HARPSICHORD Place, a modern development off Cherwell Street, St Clement's, is a revival of an old Oxford name.

The old Harpsichord Row was a line of buildings facing the elegant homes in London Place, at the eastern end of St Clement’s towards the foot of Headington Hill.

A footpath ran between the buildings, with the road to London behind Harpsichord Row.

Harpsichord Row – so called because it was apparently shaped like a harpsichord – was demolished in 1929 so that the road could be widened.

Memory Lane this week

Now Pat Clements, who was born in East Oxford, is trying to find out more about this forgotten area of the city.

She has discovered that her father-in-law, Harry Ball, was possibly landlord of the nearby Rising Sun pub, one of the buildings in Harpsichord Row.

It was recorded as a beer retailer’s in 1872 and was probably not a pub until 1880 when Thomas Savage was landlord. He was replaced by Mr J W Howard a few years later. It is not known when Mr Ball ran the pub.

Dr Clements, who now lives near Carmarthen in Wales, writes: “There is not much information on this particular area of Oxford and it would be great to expand on what little we know.”

She has discovered that the pub was owned by Halls Brewery.

Can anyone tell us more about Harpsichord Row and the Rising Sun pub and confirm whether Harry Ball was one of the landlords?

 

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