37: Havana House and 38: Youngmans Hair
This pair of shops occupies a house next door to The Queen's College that was built on the site of a fourteenth-century hall and dates from the sixteenth or early seventeenth century. The oriel windows in the gables are supported by seventeenth-century brackets, and even the barge-board above the windows dates from the seventeenth century.
It is a Grade II listed building (List Entry No. 1116054). It was in St Peter-in-the East parish until that parish was united with St Cross parish in 1957.
Together with its neighbours at 33, 34, 35, and 36 High Street to the west it is now owned by The Queen's College.
In 1709 The Queen’s College bought this building from Magdalen College when it was redeveloping its front quadrangle.
In 1772 a survey of every house in the city was taken in consequence of the Mileways Act of 1771. According to H. E. Salter, No. 37 was then in the occupation of a Mr Taylor, and its frontage measured 4 yards 2 feet 8 inches, and No. 38 was then in the occupation of a Mr Malbone, and its frontage measured 4 yards 2 feet 4 inches.
Right: This detail from an engraving shows the twin-gabled Nos. 37 & 38 in 1755
Below: Nos. 37 and 38 can be seen on the right next to The Queen's College in this detail from an 1834 engraving:
No. 37
No. 37 does not appear to be listed in the 1841 census.
At the time of the 1851 census the bookseller Joseph Abrams (55) lived over his shop here with his wife Ann and his four daughters.
In the 1850s the widow Mrs Eliza Clements moved here from 44 High Street to run an engraver's business here with her son John. The 1861 census shows Mrs Eliza Clements (64) living here with her unmarried son John Clements junior ( (41) described as an engraver and printer, and her two daughters, plus their lodger. By the time of the 1871 census Eliza (72) was described as an annuitant, and lived here with her two unmarried daughters Eliza (49), who was a dressmaker, and Mary (39). In 1881 Mrs Clements (83) was still living upstairs with her unmarried daughter Eliza Clements (60), who was a lodging-house keeper, and her granddaughter Adeline Mary Clements (17). Mrs Clements died here on January 1883, and her obituary said that she had been a resident in the parish of St Peter-in-the-East for 64 years.
At the time of the 1891 census her daughter Eliza Clements was running the lodging house together with her niece Adeline Clements. Eliza died in 1899 at the age of 79, and the 1901 census shows her niece Adeline Clements (36) living here alone and now running the lodging house by herself. She is listed here again as a lodging-house keeper in the six rooms over No. 37 at the time of the 1911 census with just one boarder.
The 1921 census shows Henry William Appleton (56), the foreman of the cabinet makers Walford & Spokes at No. 86, lived here with his wife Annie.
The firm of the watchmaker John Rogers occupied this shop for over a hundred years from 1882 to at least 1993.
No. 38
At the time of the 1841 census the watchmaker John Sowter lived here over his shop with a boarder and two female servants. Born in London, he was still here in 1851, when he was aged 61 and still a bachelor, living over his shop with an apprentice, a servant, and an undergraduate lodger.
By the time of the 1861 census another watchmaker, George Stratton (57), lived here at his business premises with his nephew Charles Strickland (22), who was also described as a watchmaker, his married niece Charlotte Collins, and Charles Collins (5), plus their servant. Mrs Charlotte Maria Collins died here at the age of 35 on 21 April 1867.
At the time of the 1871 census the upstairs premises were occupied by physician Robert Jenkins (34) and his wife Rebecca and his stepdaughter Elizabeth Morgan, plus their servant. .
By 1875 Edwin Knibbs, the common-room man at The Queen's College, lived here, and in August 1876 was granted a licence to sell spirits, beer, and wine wholesale here. At the time of the 1881 census Edwin (40) described himself as a wine merchant employing two men and was living over the shop with his wife Charlotte and their five children, plus a domestic servant.
The 1891 census shows Sarah Mitchell, the wife of the proprietor of the wine shop downstairs, living upstairs with their two daughters and their a servant. At the time of the 1901 census it was the turn of John Mitchell, aged 52 and described as a wine, spirit, beer & cigar merchant, to be here with his two daughters and their servant.
By the time of the 1911 census the college servant Albert Edward Piper (40) lived in the eight rooms over the wine merchant's shop with his wife Mabel and his two sons, plus their servant girl. He was still here at the age of 50 in 1921, described as the college servant (messenger) of The Queen's College, with his servant.
From 1919 Cecil Benjamin Smith, Oliver Stephen Smith, and Owen Christopher Chaundy had an antique shop here. Their partnership was dissolved on 31 December 1927, and Oliver Smith continued for a few more years on his own.
Since 1932 this shop has been a hairdresser’s.
Occupiers of 37 & 38 High Street | ||
No. 37 |
No. 38 |
|
1839 |
Elizabeth Eaglestone, Milliner & Dressmaker |
John Sowter |
1846–1851 |
Joseph Abrams, Bookseller |
|
1852 |
John Stevens, Hatter |
|
1860–1864 |
John Clements/Mrs Clements Upstairs: J. W. Wylie, Watchmaker |
Stratton & Strickland |
1866 |
George Stratton |
|
1872 |
W. J. Richards |
|
1875–1876 |
Edwin Knibbs |
|
1882 |
John Rogers |
|
1882–1883 |
||
1884–1908 |
John Mitchell & Co. |
|
1909–1917 |
G. T. Jones & Co., Wine merchants |
|
1919–1931 |
Smith antique dealers: Smith & Chaundy (to 1923) |
|
1932–1956 |
Victor R. E. Drewe |
|
1958–1976+ |
K. Williams (daughter of Victor Drewe above) |
|
1993 |
||
1994–1995 |
? |
Bernard’s (Bernard Washbrook) |
By 1996–1999 |
Avery Pipes |
High Street Barbers |
1999–2014 |
Frederick Tranter, Tobacconist |
|
2014–2017 |
Havana House |
|
2018–present |
Youngmans Barbers |
|
