The Oranges and Lemons are back in fashion in the St Clements area near the heart of Oxford

The Oranges and Lemons in St Clement’s … returning to a name from the 1970s and 1980s (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2025)

Patrick Comerford

When I was visiting hospitals and clinics in Oxford recent weeks, I mused on the name of Port Mahon on St Clement’s Street, but also on the name of some of the neighbouring pubs with curious names that I noticed on those return journeys, including the Cape of Good Hope, at the corner of the Plain, where Cowley Road meets St Clement;s Street and Headington Road, and the Oranges and Lemons – which seems such an appropriate name for St Clement’s.

I promised myself that once I was back on my feet fully again I would continue my explorations and find out about those curious pub names.

So, at lunchtime yesterday, I was back in Oxford, and decided to have another look at the Oranges & Lemons at 30 St Clement’s Street.

It describes itself as a ‘quintessential traditional pub in Oxford’ that prides itself ‘on offering great food and excellent service’ and that ‘promises a delightful experience’ with ‘an array of pub classics and seasonal daily specials’.

But the Oranges & Lemons is anything but an ordinary pub on the fringes of the city centre. Apart from having an apt name for an area known as St Clements, it has a three-storey façade that has been painted brightly to full-height with an eye-catching and colourful collection of lemons and oranges, and the theme is carried into the name sign on the street frontage.

A large old photograph of punks and other drinkers outside the old Oranges & Lemons is still on the wall of the main bar. The photograph was taken in 1979, when it was a lively music venue frequented by punks and attracting acts such as Billy Idol of Generation X. According to the Oxford Handbook in 1980, ‘the atmosphere is wonderful. Have a chat with the tramp warming himself by the coal fire. Gaze at the punks with hair all colours of the spectrum.’

The Morgan Pub Collective also runs the Grapes in George Street and took over the Angel and Greyhound in St Clement’s last year. It reopened the pub six month ago [12 February] after a refurbishment that saw it revert to a previous name, the Oranges & Lemons. During those works over a six-week period, the contractors stayed across the street at another traditional pub, the Old Black Horse Inn.

The change of ownership, the refurbishment and the restoration of the former name all came as a surprise to people in the St Clement’s area. The pub was known as the Burton Ale Stores from 1920 on, and then was known as the Oranges & Lemons from 1970 until the mid-1980s. After that, it became a cocktail bar called Parker’s in the 1980s.

When Young’s acquired it in 1991, it was renamed the Angel & Greyhound, a name that came from a former coaching inn, the Angel and the Greyhound on Oxford’s High Street, that once stabled horses in a field behind the old pub in St Clement’s.

Young’s was once a brewery but is now only a pub chain with over 270 pubs, including three in Oxford: the King’s Arms, close to Hertford College, St Aldates Tavern, opposite the town hall and museum, and the Plough Inn on the corner of Cornmarket Street and Saint Michael’s Street.

The Oranges & Lemons in St Clement’s … known as the Angel & Greyhound until a recent change of management (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2025)

When the Angel & Greyhound became the Oranges & Lemons once again, it was the second pub in St Clement’s to change management in a short span of time, following Port Mahon a few months earlier.

Dick Morgan, the founder of the Morgan Pub Collective, had already made a success of the Grapes, which reopened in George Street in August 2023, and of the Gardeners Arms in North Parade Avenue. However, the Gardeners Arms closed earlier this year, and the lease was returned to Greene King.

Morgan pubs are also known for their food, décor and vinyl music from record players. But the name Oranges & Lemons comes from a traditional nursery rhyme and singing game that includes the lines,

Oranges and Lemons, say the bells of St Clement’s
You owe me five farthings, say the bells of St Martin’s.

The lines refer not to Oxford but to the bells of Saint Clement Danes Church in London among several other churches, and the tune is listed as No 13190 in the Roud Folk Song Index, a database of around 250,000 references to almost 25,000 songs. The earliest known version appeared in print ca 1744. The bells of Saint Clement Danes ring out the tune four times a day, at 9 am, noon, 3 pm and 6 pm.

St Clement’s Street in Oxford is often known simply as St Clement’s, and it was originally the main road between Oxford and London. The street links the Plain near Magdalen Bridge beside Magdalen College with London Place at the foot of Headington Hill at the junction with Marston Road to the north.

The street is known for its small shops and restaurants and the street and church give their name to St Clement’s district on the east bank of the River Cherwell. This is a small triangular area from the roundabout known as the Plain, bounded by the River Cherwell to the north, Cowley Road to the south, and the foot of Headington Hill to the east.

The population of the area is a multicultural and socially diverse, from owner occupiers, student accommodation and homes in multiple occupation to social housing. A number of buildings belong to the Charity of Thomas Dawson or the Dawson Trust, founded in 1521 to provide income for the benefit of the people of St Clement’s and the parish church.

The Plain received its name after the parish church of Saint Clement’s, which stood there, was demolished around 1829 to allow a busy street junction to be reconfigured. The roundabout is the site of the former churchyard.

But more about Saint Clement’s Church, old and new, and that roundabout at the Plain on another day, hopefully.

The Oranges and Lemons is at the heart of the St Clement’s area in Oxford (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2025)

Daily prayer in Ordinary Time 2025: 108, Tuesday 26 August 2025

‘For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence’ (Matthew 23: 25) … teacups in a painting in a restaurant in Listowel, Co Kerry (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Patrick Comerford

We are continuing in Ordinary Time in the Church Calendar and the week began yesterday with the Tenth Sunday after Trinity (Trinity X).

After the Summer Bank holiday in England yesterday, summer has probably truly come to an end for many people here. Before today begins, I am taking some quiet time this morning to give thanks, for reflection, prayer and reading in these ways:

1, today’s Gospel reading;

2, a reflection on the Gospel reading;

3, a prayer from the USPG prayer diary;

4, the Collects and Post-Communion prayer of the day.

‘You … have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith’ (Matthew 23: 23) … the statue of Justice by John Van Nost (1721) in Dublin Castle (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Matthew 23: 23-26 (NRSVA):

[Jesus said:] 23 ‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practised without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!

25 ‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may become clean.’

‘For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law’ (Matthew 23: 23) … two 18th century Sabbath spice boxes, part of the ritual of welcoming the Sabbath, in the Jewish Museum in Venice (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Today’s Reflection:

In the Beatitudes at the beginning of Saint Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus says eight groups of people are blessed: ‘the poor in spirit … those who mourn … the meek … those who hunger and thirst for righteousness … the merciful … the pure in heart … the peacemakers … those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness …’ (Matthew 5: 3-10).

Now, as we come close to the end of this Gospel, we have seven groups of people who are condemned as hypocrites and against whom Jesus pronounces seven woes.

In the Gospel reading yesterday, we heard the first three of these seven woes: woe to you who ‘lock people out of the kingdom of heaven’ (verse 13) … who ‘make the new convert twice as much a child of hell’ (verse 15) … and ‘blind guides’ who swear by the ‘gold of the sanctuary’ (verses 16-22).

We hear two further woes today (Matthew 23: 23-26): for those who tithe mint, dill, and cummin but neglect the weightier matters of justice, mercy and faith; and these who care about the details of domestic purity but neglect the cleanliness of their hearts and inner thoughts. Then, we hear the final of the seven woes tomorrow (Matthew 23: 27-32): a double woe on those who on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

A ‘woe’ is an exclamation of grief, similar to what is expressed by the word alas. In pronouncing woes, Jesus is prophesying judgment on the religious leaders of the day for their hypocrisy. He calls them hypocrites, blind guides, snakes and a ‘brood of vipers’.

Before Jesus condemns the hypocrisy of religious leaders, they have been following him to test him and try to trick him with questions about divorce (Matthew 19: 3), his authority (Matthew 21: 23), paying taxes to Caesar (Matthew 22: 17), the resurrection (Matthew 22: 23), and the greatest commandment of the law (Matthew 22: 36).

Jesus prefaces his seven woes by explaining to the disciples that they should obey the teachings of the religious leaders – as they teach the law of God – but not to emulate their behaviour because they do not practice what they preach (Matthew 23: 3).

The second grouping of these woes, which we read today, condemns the scribes and Pharisees for tithing mint, dill, and cummin but neglecting the weightier matters of justice, mercy and faith, for worrying about clean cups and plates outside, but neglecting the state of their inner thoughts (Matthew 23: 23-26).

The scribes and Pharisees are accused of making a big deal of small things like tithing spices, while they ignore more crucial matters. They diligently count their mint leaves to give every tenth one to the temple, but they neglect the more important matters of the law, such as justice, mercy and faith (verse 23).

Jesus is not saying tithing the mint, dill, and cumin is wrong. He says they should not neglected proper tithing, but it must be done with a good heart. Jewish law and tradition specifies tithes on some produce, generally food. But there was no tithe required for wild herbs, although this is debated in the Mishnah: ‘R. Eliezer says, “Dill is subject to the law of tithes [in regard to its] seeds, leaves and pods.” But Sages say, “Nothing is subject to the law of tithes [in regard to both its] seeds and leaves save cress and field rocket alone”.’ (m. Ma’as. 4: 5).

There is an issue of justice here. If a tithe that is not required in the law is demanded, then it not only deprives them of what is lawfully theirs, but in this case it may even deprive them of fully enjoying the Sabbath.

On the Sabbath, it is said, the ‘Sabbath Queen’ or the ‘Sabbath Bride’ descends from Heaven to heal the sufferings of the Jews. The arrival and departure of ‘Her Majesty’ is marked by ceremonies. When she enters, everybody is happy; when she leaves, there is a strange sadness. But people take comfort in a symbolic tradition that includes inhaling the aroma of spices contained in an ornamental box, often made of silver, the spice box.

Spice-boxes are an essential part of Havdalah (הַבְדָּלָה, ‘separation’), the ceremony marking the symbolic end of Shabbat and ushering in the new week. The spices are usually kept in decorative spice-boxes to beautify and honour the mitzvah and are handed around so that everyone can smell the fragrance. In many Sephardi and Mizrahi communities, branches of aromatic plants are used for this purpose, while Ashkenazim have traditionally used cloves.

A special braided Havdalah candle with more than one wick is lit, and a blessing is recited. If a special Havdalah candle is not available, two candles can be used, and the two flames joined when reciting the blessing. The traditional prayers include: ‘Praised are You, Adonai our God, who rules the universe, Creator of all kinds of spices.’

Turning to hyperbole, Jesus says the religious leaders can strain out a gnat when they are drinking but can swallow a camel (verse 24). In other words, they were careful to avoid offence in minor things of little importance, but ignore things that are much more difficult to swallow.

In the fifth woe, Jesus compares them to cups and plates that are scrupulously cleaned on the outside but left dirty inside. Their religious observances make them appear clean and virtuous, but inwardly, in their hearts, they are full of ‘greed and self-indulgence’ (verse 25).

It is not that washing my hands or cutlery and crockery before I eat is a bad idea, or that I am a hypocrite if I do so. If I habitually fail to wash my hands and the cups and plates before I eat, I am going to get sick, quickly and often.

But if I forget why I have to wash them, I am a hypocrite if I then expect others to do so. Indeed, sometimes we leave ourselves in danger of going hungry if we insist on everything being spotless before we eat: those facilities are not always to hand on a long train journey or a long flight, for flight, or while I’m at an all-day cricket match or at a rugby fixture.

The Pharisees had their own rituals, and I would be silly to think that only they had these problems. We all have our own rituals associated with eating and cleanliness.

It is said one of the principal causes of domestic arguments in the kitchen is about what way to stack the dishwasher, and how to empty it. Should the knives stand up or down? Which sides do you place the glasses and the cups on? Do you rinse the plates before they go in? To tell the truth, it probably does not matter. But it is still irritating to open the dishwasher and to find someone else has packed it.

The level of questioning of the Pharisees is about a ritual that is probably more important than how to stack the dishwasher. And the level of criticism from Jesus is not as rude as we might first think.

But when he says the Pharisees are hypocrites, Jesus is challenging them to drop the mask and to own the words they speak and to own the reasons for those rituals.

Can you imagine how much more positively people at large would view the churches if every parish and church put as much care into seeing that our children are not abused or infected with racism or discrimination or hatred as much as we put into seeing that the cups are clean for the tea and coffee after church, or as much as we attend to the cleanliness of the sacred vessels used for the Eucharist or Holy Communion?

If we are worried about how clean the patten and chalice are at Holy Communion, how clean the church is, how clean the coffee cup is when it comes out of the dishwasher, how much more should be worried about how clean the Church is as an institution, how worthy it is to be called – for us to be called – the Body of Christ.

How we stack the dishwasher can be a domestic ritual of cleanliness … and the cause of many domestic arguments (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Today’s Prayers (Tuesday 26 August 2025):

The theme this week (24 to 30 August) in Pray with the World Church, the prayer diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel), is been ‘From Strangers to Neighbours’ (pp 32-33) This theme was introduced on Sunday with a programme update from the Right Revd Antonio Ablon, Chaplain of Saint Catherine’s Anglican Church, Stuttgart, Germany.

The USPG Prayer Diary today (Tuesday 26 August 2025) invites us to pray:

God of compassion, comfort families divided by migration. Strengthen the bonds of love between parents and children, husbands and wives, and friends separated by distance. May they be reunited in joy or find peace in their sacrifices.

The Collect of the Day:

Let your merciful ears, O Lord,
be open to the prayers of your humble servants;
and that they may obtain their petitions
make them to ask such things as shall please you;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

The Post-Communion Prayer:

God of our pilgrimage,
you have willed that the gate of mercy
should stand open for those who trust in you:
look upon us with your favour
that we who follow the path of your will
may never wander from the way of life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Additional Collect:

Lord of heaven and earth,
as Jesus taught his disciples to be persistent in prayer,
give us patience and courage never to lose hope,
but always to bring our prayers before you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

‘For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin’ (Matthew 23: 23) … there are two large tithe barns at Passenham Manor, Northamptonshire (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Yesterday’s reflections

Continued tomorrow

Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org

‘For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate’ (Matthew 23: 25) … a cup of coffee at Pavlos Beach in Platanias, near Rethymnon in Crete (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)