Oxford History: The High

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No. 102 (on the corner of Oriel Street) and No. 103 next door to the west were built in about 1714 by William Ives, a wealthy mercer. The pair of houses are jointly Grade II listed (List Reference No. 1047251), and from at least 1834 to 1964 were a single shop. They have always been in the parish of St Mary-the-Virgin. Both shops are owned by Oriel College.

No. 102 is narrower but taller than its neighbour to the west, as its high ceilings mean that it has only three floors to their four. Its window on the first floor has an ionic column on each side.

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Prior to 1834: Two separate shops

The 1772 Survey of Oxford shows: :

• No. 102
  Frontage of 4 yards 2 ft 9 in
  Occupied by Mr Towsey
• No. 103
  Frontage of 6 yards 2ft 9 in
  Occupied by Mr Stevens.

The grocer Mr Costar had a lease on both shops in 1799 that was renewed in 1818, but he appears to have let the two shops, on the Oriel College plan of 1814 on the right shows them occupied as follows:

• No: 102: West
• No. 103: Loder

 

 

 

No. 102

Richard J. Spiers took possession of No. 102 on 6 March 1834. The Revd W. Tuckwell, in his Reminiscences of Oxford describes the shop in the 1830s:

In 1835 the house of Wood, the apothecary, at the entrance to Skimmery Hall Lane [= St Mary Hall Lane, now Oriel Street], was translated into Spiers’, now itself extinct, but for nearly sixty years inseparable from Oxford life, better served and more artistic in its merchandise than any shop in England. Its display of papier mâché and of ceramic ware, surrounding a beautiful cardboard model of the Martyrs’ Memorial, was one of the features in the 1851 Exhibition.

At the time of the 1841 census George Burbridge and two servants occupied Spiers's shop at No. 102, while Spiers himself lived in a private house in St John Street).

No. 103

William Loder senior was already in this shop on 11 May 1811 when he placed the following announcement in Jackson's Oxford Journal:

WILLIAM LODER,
HAIR-DRESSER, PERFUMER, STATIONER, &c.
HIGH-STREET, OXFORD,

BEGS to return his grateful acknowledgments to the Nobility, Gentry, and others, who have hitherto favoured him with their support, and informs them he has taken into PARTNERSHIP his SON and Mr. J. GUNNER, and that the business will in future be carried on by them jointly. All orders entrusted to their care will be executed with the utmost punctuality and dispatch.
    Ladies and Gentlemen's hair cut and dressed in the first style of elegance and fashion.
    Engraving in general.

William Loder senior died at the age of 52 on 8 March 1814. His son William Loder junior took over the business. His wife Jane died here at the age of 31 on 17 July 1825, and a year later on 29 July 1826 he married his second wife, Sarah Turner of Shinfield, Berkshire. .

On 10 October 1835 William Loder Junior and John Gunner, “Perfumers, Hair Dressers, Stationers, and General Dealers”, announded that they had dissolved their partnership by mutual consent the previous day and Loder inserted a separate advertisement stating that he would continue the business on his own and adding that he was also a cutler and china & glass warehouseman. Less that seven months later he was dead at the age of 43, and following his death on 5 May 1836 his widow Sarah Loder then took over the shop at No. 103.

The 1841 census shows a third William Loder (25) as the perfumer in this shop, living on the premises with his wife Elizabeth plus other individuals and three servants. He transferred his business to 20 High Street, in about 1846, but on 5 August 1848 a sale of his furniture was advertised as he was leaving Oxford.

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No. 102 & 103 combined as one shop from 1846 to 1964

When William Loder moved out of No. 103 in about 1846, Richard Spiers expanded into it, and henceforth his business operated from both Nos. 102 and 103, and included 1, 2, and 3 Oriel Street.

Hunt’s Directory for 1846 has two advertisements for Spiers: one is for ornamental hair, and the other lists some of the novelties for sale, namely: writing desks; inkstands; envelope cases; blotting portfolios; cases of French writing paper; card cases; memorandum tablets; ornamental paper cutters; glove boxes; work boxes, dressing cases; musical boxes of all sizes; richly ornamented papier mâché goods, with views of Oxford; silver baskets, card cases, and vinaigrettes, with views of Oxford in relief; bagatelle tables; chessmen and boards; mantelpiece and drawing-room ornaments, in French porcelain, Bohemian glass, bronze, &c.

At the time of the 1851 census, the upstairs premises of Nos. 102 and 103 were occupied by Spiers’ employees, headed by William Harvey, the manager of the shop, and his wife and then three counting house clerks, two shopmen, a stationer’s apprentice, and a general servant.

The 1861 census shows  the upstairs of the two shops occupied by three employees: William Sylvester, an accountant who described himself as the supervisor; William Burch, a cabinet goods salesman; and John Binns (a china salesman). They had one servant.

At the time of the 1871 census the upstairs premises were occupied by Spiers's manager and commercial clerk Alfred Bannister and his wife.

The picture of Spiers’ shop at 102/103 High Street shown above was drawn by Cuthbert Bede for his book The Adventures of Mr Verdant Green, published in 1853. Verdant is taken in by the joke that Wordsworth wrote “Oh ye Spires of Oxford” in praise of the shop, which shows how the name Spiers was pronounced. Mr Green ended up buying the following “remembrances of Oxford”: a fire-screen to be prepared with the family coat of arms for his father; another with a view of the High for his aunt; a netting-box, card-case, and a model of the Martyrs’ Memorial for his three sisters; and a paper-knife for himself.

The premises were not occupied at the time of the 1881 and 1891 census.

In 1891 Nos. 102 and 103 (together with Nos. 1, 2, and 3 Oriel Street) were fitted out specially as a large tailor’s shop for Messrs Adamson. Jackson’s Oxford Journal for 17 October 1891 (p. 8b) reports that the work was done by Knowles & Son, directed by the Surveyor to Oriel College, the owners of the property. The premises were divided into business and domestic sections, the sanitary arrangements were overhauled, and a water heating system and baths were fitted. The premises were also redecorated and electric bells installed.

In the 1901 census Nos. 102 & 103 were described a tailor's and outfitters, but no one was living on the premises.

Adamson & Co. remained here until 1964:

• Photograph showing 102 & 103 High Street in 1959, occupied by Adamson Tailors

Since 1965 the building has been divided into two shops again.