St Barnabas, like many similar churches in the expanding towns and cities of Victorian England, was built to minister to the spiritual and practical needs of the poor and labouring classes. The parish was formed from that of St Paul, Oxford, in 1869; St Paul's was in turn formed from parts of the parishes of St Thomas and St Giles. The church was founded by Thomas Combe, Superintendent of the Oxford University Press close to the church, and his wife Martha, now commemorated by a blue plaque installed by the Oxfordshire Blue Plaques Board. They were supporters of the Oxford Movement. The first Parish Priest was Fr Montague Noel, SSC. The architect was Sir Arthur Blomfield, a son of the Bishop of London, who had previously designed the chapel for the Radcliffe Infirmary. The architectural style is that of a Romanesque basilica, possibly modelled on San Clemente in Rome. St Barnabas has a distinctive square tower, in the form of an Italianatecampanile, that is visible from the surrounding area. The church was built on land donated by George Ward, local land owner and member of the influential Ward family. George's brother William Ward was Mayor of Oxford on two occasions, 1851/2 and 1861/2. It was consecrated in 1869 by Bishop Wilberforce of Oxford and the campanile was completed in 1872. The pulpit was added in 1887 by Heaton, Butler and Bayne with the panels painted by Charles Floyce. It has a ring of ten, distinctive, tubular bells, and the hours and quarters are sounded on them. St Barnabas features in a wide range of literature, from Thomas Hardy through to P. D. James. The poet John Betjeman wrote a poem about the church. A short guide to the building and its story is available from the church, as is the Emma Bridgewater 'Jericho' mug, commissioned specially for St Barnabas.
Present day
The church maintains the Anglo-Catholictradition of its foundation and is open daily for worship. A parish magazine, Jericho Matters, is produced quarterly and distributed to all of the households and businesses in Jericho. The church hosts many events throughout the year, such as concerts, lectures and exhibitions. In September 2015 the parish was united with the neighbouring parish of St Thomas the Martyr, to form the new parish of St Barnabas and St Paul, with St Thomas the Martyr, Oxford. St Barnabas is the parish church and St Thomas is the chapel of ease. The first vicar of the new parish was Fr Jonathan Beswick, SSC.
