Parish Boundaries – Marks & Spencer, Oxford
It was on an early morning visit to M&S, Queen Street, Oxford, when few shoppers were about, that we came across this metal plaque set into the floor; within a short period of time, customers would be queueing to pay for their shopping and probably explains why it is so often unnoticed. Although largely worn out due to the passing of hundreds of shoppers each day, upon closer inspection, it reads as follows:
| ST EBBE with | ST MICHAEL with ST MARTIN and ALL SAINTS |
| ST PETER le BAILEY | ST ALDATE with HOLY TRINITY |
So, what is it? Quite simply, the cross in the floor designates the exact meeting point of the old parish boundaries.
But there is more to this tale; a few metres away, next to the lifts, there is a glass case which houses a stone boundary marker for the said parishes. The alley in which it stood was absorbed by the store in the mid-1970s; being sacred, the boundary marker was placed inside the protective case.
Look closely and you will see the full inscription together with a latin commemoration:
ST. PETER le BAILEY
ST. MARTIN & ALL SAINTS
ST. ALDATE
HUNC LAPIDEM SACRUM
JOHANNIS EDWARDUS CAMMELL
POSUIT MCMLII
(This sacred stone was laid by John Edward Cammell in 1952).
It’s wonderful to think that despite the relentless passage of time, our old ways and Christian history are still commemorated in the most unlikely of places.
VJC
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Images copyright Meres and Meadows Messenger.