The Vaults and Garden Cafe, a popular eatery in Radcliffe Square, is set to close in November after a lengthy legal battle. The cafe had been challenging an eviction order from the Parochial Church Council (PCC), which oversees the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, since 2023.
After three preliminary hearings, the case was set to begin on October 28th in the High Court in London. To cover legal fees associated with the case, Vaults and Garden launched a crowdfunding appeal to raise £100,000.
However, the appeal only raised £17,237. As a result, the cafe, which had already faced £200,000 in legal costs, opted to reach an agreement with the PCC.
In a statement published on the crowdfunding website, Vaults and Garden wrote: “We appreciate the generosity of all 373 of you who have given help with our legal costs in our campaign to save the cafe. Some of you have given two or even three times to help, and we appreciate your concerns for us and your wish for the cafe to stay open.
“It has become apparent to us now that we are not going to raise the £100,000 target of this campaign to help with the £200,000 of legal costs that we have already incurred … Accordingly, we have taken the decision to reach an agreed settlement with the church which will allow for the orderly closure of the cafe before the end of the year.”
The Vaults and Garden Cafe, which employs roughly 60 people, will have been in continuous operation for 22 years before its closure next month. The cafe had partnered with events such as the Oxford Literary Festival and the Oxford Chamber Music Festival. More than 15,500 people signed an online petition to save the cafe.
The PCC had originally authorised the eviction order to “reduce energy usage, improve accessibility, enhance security, and ensure that the Grade 1 building is fit to welcome all visitors”. In addition, the PCC announced plans to reopen the site as a new cafe – a social enterprise offering “affordable” pricing and additional “employment opportunities for underrepresented people”.
In a joint press release, Vaults and Garden and the PCC confirmed an agreement had been reached where “all parties are happy”. The statement explained that Vaults and Garden’s parent company will continue to operate their other venues, while PCC will “carry out urgent repairs” before reopening the new cafe “in the course of the next 18 months”.
