Locating Green Man figures on ordinary Oxfordshire buildings is an important feature of our survey.

The Green Man seems to have been an especially popular motif on town buildings of the late Victorian period where he can often be seen nestling amid the foliate decoration of walls, windows frames and door surrounds.

Victorian Green Man,
Western Road, Oxford.
Three adjoining houses in the street have a Green Man over the front door, and two of them have Green Man faces over the ground floor windows too. Dating from 1888 they were built by local architect GT Sessions who designed many handsome new homes as Oxford expanded in this period. The builders were Messrs Jarvis of Banbury. Our thanks are due to the Oxfordshire County Record Office for identifying the builders and date; and to Marc West for supplying the photographs.
Faces on ‘Cherries’, Abingdon
Thanks to Gillian Harrison for identifying these splendid Green Men on the half-timbered front of ‘Cherries’ arcade in Abingdon (6, the Square). Jackie Smith, archivist at Oxfordshire County Council, tells us that they are likely to be late 19th or early 20th century, as the half- timbering does not appear on a photograph of the shop taken in the late 1880s. Photos: Gillian Harrison
Tim Healey writes:
‘once you start looking for the Green Man you will be surprised by how often he crops up. Passing through the market place at Chipping Norton, en route for its historic parish church, I was startled to see two leafy Green Men peering out at me from the exterior of a high street bank. I have since learned through the Oxfordshire County Record Office that the building was erected in 1895’. Photos: Tim Healey

Lathbury Road, Oxford
A Victorian Green Woman (date to be confirmed)

 

Can you send us case study of a Green Man presence in your street? Or in a street nearby? How many are there? When were the houses were built?

Tell us about them by emailing info@greenmantrail.com.