of the entrances to Christ Church Meadow from the north. To the north, Grove Walk connects with Merton Street through a gateway surrounded by railings. On the other side of Merton Street, the route continues as the narrow medieval Magpie Lane. To the south it passes through what used to be the

city wall A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or Earthworks (military), earthworks to extensive military fortifications such as ...

and leads to Dead Man's Walk on Merton Field. Beyond that via Merton Walk to the wide Broad Walk is the main part of Christ Church Meadow. In 1701, Corpus Christi College attempted to acquire some of this strip of land, but this was resisted. To the south, the first

hot air balloon A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carri ...

ascent in Britain was made by James Sadler (1753–1828), when he ascended from Merton Field on 4 October 1783, landing northeast of Oxford in Woodeaton. An 1864 block separates Grove Walk from the Back Quad at Merton College. By the late 19th century, Magpie Lane to the north was known as "Grove Street", but in 1927 the name was changed back to Magpie Lane. The building in the south-western corner of Merton College is also called Grove. The name perhaps derives because this area used to be an orchard.

References

Bibliography

* Footpaths in Oxford Merton College, Oxford Corpus Christi College, Oxford Christ Church Meadow, Oxford {{Oxfordshire-geo-stub