Amen Corner

Amen Corner was the London address of the OUP until 1924. It was called Amen Corner because 'Amen' is a religious word, and the building was on the corner of Paternoster Row and Ludgate Hill, in London - and Paternoster too is a religious word. The joke - of a distinctly academic sort - was judged appropriate as the Bibles sold by OUP were published from here. The space occupied by the Press gradually grew, as rooms, corridors and so on were gradually acquired and walls were knocked through. Even this was not enough for a rapidly growing business, and in 1924 the London offices of the OUP were moved to 2 houses on Warwick Square, christened (to maintain the joke - and biblical connection) Amen House. Its warehouse was on the site of the former Newgate prison.

In 1965 most of the work of the London branch moved to the suburb of Neasden. The offices remained in central London, at Ely House from 1966.