St Andrew's Church, Oxford is an evangelical Church of England parish church in Oxford, England. It was consecrated in 1907 and is located on the South-East corner of Linton Road and Northmoor Road in the suburb of North Oxford.
History
The church was established during the period of suburban expansion around Oxford which saw, among others, the residential neighbourhood of North Oxford being built. The vision of the founders of the church was to create an evangelical, Bible-believing church between Carfax and the northern ring road. Land for the parish was eventually carved out of part of the parishes of St. Philip & James (on Woodstock Road, now the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies) and that of St Giles.
St Andrew's has now for over a hundred years served as the parish church to the eastern half of this area, from Banbury Road in the west to the River Cherwell in the east and from Park Town in the south to Marston Road in the north. Other members of the church congregation are drawn from a wider area; from other parts of Oxford and surrounding villages.
Buildings
The building was designed by A.R.G. Fenning (1855–1937). It is in a Neo-Norman style with four bays and two aisles alongside the large clerestoried nave. The chancel is a semi-circular apse with stained glass windows of biblical scenes. A west gallery augments the seating capacity, above which is the west rose window, a stylised version of which is used as the church logo. Some original plans for the building included a large campanile tower, but no money was available for it. There is a small bellcote on the south-west side.
In the 1980s, the expanding congregation meant that a larger building was deemed necessary, in order to accommodate all the activities that started up during this time. The result was the building of the wrap-around narthex at the west end of the building, designed by Robert Magure & Keith Murray Architects, containing increased office space, more toilet facilities and improved kitchen and meeting room facilities.
The size of the congregation at the start of the 21st century demanded extra space for church activities and meetings, with a range of possibilities considered – including digging a crypt basement beneath the nave, buying adjacent properties, and building on land to the south of the main building. The last of these was eventually chosen, with the new (temporary) rooms called "Southside". In late 2013, the PCC approved the removal of Southside in favour of a new, enlarged extension on the site. Building work commenced in 2014, with the funds necessary for the construction being raised solely through church members. The extension was designed by the architects MEB, and constructed by Beards.
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