39, 40, & 41: Queen’s Lane Coffee House
The large block shown in the above photograph, numbered 39–41, has an eighteenth-century front, but was otherwise rebuilt by The Queen’s College in 1967–8, when the yards at the back were incorporated into its Queen’s Lane quadrangle. Since 1970 the two left-hand shops (Nos. 39 & 40) have been occupied by Queen’s Lane Coffee House , and in 2003 it expanded to include the third shop on the right (No. 41).
The whole block forms one Grade II listed building (List Entry No. 1047280). It was in St Peter-in-the East parish until that parish was united with St Cross parish in 1957.
It is believed that a very early coffee house may have been on or near this site in 1657; certainly there was a coffee house known as Harper’s here in the second half of the eighteenth century. But the present use of the building as a coffee house only dates from c.1970.
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, Nos. 39 & 40 were then in the occupation of a Mr Harper, and their frontage measured 9 yards 1 foot 0 inches, while 41 was occupied by a Mr Fidler and measured 7 yards 0 feet 2 inches.
No. 39
On 9 February 1829 the printseller & picture-frame maker Willilam Thompson announced in Jackson's Oxford Journal that he had taken over the old-established print shop of the printseller W. Parker at the bottom of the High Street, probably here at No. 39. By 1839 he had been joined in the business by his son William Thompson junior, and Robson's Commercial Directory of 1839 establishes that their shop was definitely here at No. 39 by that date. At the time of the 1841 census, William Thompson and his wife Ella (both aged 30) were at home here at 39 High Street with their first three young children and two female servants. In 1846 he moved his business to the shop on the corner of Longwall Street.
The 1851 census shows William Gardener (34), the Manciple of St Edmund Hall, living here with his wife Mary, two servants, and an undergraduate lodger.
The 1861 and 1871 censuses list the Manciple of St Edmund Hall Thomas D. Jackson living here with his wife Elizabeth and his four children, plus two servants.
The shop was unoccupied at the time of the 1881 census.
This shop on the corner of Queen’s Lane was a milliner's shop and post office from 1890 to 1927, run by the Misses Mary & Sarah French, and the sign “High Street Post Office” can be seen attached to No. 39 in this detail from an old postcard. The 1891 census shows the postmistress Mary (52) and the milliner & dressmaker Sarah (51) living over this shop with their servant girl.
Mary French (62), more properly described as a Sub-Postmistress, lived upstairs wth two of her sisters: Sarah (61) who was a dressmaker and Matilda (53) who was their housekeeper.
The 1911 census shows Miss Sarah French (72) as the postmistress here, living in the eight rooms upstairs with her boarder. She was still here in 1921.
From 1928 to 1937 Hubert Field, the antique furniture dealer at No. 40, also had this shop.
The 1939 Register describes No. 39 as a Queen's College annexe and lists the college servant Harry Haynes here, as well as five medical practitioners (one with a wife), the Administrative Officer of the Medical Research Council and his wife. (This listing may also include Nos. 40 & 41, as there is no entry for those premises.)
No. 40
At the time of the 1841 census the tobacconist Charles Castle lived over his shop here with his wife Arabella and their three children, plus two servants, and they were all still living here in 1851. He had moved to 66 High Street by 1855.
At the time of the 1861 census the “carver & gilder & dealer in Berlin wool” John Davis (35) is listed here with his children Philip (7) and Benjamin (3) and his sister Emily (23), who worked in the shop, plus their servant. Miss Emily Davis (33) lived over the shop in 1871 with her brother Arthur (28), who was an attorney's clerk, and their servant.
The shop was unoccupied at the time of the 1881 census.
The 1891 census shows the three children of the householder, who was called Miller, at home over this shop. .
From 1900 the antique furniture dealer Hubert Field had this shop. The 1901 census shows Field (33) living on the premises with his wife Sophia and their two children. They were still here in the five rooms over the shop at the time of the 1911 and 1921 censuseswith three children.
Right: Advertisement published in Kelly's Directory for 1899 for Hubert Field's showrooms at 40 High Street. It reveals that his works were at Tyndale Road (then called William Street) in east Oxford.
Below: Historic England photograph (HT13743) of No. 40 in 1906 when it was Field's Antiques
Hubert Field expanded into No. 39 on the corner in 1928, and Nos. 39 & 40 have been one shop since that date
A glimpse of the shop when it was Culpeper's in 1949
No. 41
At the time of the 1841 census the bookseller William Graham lived here over his shop with his wife Eliza and their four children, plus a lodger and their servant. He was still here in 1851 with his wife, his two bookseller sons and his daughter, plus a servant.
The 1861 census shows another bookseller, Henry Hammans (29). living here with his wife Maria and his sister Sophia, plus their servant.
By the time of the 1871 census the living quarters upstairs were occupied by Miss Elizabeth Coleman (60) and her general servant. .
From 1882 James Thornton (the son of the founder of Thornton’s bookshop) had a shop here at No. 41. On 2 June 1894 Jackson's Oxford Journal advertised an auction of c.10,000 books on these premises, as Thornton was relinquishing business here in consequence of ill-health.
The living quarters upstairs were listed as unoccupied in the 1881 and 1891 censuses.
Henry Taunt the photographer moved here for a short time in 1894 when the lease on his Broad Street shop ran out before moving on to No. 34.
The shop was then occupied by the antique dealer Mrs M. C. Bickmore from 1895 to 1897.
Miss Mary A. Smith was a restorer of paintings & dealer in antiques at this shop from 1898 to 1904, and the 1901 census shows her at the age of 50 living over the shop with her sister Annie A. Smith (47) and brother William Smith (52) who both worked with her.
There is no listing for upstairs premises in the 1911 census. In 1921 Mrs Irene Streeter was living here with the young widow Daisy Rogers and her son.
From 1943 to 1966 this shop was a café: first the Golden Kettle; then McKay's (advertisement right); and then the Copper Kettle.
In 2003 the Queen's Lane Coffee House expanded eastwards to include this third shop.
The accommodation above the shops at Nos. 39–41 was unoccupied at the time of the 1881 census, which suggests some rebuilding was taking place at the time.
From 1941 to 1966 Nos. 39 and 40 were Culpeper House (see photograph of it in the 1950s), and until 1949 the herbalists there also ran the Golden Kettle Café at No. 41 on the right. The photograph below dating from 1943 (Historic England BB43/00283) shows 39 & 40 High Street (numbered as 40) and the Golden Kettle next door :
This photograph taken in March 1968 shows extensive rebuilding taking place at the rear of Nos 40 & 41.
From c.1970 to 2003 Magna Galleries operated from No. 41, and then in 2003 the Queen's Lane Coffee House expanded eastwards to include all three shops.
Occupiers of 39–41 High Street |
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Date |
39 High Street |
40 High Street |
41 High Street |
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1828–1839 |
William Thompson & Son |
Charles Castle |
William Graham |
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1841 |
Charles Fisher |
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1846–1853 |
The Manciple of St Edmund Hall: Thomas Davis Jackson (1861–1876) Christopher
Maltby |
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1856 |
Henry Hammans |
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1861–1883 |
Miss Emily Davis |
Messrs J. & F. H. Rivington |
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1884–1889 |
Mrs Wilkins Mrs Albert Edward Solloway |
James Thornton |
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1890–1927 |
Miss Sarah French |
The premises were advertised as to let from Michaelmas 1890, and the stock-in trade of an unnamed watchmaker & jeweller was sold here in October 1893
Hubert Field |
H.W. Taunt & Co., Photographers etc. (1894–5) |
|
1928–1931 |
Hubert Field, Antique furniture dealer |
Coverley Bookshop (B.H. Blackwell Ltd) | |
1932–1937 |
Davenant Bookshop |
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1938 |
No listing |
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1939 |
Culpeper House |
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1940–1949 |
Culpeper House With their Golden Kettle Café listed at No. 41 from 1943 to 1949 |
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1952–1960 |
Culpeper House |
McKay’s Café |
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1962–1966 |
Copper Kettle |
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1967 |
No listing |
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1968 |
No listing: being rebuilt at the rear by The Queen's College |
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1970–2003 |
Queen’s Lane Coffee House |
Magna Gallery |
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2003–present |
Queen’s Lane Coffee House |
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