The University of Oxford has acquired St Paul’s Church in Jericho, Oxford, for the Blavatnik School of Government, helping to ensure this important local building can be protected for the years ahead. This has been made possible by the generosity of the School’s founding donor, Sir Leonard Blavatnik. 

Ngaire Woods, Dean of the School, said: 

The University has a strong record of investing in high-quality spaces for both the academic community and the wider public. We are proud of our new neighbour, the recently opened Schwarzman Centre, which has already created an exceptional new public and cultural space for Oxford in the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter. In the same spirit, we are committed to bringing St Paul's back into safe and usable condition to then determine how the building can best further the mission of the School and the wider community. 

We are immensely grateful to Sir Leonard Blavatnik for the extraordinary vision he has shown in supporting the School’s values and ambitions. 

The first priority will be to undertake significant work to prevent any further deterioration in the fabric of the building and ensure that it is compliant with safety standards.

Since the early 1800s, St Paul’s Church has served as a place of worship and since 1988 as Freud's café-bar. As longstanding members of the Jericho and wider Oxford community, the School is proud to have the opportunity to restore such an important local building and further enhance the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter as an even more attractive space for the community. The School looks forward to working with local residents to ensure the building serves the community as effectively as possible.