Undiscovered Oxford:
the Jericho Walking Tour

Oxford’s industrial past, brought to life

There’s more to Oxford than the dreaming spires!

Just a few minutes north of the city centre, Jericho was once the industrial heart of Oxford. Today it’s one of the most desirable neighbourhoods in the country - but 150 years ago it was smoky, noisy, smelly and relentlessly productive.

This walking tour begins in 1790, with the arrival of the canal, and follows Jericho’s story right through to the present day. We visit the sites of the two major employers without whom the Jericho we see today would not exist.

Along the way we’ll encounter kings, politicians, celebrated musicians - and even an American president!

But our focus will be on the factory workers, printers, publishers and hospital staff who worked, lived and died on these streets.

The tour is filled with little facts and stories, not long lists of dates. It lasts for around two hours and the route covers 1.5 miles (2.5km) and is largely flat, with just a few steps over a footbridge and one gentle hill. A slightly longer but fully accessible route, avoiding the footbridge, is available upon request.

Our meeting point is Wellington Square, around five minutes’ walk from the Ashmolean Museum and Randolph Hotel.

Tours usually run on Sunday mornings and Thursday afternoons. Dates and times for upcoming tours can be found on our booking page. Booking is strongly recommended.

Private tours (with flexible dates and times) are also available upon request.

If you want to scratch beneath the surface of Oxford - whether you’re visiting for the first time or have lived here for decades - this is the walk that will make you say, ‘well, I never knew that!’

The tour

There’s more to Oxford than the dreaming spires!

Along the way we’ll encounter kings, politicians, celebrated musicians - and even an American president!

But our focus will be on the factory workers, printers, publishers and hospital staff who worked, lived and died on these streets.

Our meeting point is Wellington Square, around five minutes’ walk from the Ashmolean Museum and Randolph Hotel.

Tours usually run on Sunday mornings and Thursday afternoons. Dates and times for upcoming tours can be found on our booking page. Booking is strongly recommended.

Private tours (with flexible dates and times) are also available upon request.

I’m Rob and I’ll be your guide for the Jericho Walking Tour!

I grew up in Cornwall in the southwest of England, but over 25 years ago I moved to Jericho - and Oxford has been my home ever since.

I’m not a trained historian; I simply love sharing stories. Undiscovered Oxford grew out of years spent exploring the city’s lesser-known history, particularly the industrial story of Jericho. What began as a personal fascination gradually became a carefully researched and thoughtfully designed walking tour.

Jericho is often overlooked in favour of Oxford’s colleges, yet its industrial past shaped the city in profound ways. My aim is to reveal that hidden layer - clearly, engagingly, and without overwhelming you with dates and detail.

Please have a look at the FAQ section below for some useful information on prices, booking and accessibility.

Whether you’re visiting Oxford for the first time or have lived here all your life, I hope you’ll leave having discovered something new!

Your guide

I’m Rob and I’ll be your guide for the Jericho Walking Tour!

I grew up in Cornwall in the southwest of England, but over 25 years ago I moved to Jericho - and Oxford has been my home ever since.

Please have a look at the FAQ section below for some useful information on prices, booking and accessibility.

Whether you’re visiting Oxford for the first time or have lived here all your life, I hope you’ll leave having discovered something new!

FAQ

Tours usually take place on:
Sundays - 10.30am
Thursdays - 4.00pm
For a full list of available dates and times for our upcoming tours, please visit our booking page.
If the date you want is not available, please contact us to enquire about arranging a private tour.
Adults (16+) - £20
Children (8-15) - £12
Children aged 7 & under - no charge
There is an additional £1 booking fee per ticket.
Please click here to visit our booking page. Payment is made at the time of booking.
There is no charge for children aged 7 and under, but a place must still be booked for them - please select this option when making your booking.
Yes - our group size is limited and so booking is definitely recommended.
If you decide to come along without a booking, you can meet us at Wellington Square at the advertised time and we’ll do our best to accommodate you.
Cancellations are accepted up to 24 hours before the tour begins.
Cancellations made less than 24 hours in advance will not be refunded, though we will be happy to move your booking to an alternative date free of charge, subject to availability.
Just contact us if you need to cancel and we’ll refund your account automatically (minus a £1 fee to cover administration and bank charges). Additionally, the initial booking fee of £1 per ticket is non-refundable.
Therefore each cancelled ticket incurs a charge of £2 total. There is no cancellation fee for children aged 7 and under.
We meet just north of the city centre, at the junction of Wellington Square and St John’s Street.
This is around five minutes’ walk from the Ashmolean Museum. The postcode is OX1 2JA.
Google Maps link
What Three Words link: simply.mild.deputy
We finish at the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter on Woodstock Road, a 10 minute walk from the city centre.
The Jericho Walking Tour lasts for around two hours. The route is approximately 1.5 miles (2.5km) long.
If a member of the group has accessibility issues, the route will be slightly adapted and this will take around 10 minutes longer.
Private tours are available, with some flexibility on dates and times.
Please contact us for information on pricing and to discuss dates.
The standard route includes a footbridge which is not suitable for wheelchair users, but we can take an alternative route to avoid this without missing any key parts of the tour. Please note: this will add around 10 minutes and 500 metres to the total length of the tour.
There is also one gentle hill.
Unless the weather is really extreme, the tour will run as planned. The route is all on pavement and good quality paths - it shouldn’t be muddy at any point.
Please note - refunds will only be provided if the tour is cancelled by us, or if you cancel within 24 hours of the start of the tour as per our cancellation policy.
Although the tour is designed for adults and older children, there is no content which is particularly inappropriate for young children.
There is no charge for children aged 7 or under, though we do still ask that you book them a place so we know how many people will be in the group.
In the very unlikely event of an accident, we carry public liability insurance up to £5m.

Tours usually take place on:
Sundays - 10.30am
Thursdays - 4.00pm
For a full list of available dates and times for our upcoming tours, please visit our booking page.
If the date you want is not available, please contact me to enquire about arranging a private tour.
Adults (16+) - £20
Children (8-15) - £12
Children aged 7 & under - no charge
There is an additional £1 booking fee per ticket.
Please click here to visit our booking page. Payment is made at the time of booking.
There is no charge for children aged 7 and under, but a place must still be booked for them - please select this option when making your booking.
Yes - our group size is limited and so booking is definitely recommended.
If you decide to come along without a booking, you can meet us at Wellington Square at the advertised time and we’ll do our best to accommodate you.
Cancellations are accepted up to 24 hours before the tour begins.
Cancellations made less than 24 hours in advance will not be refunded, though we will be happy to move your booking to an alternative date free of charge, subject to availability.
Just contact us if you need to cancel and we’ll refund your account automatically (minus a £1 fee to cover administration and bank charges). Additionally, the initial booking fee of £1 per ticket is non-refundable.
Therefore each cancelled ticket incurs a charge of £2 total. There is no cancellation fee for children aged 7 and under.
Private tours are available, with some flexibility on dates and times.
Please contact me for information on pricing and to discuss dates.

We meet just north of the city centre, at the junction of Wellington Square and St John’s Street.
This is around five minutes’ walk from the Ashmolean Museum. The postcode is OX1 2JA.
Google Maps link
What Three Words link: simply.mild.deputy
We finish at the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter on Woodstock Road, a 10 minute walk from the city centre.
The Jericho Walking Tour lasts for around two hours. The route is approximately 1.5 miles (2.5km) long.
If a member of the group has accessibility issues, the route will be slightly adapted and this will take around 10 minutes longer.
The standard route includes a footbridge which is not suitable for wheelchair users, but we can take a diversion to avoid this without missing any key parts of the tour. Please note: this will add around 10 minutes and 500 metres to the total length of the tour.
There is one gentle hill which we’ll descend then climb again.
Unless the weather is really extreme, the tour will run as planned. The route is all on pavement and good quality paths - it shouldn’t be muddy at any point.
Please note - refunds will only be provided if the tour is cancelled by us, or if you cancel within 24 hours of the start of the tour as per our cancellation policy.
Although the tour is designed for adults and older children, there is no content which is particularly inappropriate for young children.
There is no charge for children aged 7 or under, though we do still ask that you book them a place so we know how many people will be in the group.
In the very unlikely event of an accident, we carry public liability insurance up to £5m.

Reviews

Here’s a short selection of what some of our recent customers have said about us. Visit our Google Reviews page for our latest comments!

A great walking tour of a fascinating area of Oxford that you would probably never find without a guide. Rob really brings Jericho to life through stories full of facts. It’s a lovely walk along the canal too and Rob is an engaging and fun guide. Highly recommend this for anyone wanting to explore whilst be entertained.
Darren

A very good tour - I’ve lived in Oxford all my life and thought I knew Jericho but I learnt so much. Great job!
David

Fantastic walking tour of Jericho and its history. Something a bit different to the usual colleges / central Oxford tours by a fabulous knowledgeable guide.
Alex

Big thanks to Rob for a fabulous couple of hours spent in Oxford. I can’t imagine any other way I would have learned the nuggets of local history that he shared on the Jericho tour. The breadth of info you usually get on the wider area tours is fine, but the depth you get from a tour like this will make all the future strolls to a Jericho pub, cinema, or Port Meadow much more colourful. Highly recommended!
Marlo

I really enjoyed this walking tour of Jericho. I particularly liked that it focussed on the industry and people of Oxford, like the Eagle Ironworks, and "Rats and Mice Hill" and the workhouse, rather than the typical colleges and Harry Potter. Rob spoke well and was very engaging and informative.
Inigo

Here’s a short selection of what some of our recent customers have said about us. Visit our Google Reviews page for our latest comments!

Darren

A very good tour - I’ve lived in Oxford all my life and thought I knew Jericho but I learnt so much. Great job!

David

Fantastic walking tour of Jericho and its history. Something a bit different to the usual colleges / central Oxford tours by a fabulous knowledgeable guide.

Alex

Marlo

Inigo