Ahead of his formal inauguration tomorrow, Andy Ffrench catches up with the new Bishop of Oxford the Rt Rev Dr Steven Croft

For decades, the Bishop of Oxford’s home in North Oxford was, indeed, palatial.

The house in Linton Road, with an estimated value of more than £10m, is owned by Wolfson College, and was leased to the Church Commissioners for a peppercorn rent.

But when the college needed the property back the Diocese of Oxford decided to take advantage of cheaper property prices outside the city centre and arrangements were made to buy a new home for the Bishop in Kidlington.

Its first resident, the Rt Rev Dr Steven Croft, and his wife Ann, moved into the five-bedroom property at the start of the month and are enjoying life so far in England’s largest village.

Rt Rev Croft, or Bishop Steven as he is sometimes known, has taken up running so the locals might spot him jogging along as he gets to know the area.

“I don’t think the house could be called a palace, it’s a modern detached house built in the grounds of a former vicarage,” explains the Bishop as he greets me at Church House in a disarming dog collar and fleece combination.

The leader of the Christian faith for more than 800 churches in the Oxford Diocese is talking to me before Friday’s procession through Oxford when there will be a service in Christ Church to welcome him.

On the day his flowing robes and finery will add to the spectacle but his down-to-earth charm will no doubt continue to shine through.

The father-of-four and grandfather-of-one is the former Bishop of Sheffield, and lived in North Oxford between 2004 and 2009 when he helped to launch new church projects under the Fresh Expressions banner.

The Worcester College theology graduate said he was glad he was instead now rooted in a community where his neighbours have already called around to say hello.

“There’s a garden and a conservatory which will work well for garden parties,” he added.

“And the house is handy for Church House (in Langford Lane) and also for Oxford Parkway.”

The Diocese of Sheffield is one of the poorest in the Church of England and his experience there will stand him in good stead when it comes to tackling poverty and deprivation across the diocese, “a key area of priority.”

The Bishop has picked a Blackbird Leys church for one of his welcome services and he is keen for the church to “invest in local communities through church schools, by doing good work in the area, including youth work where statutory youth work has been withdrawn”.

First Bishop Steven will travel around Oxford city, meeting vicars and church staff, before embarking on a pilgrimage around the counties of Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.

Some bishops are more inclined than others to get involved in politics but Bishop Steven doesn’t duck the issue when I ask him if he is in favour of grammar schools.

“I went to Heath Grammar School in Halifax from 1968 to 1976 but I am not in favour of bringing back grammar schools,” he said.

“I want to see educational standards rise for everyone and would not want to see the wholesale return to selective education.

“When two failing schools were brought together in the Ridings in the late 1990s it almost caused a riot.”

A former theology graduate at Worcester College, Bishop Steven is the son of a warp twister who worked in the carpet factories of Halifax.

A church youth weekend helped him to find his faith and inspired his life-long commitment to local churches.

At the age of 17 he sensed God calling him to ordained ministry and he was ordained at the age of 26.

Bishop Steven is well aware of the controversy that dogged Rt Rev Richard Harries, one of his predecessors.

In 2003 the then Bishop of Oxford appointed gay but celibate Jeffrey John as Bishop of Reading and the ensuing row led to Jeffrey John withdrawing from the role.

When asked for his views on same-sex marriage and same-relationships Bishop Steven was careful not to reveal his own personal opinion at this stage.

The 59-year-old would only say: “We are in the middle of a conversation as a church about issues of human sexuality, and a group from the diocese has been taking part in a regional shared conversation trying to find the right way forward given the diversity of views.

“There is a conversation among the bishops nationally – it’s a formal process and they will come back to the General Synod in 2017.

“I think the whole Church of England is agreed that we want to be a welcoming church to all people going forward and we recognise that we have not always been welcoming.”

When I asked the bishop if he had ever experienced any doubts about his faith in Christ he replies by saying he questioned it from every angle in his teens and 20s.

He added: “I can not honestly say I have ever had any serious moments of doubt or questioning although there are many things that are difficult and challenging.

“I want to help everyone to live their lives to the full and behave in a Christian fashion and love their colleagues and neighbours. Being a Christian is not just for Sundays.”

When Bishop Steven gets home at the end of the day he sometimes tries out his baking skills and is a big fan of The Great British Bake Off.

“I bake bread, cakes and biscuits and I’m a bit miffed that Bake Off is going to Channel 4.

“Sometimes I have been known to have a chuckle at Mel and Sue’s double entendres and one of my daughters Sarah often texts me during the show.”

With experience of working with the needy, and his unerring faith, Bishop Steven will be able to offer so much more than crumbs of comfort to his flock.