| The Perch Inn | |
|---|---|
 The Perch at Binsey from the car park, October 2009 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Town or city | Binsey, Oxfordshire |
| Country | England |
| Construction started | 17th century |
| Completed | 18th century |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Plastered rubble w.thatch roof Red brick w. tile or slate roof (additions) |
The Perch is a historicpublic house in the village ofBinsey,Oxfordshire,England, northwest ofOxford and close to theRiver Thames, overlookingPort Meadow.
The Perch dates back 800 years, and the current building, aGrade II listed building,[1] to at least the 17th century. It is said to be haunted by a sailor.[2] The Perch, together with most of the other buildings in Binsey, is owned byChrist Church in nearbyOxford.[3] The Perch was extensively damaged by fire in 1977 and again in 2007.[4][5] It re-opened in September 2008.[6]
The Perch is close to an avenue ofpoplars made famous byGerard Manley Hopkins in his poem "Binsey Poplars", written when he found the riverside trees felled. The replacements for these trees, which stretch from Binsey to Godstow, lasted until 2004, when the present replantings began.[2] The Perch was frequented by authorLewis Carroll and is noted as one of the first places that he gave public readings ofAlice in Wonderland. It was also a favourite ofC. S. Lewis[7] and features in theInspector Morse fictions[citation needed].
From 1928 to 1948, the Perch was popular amongOxford University students as a venue to hear the latestjazz. Although it ceased to be a jazz venue after 1949, in 2009 the Perch was named by theBrecon Jazz Festival as one of 12 venues which had made the most important contributions to jazz music in the United Kingdom.[8]
51°45′57″N1°17′14″W / 51.76583°N 1.28722°W /51.76583; -1.28722