Few people wandering through Jericho can fail to spot the lofty, Italianesque tower of St Barnabas Church, which dominates the skyline and dwarfs all other buildings around. This ecclesiastical gem was given the nod of approval by Sir John Betjeman, and described by A N Wilson as "the most impressive architectural monument in sight".

It is the most prominent legacy of Thomas Combe, a former master printer at the Oxford University Press, who ploughed much of his considerable fortune into the local community.

More significantly, perhaps, he established Jericho as the favourite stomping ground of the Pre-Raphaelite painters in the early 1850s, and it was his encouragement and patronage that allowed the movement to flourish and gain international recognition.

He was born in Leicester on July 21, 1796, the son of a bookseller and the second of six children.

After finishing his education at Repton School in Derby, he worked for a while in his father's bookshop, but in 1824 moved to Oxford to help at Parker's bookshop in Turl Street.

During this time he stayed at his sister's lodgings in St Mary Hall Lane (now Oriel Street), where his fellow lodgers included John Henry Newman (later Cardinal) and Edward Pusey. Both were pioneers of the Oxford (or Tractarian) Movement, which aimed to restore the Church of England to its pre-Reformation, Catholic roots.

Combe himself became a strong supporter of the movement, a fact later reflected in the ritualistic services at St Barnabas Church.

In 1826 Combe was briefly a partner in Michael Angelo Nattali's bookselling business in London, before rejoining his father in Leicester, where he worked for more than ten years.

He returned to Oxford in 1838 to work for Oxford University Press as a superintendent of the Learned division, which focused on the publication of classical texts.

For this he was offered a salary of £450 a year, plus a house in the quadrangle of the Oxford University Press site in Walton Street, where he lived for the rest of his life.

Combe's return to Oxford brought him once again into contact with John Newman, who introduced him to Martha Edwards, the daughter of a High Street ironmonger and a fellow supporter of the Oxford Movement. The pair married on September 3, 1840, with Newman officiating.

Meanwhile, Combe was becoming increasingly influential at the Oxford University Press. Although still working in the Learned division, his interest lay in the Bible division. After his marriage he became a major shareholder, eventually taking over the running of that side of the business, turning it into a very profitable concern and greatly increasing his personal wealth in the process.

In 1859 Combe was awarded an honorary MA by Oxford University in recognition of his achievements. At his MA ceremony, the public orator praised his "honourable exertions and ceaseless labours". Combe took great pride in this award, and could frequently be seen around the Oxford University Press offices in a Magdalen College blazer and his MA gown.

By this time, the Combes had become involved with the Pre-Raphaelite Movement, which had been formed in London in 1848, but initially without much success.

It was the artists' passion for using open-air scenes as background for their paintings that led Thomas Combe, in 1850, to come across John Everett Millais and his young acolyte, Charles Allston Collins (younger brother of novelist Wilkie Collins), painting in Botley Wood. They struck up an immediate friendship, and by the end of September Millais and Collins had moved into the Combes' house in Walton Street.

Combe often suggested ideas for paintings, which he then bought. These included Collins' Convent Thoughts, the background of which was partly inspired by the Combes' garden, as well as Millais' The Return of the Dove to the Ark and his famous portrait of Thomas, which was apparently completed in four sittings of two hours each.

Soon William Holman Hunt joined the enclave in Jericho, and here painted his famous The Light of the World, which Combe bought for 400 guineas. Martha Combe later presented the painting to Keble College, which had been built in memory of John Keble, an early pioneer of the Oxford Movement. She also financed the side-chapel at Keble to house the painting.

Martha was herself an accomplished painter, who had once studied with watercolourist David Cox. She became a maternal figure to the young painters, who affectionately, but somewhat intriguingly, nicknamed her Mrs Pat. She became particularly close to Millais, helping him to find props for his paintings, and corresponding with him after he had left Oxford.

Combe's patronage established Jericho as the true birthplace of the Pre-Raphaelite Movement, and ensured its survival at a time when its followers were receiving harsh comments from the critics.

But not all of Thomas Combe's wealth was poured into the arts. He was keen to build much-needed amenities for the growing population of Jericho, and in 1865 provided £3,000 to build St Luke's Chapel at the Radcliffe Infirmary. Designed by Arthur Blomfield, it is now sadly closed to the public, as the site has been bought for redevelopment by the University of Oxford.

A bigger project, for which Combe provided £6,500, was St Barnabas Church, which was again designed by Blomfield, with the interior modelled on the cathedral of Torcello, near Venice.

The land was provided by William Ward, a fellow of Balliol, and a leading figure in the Oxford Movement.

Inside the church, at the foot of one of the stone pillars near the high altar, you can see a carving of Thomas Combe's face, and on the opposite corner, a carving of the face of his much-loved dog, Jessie.

The altar and part of the screen in the Lady Chapel were commissioned by Martha Combe as a memorial to her husband; the outer panels were added after Martha's own death in 1893 as a memorial to her and to two parishioners who died on the same day.

Combe died suddenly of angina on October 28, 1872, and was buried at St Sepulchre's Cemetery in Walton Street. On his death, Martha bequeathed his collection of paintings to the Ashmolean Museum, with the exception of The Light of the World, which can still be seen in the side-chapel at Keble College.

Martha survived her husband by 21 years, during which time she created a children's wing at the Radcliffe Infirmary. She died on December 27, 1893, and was buried next to her husband at St Sepulchre's.

A blue plaque now adorns the outer wall of St Barnabas Church, and is a tribute to a couple who left a considerable legacy, both to the local community and to the art world.