30 Cornmarket Street: Oxford Gifts & Candyland
The former and present building on this site was in the parish of St Michael-at-the-Northgate Church. Until 1912, when the shop next door at No. 31 was rebuilt, Treadwell Passage ran down the north side of this building.
For leases granted by Oxford City Council between 1581 and 1787 for 29, 30, 31, & 32 Cornmarket Street, see H. E. Salter, Oxford City Properties, pp. 246–248.
In the nineteenth century there were two adjoining premises here: a shop at No. 30, and what was described as “a wretched cottage” at 30½, which appears to have been to the south. At the time of the 1841 census William Stevens, a fruiterer, lived over the shop with Mary Stevens, while Charles Lister lived in the cottage with his wife and three children, plus two servants and a lodger.
For ten months while the hotel opposite on the corner of George Street was being rebuilt, No. 30 was occupied by George Drinkwater, who kept the business going here. Then on 1 October 1853 the following auction notice appeared in Jackson's Oxford Journal:
All those valuable FREEHOLD BUSINESS PREMISES, for many years occupied by the late Mr. Stevens, fruiterer, &c., and for the last ten months used as an hotel by Mr. G. Drinkwater; comprising a modern-built Dwelling House, with Bath stone front and passage, containing a frontage of 20 feet; in the basement is a kitchen, with bake-house and oven, wine, beer, and coal cellars; on the ground floor an excellent shop, two pantries, and offices; on the first floor a dining room, drawing ditto, and two bed chambers; on the second floor four bed chambers and water closet, and two attics over.—Land-Tax, £2 7s 10d.
In 1860 Edwin Litchfield Elliott moved his boot & shoe warehouse from 35 Cornmarket Street across the road into the former shop at No. 30, and the family was living there at the time of the 1861 census, but by 1871 they had moved to north Oxford. His son Christopher Elliott took over the family boot-making business and was living over the shop at the time of the 1901 census. He continued to run the shop here until the 1920s, but had also moved to north Oxford by 1911.
Jackson's Oxford Journal of 11 October 1879 described the rebuilding of the cottage at No. 30½ , occupied by the cutlers Chadwell & Long, as a proper shop:
In Corn Market-street, Mr. Berry, of Thame, has effected great improvement in rebuilding his property known as No. 30½, occupied by Messrs. Chadwick [sic, for Chadwell] and Long, as a cutler's shop. The new premises, although not large, and built simply with red brick and timber, owing to their advantageous position, form a striking feature in the street, and a great contrast to the wretched cottage they have replaced .... Mr. Jos. Hall was the builder., ... Mr. Codd being the architect.....
The 1881 census shows No. 30 unoccupied and the widowed cutler Maria Chadwell (69) living at No. 30½ with her unmarried daughter Sarah and a servant. while .
The present building at No. 30
In 1904 the shop was rebuilt in ashlar stone in the neo-classical style with a Dutch gable to the design of Herbert Quinton (plan available on microfiche). The Elliott shoe business continued in the new shop until 1921, and the building is still named Elliott House. This photograph (Historic England HT10442) shows Elliott's new shop in 1907:
In April 1958 planning permission was granted for a new shop front (58/06846/A_H).
In 1985 this shop was bought by St Michael & All Saints Charities.
Occupants of 30 Cornmarket Street listed in directories etc. |
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Date |
30 |
30½ or 30A |
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1839–1851 |
William Stevens |
No listing |
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1851–1852 |
William Bowness |
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1852–1853 |
George Drinkwater operated his inn from |
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To 1860 |
L. Solomon |
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1860–1867 |
ELLIOTT E. L. Elliott
Christopher Frank Elliott |
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1872–1880 |
Mrs Chadwell, Cutler Chadwell & Long |
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1885–1904 |
Reuben Wenborn, Cutler + Millar & Nasmyth, Architects, in 1899 |
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Rebuilt in 1904 as one shop |
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1904–1921 |
Christopher Frank Elliott Upstairs:
Harry Goldcrown, Manufacturing furrier, in 1911 |
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1925–1960 |
Johnson Bros (Dyers) Ltd. Upstairs: Oxford Optical Co. with Henry Ernest Tipping, Estate Agent (1925–1936) |
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1962–1976 |
Bollom Ltd, Upstairs: Oxford Optical Co. Ltd and Equity Life Assurance Society Ltd (1962–1867) |
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1980–2006 |
Bateman’s Opticians |
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2007–2008 |
Lune Bleu |
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2009–2010 |
Octopus |
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2011–2018 |
Pylones |
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2019–2022 |
Britain Heritage souvenir shop |
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2022– |
Oxford Gifts & Candyland (formerly American Candyland) |
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30 Cornmarket Street in the censuses
1841
William Stevens (55), a fruiterer, lived over the shop with Mary (65), and with another couple called Charles & Mary Lister and their three children. They had one male and one female servant.
1851
William Bowness (24), a fruiterer, and his wife Ann (22) lived over the shop, together with one house servant and one shopman.
1861
The shop was occupied by Edwin Litchfield Elliott (36), born in Northampton and described as a boot maker employing 15 men, ten women, and two boys. He lived over the shop with his Oxford-born wife Matilda (39) and his sons John (8), Joseph (6), William (4), Christopher (2), and an unnamed baby of one month. They had a house servant and nursemaid, and also living with them were a monthly nurse for the new baby and a shopwoman.
1871
No listing.
1881
The building is listed as uninhabited, indicating that the whole of the premises was now used as a shop and manufactory.
1891
No. 30: Unoccupied.
No. 30A: Reuben Wenborn (27), a cutler, lived on his premises with his wife Alice (28) and their children Reuben (6), Elizabeth (4), Percy (2), and Gertrude (eighteen months). They had a student boarder and one general servant.
1901
No. 30: Christopher Elliott (37), boot & shoe maker, lived here over his shop with his wife Ellen (31) and his daughter Dorothy (7). They had one general servant.
No. 30A: Reuben Wenborn (41), a cutler and shopkeeper, still lived here on his premises with his wife Alice (38) and their children Reuben (16), Elizabeth 14), Percy (12), and Bertha (one month). They had a 14-year-old servant girl.
1911
No. 30: Miss Elizabeth Beesley (62) lived here alone in the eight-roomed premises above the shop running a registry for servants.
No. 30A: Harry Goldcrown (22), a manufacturing furrier, lived here in four-roomed premises with his wife Sarah (25), who assisted him in the business, his sister Rachel Goldcrown (20), who was a fur sewer, and his sister-in-law (?stepsister) Minnie Zolty (9).