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The Old Dog was situated at 18 School Road. This grade-II listed pub closed in 1934.

The owners of the Old Dog asked Cherwell Community Archaeology to assess a number of masonry blocks from the garden of this historic former pub. Seven masonry blocks were inspected and appeared to represent the carved stone surround of at least one lancet shaped window. The stonework size and style seemed to be out of keeping with the former inn building[2] on this site and the possibility of it having been “brought in” was considered likely. The probable source was thought to have been the former Methodist church which was sited just a few yards away on the other side of School Road, and demolished in 1962. 1. Site and Setting The site has been continuously occupied since medieval times; originally a hostelry run by monks known as the Jesus House, it provided shelter and hospitality to travellers crossing Kidlington Green to the south. Later it became an inn with a number of varying but related names:   Date    Name Owner/Licensee Medieval The Jesus House Religious Order James Ayres Thomas Ayres (1766/7) Richard Bradford (1771) 1774 The Dog Inn James Watts (1779) Anne Watts 1792-1802 The Dog & Duck 1803-1863 The Dog Inn Richard Young/ (1847-96) Mary Watts 1864-1891 The Dog & Anchor 1892-1934 The Dog Inn 1934 Closes as public house. The Inn would originally have sat well away from the main centre of Kidlington, within what was then an open rural setting of fields and the large tract of Kidlington Green extending to the south. As the village enlarged, especially after the enclosures of 1818, the open green was enclosed, and the built area expanded along the High Street and down what became School Road (at various times also called Chapel Road). The old Inn building is a gable ended structure of coursed limestone rubble construction retaining many internal and external features dating back to at least the 17th Century and is a Grade 2 listed (1210428)[1]. Beneath the modern tile roof, the timber framework of an old roof structure is preserved. The original inn grounds would have been far more extensive than those seen today. The original road running south from the High Street and past the Dog Inn, would originally have been a country lane crossing the green, its original route being preserved in the course of Green Road and the footpath leading to Gosford Turn. With the establishment of the village school (there was a National School here from 1827, but a school may have existed on this site since 1634) the lane gained the “School Road” label at its village end, with the name Green Road being retained for the southern section. Methodism in Kidlington expanded rapidly in the 19th century, with meetings initially held in private houses and barns, and from 1846 in a former malt house at Mill End. In 1861 a purpose-built Methodist Church was built in School Road, facing onto the road in front of what is now number 12[6]. This was initially a simple meeting room, probably with space for a Sunday School, which was probably later extended to provide a larger purpose-built space for the Sunday School (the “School Room”). The Methodist congregation continued to expand and eventually outgrew the space available. In 1936 a new church was built on Oxford Road; the old building being used for storage until 1962 when it was demolished.

Listed building details:

Public house, now house. Late C17, with probable C16 origins; early/mid C18 extension to right. Coursed limestone rubble; gabled C20 tile roof with stone slates to front of right range; ridge stack and rear external lateral stack of stone finished in brick. L-plan with Two rear left wing. Two storeys; four window range. Timber lintel over C20 door to right of centre. Timber lintels over C20 window set in blocked door to left and C20 casements. C18 two storey rear wing, open-fronted before mid C19, has mid C19 brick end stack and service bay with brick dressings to rear. Interior: room to left has stop-chamfered beam and joists; serving passage to left, which had access through blocked door to half-cellar (demolished) in front of house, has two C19 serving doors with C19 bottle glass and glazing to upper halves of doors, and late C17 ovolo-moulded jamb to front left door; early C18 panelled door to left. Late C17 queen-post truss and C18 plank door on first floor.

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