Oxford History: The High

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Nos. 46 & 47 were rebuilt by St Edmund Hall in 1975 incorporating college accommodation above. They were designed by Gilbert Howes in the late eighteenth-century style.

They were designed as two separate shops, but have been a single shop since 2005.

The two earlier buildings on this site were in St Peter-in-the East parish until that parish was united with St Cross parish in 1957.

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The former building at 46 & 47 High Street to 1975

The former building can be seen on the left of this 1949 photograph: No. 46 is occupied by Slatter & Rose, but No. 47 has no ground-floor frontage and was always living accommodation.

46 High Street

On 3 November 1838 Francis T. Cooper took out a large advertisement promoting the new hat, hosiery, Irish cloth, and shirt establishment— that he had just opened here. At the time of the 1841 census he was described as a hatter and was living here with his wife Decima, a porter, a hatter's apprentice, a milliner, and their two servants, plus two independent ladies (one of whom had three children) and their servant.

By 1843 Cooper was also acting as an agent for Ridgeway’s Tea, and in about 1845 he had changed his line of business in this shop, concentrating on selling fancy teas and some grocery items, and by 1847 the shop was called “The Tea Establishment”. At the time of the 1851 census Cooper  (39) was described as “Tea dealer and Italian warehouse”, and was still living over the shop with his wife Decima, his three young sons Frank, Frederick, and Arthur, his porter and three shop assistants, and two servants. The family again found room for two lodgers (a barrister and his wife).

The following advertisement appeared in Billing's Directory for 1854:

On 29 March 1856 Cooper moved his business to the shop across the road at 83 High Street where his son Frank was to create Frank Cooper’s Oxford Marmalade.

On 28 February 1857 Henry Stew announced in Jackson's Oxford Journal that he had on that day opened a new drapery establishment at 46 High Street, and had a stock of dresses, mantles, shawls, straw bonnets, ribbons, hosiery, and gloves. The 1861 census shows Stew, a widower of 35, living on his shop premises with his four young children, his housekeeper, two shop assistants, a house servant and a nursemaid, and his lodger, who was the Curate of St Mary Magdalen Church. The shop was then owned by Tyrrell Knapp of Headington Hill, who died in 1869. It was auctioned under the terms of his will, with the following advertisement published in Jackson's Oxford Journal on 30 April 1870:

OXFORD. VERY DESIRABLE FREEHOLD PROPERTY, No. 46 HIGH STREET OXFORD,
... comprising all that very excellent Freehold Dwelling House and commanding Business Premises (Land Tax Redeemed), 46, High-street, in the parish of St. Peter-in-the-East, in the occupation of Mr. Stew, draper.
   The Property consists of a large shop with plate-glass front, ware rooms, hall and passage, sitting rooms, drawing room on the first floor, nine bed rooms, kitchen, cellar, stable, offices, garden, and yard, with side entrance.
   The Premises are substantial, and extend to a depth of 116 feet or thereabouts, and the back buildings are of brick. The tenant is under notice to leave, possession may, therefore, be had on completion of the purchase.
   The whole are now let at the very low rent of £90 per annum, and is situated in that improving part of the High-street opposite the new buildings now being erected on the site of the Angel Hotel.

In the event Henry Stew remained the tenant, and was still living here at the time of the 1871 census with a new wife Catherine and their four young children, plus three children from his first marriage, plus his assistant, an undergraduate lodger, and two servants. He and Catherine were still here at the time of the 1881 census with four of their children and one frm his first marriage, plus their servant. . In 1891 three of his children were still at home. Henry Stew died here at the age of 69 on 21 October 1894. On 23 March 1895 Jackson's Oxford Journal advertised the forthcoming sale of all his furniture, which included a pianoforte, bookcases, and oil paintings.

Twining's Grocers were here from 1898 to 1920. At the time of the 1901 census the accommodation upstairs was occupied by the Wheeler family, but only the two children and Mr Wheeler's sister-in-law were at home with two servants.

There is no one listed as living here in the 1911 census.

Andrews (Oxford) Ltd, saddlers were here from 1921 to 1939, but Edward Andrews lived at 6 Chalfont Road and the 1921 census shows two sets of student boarders (in a group of six and of two) living over his shop.

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The former 47 High Street

From the 1830s until it was rebuilt in 1975, this was either a private house or a lodging house rather than a shop.

The 1841 census shows Mary & Elizabeth Dry, both described as independent, living here with a female servant. Mary Dry died on 19 March 1844 at the age of 73, and at the time of the 1851 census Miss Elizabeth Dry (65), now described as a fundholder, lived here with her servant. She died here at the age of 82 on 12 January 1861, and her house was unoccupied at the time of the 1861 census.

On 26 April 1862 the surgeon F. Winter Clarke announced that he had moved his practice here from 5 St John Street.

By the end of 1868 the physician Henry Banks Spencer lived at No. 47.He can be seen here at the age 35 in the 1871 census with his wife Mary and their daughter, his mother, his brother, and an assistant surgeon, plus a cook, housemaid, and groom.

The house was unoccupied at the time of the 1881 census.

The 1891 census shows the college servant Frederick Carter (33) living here with his wife and son and his mother-in-law. By 1901 his wife Laura was running a lodging house here, aided by her son, and they now had a servant, who was described as a waiter.

At the time of the 1911 census the number of rooms in this house was recorded as twelve. Mrs Katherine Knott (55), the boarding house proprietor here, spent census night here alone. It continued to be university lodgings until it was demolished in the late 1960s.

The 1921 census shows Louisa Gillam, the wife of the university lodging-house keeper here, with her daughter. Two students are listed as a separate household, and another one on his own.