North Parade

North Parade, or more formally North Parade Avenue, is a short shopping street in north Oxford, England. It runs between Winchester Road opposite Church Walk to the west and Banbury Road (with Norham Road slightly north opposite) to the east. It is the only shopping street in North Oxford between the city centre to the south and Summertown to the north.

Overview

North Parade has been described as "one of the most interesting little streets in Oxford." It has pubs, shops and houses along the street. Over the years, local shops have given way to restaurants.

The Rose & Crown public house is on the north side and the Gardeners Arms pub is on the south side.

There are some additional commercial establishments stretching a little way south from North Parade along the Banbury Road. In particular, Gee's restaurant with its glasshouse structure, which used to be a florist and greengrocer, has been a restaurant since 1983.

History

The land at North Parade sold as 42 lots at an auction held at the Horse & Jockey public house in May 1833. Most of the land between St Giles' and Summertown was owned by St John's College, Oxford and was sold as leasehold. As North Oxford was developed as a suburb, North Parade became a small local shopping centre for the residences in the area.