Grove Walk

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{{Use British English|date=June 2017}}

File:Merton College Chapel from just north of the Meadow.jpg.]]

File:Merton Street, Oxford - geograph.org.uk - 1332184.jpg next to the tower of Merton College Chapel.]]

Grove Walk (aka Merton Grove{{cite book| author=Symonds & Morgan | year=2010 | title=Merton Grove | page=152 }} and Grove Passage) is a short historic leafy walkway running north–south in central Oxford, England, situated on land between Merton College to the east and Corpus Christi College to the west. It provides one of the entrances to Christ Church Meadow from the north.

To the north, Grove Walk connects with Merton Street through a gateway surrounded by railings. On the other side of Merton Street, the route continues as the narrow medieval Magpie Lane. To the south it passes through what used to be the city wall and leads to Dead Man's Walk on Merton Field. Beyond that via Merton Walk to the wide Broad Walk is the main part of Christ Church Meadow.

In 1701, Corpus Christi College attempted to acquire some of this strip of land, but this was resisted.{{cite book | title=The Encyclopaedia of Oxford | publisher=Macmillan | chapter=Merton College | year=1988 | page=253 | isbn=0-333-39917-X | editor-last=Hibbert |editor-first=Christopher |editor-link=Christopher Hibbert }}

To the south, the first hot air balloon ascent in Britain was made by James Sadler (1753–1828), when he ascended from Merton Field on 4 October 1783, landing northeast of Oxford in Woodeaton.{{cite web| url=http://www.oxfordhistory.org.uk/streets/inscriptions/central/sadler.html | title=Inscriptions: James Sadler’s balloon flight | publisher=oxfordhistory.org.uk | location=UK | accessdate=27 May 2014 }}

An 1864 block separates Grove Walk from the Back Quad at Merton College.{{cite book| title=A New Loggan View of the Oxford Colleges | chapter=Merton College | page=9 | first=F. G. | last=Withycombe | publisher=Basil Blackwell | location=Oxford | year=1944 | edition=3rd}}

By the late 19th century, Magpie Lane to the north was known as "Grove Street", but in 1927 the name was changed back to Magpie Lane.{{cite book| author=Symonds & Morgan | year=2010 | title=Magpie Lane | page=149 }}

The building in the south-western corner of Merton College is also called Grove. The name perhaps derives because this area used to be an orchard.