Oxford History: The High

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The present pair of houses that form the shop at Nos. 116–117 High Street date from the early nineteenth century. They are jointly a Grade II listed building (List Entry No. 1047256). They were in the parish of All Saints until that church closed in 1971, and are now in the parish of St Michael-at-the-Northgate Church. They are owned by Lincoln College.

116 High Street

In 1696 Alderman Hawkins paid tax on ten windows at the former house at 116 High Street.

In 1772 a survey of every house in the city was taken in consequence of the Mileways Act of 1771. The former No. 116 was then in the occupation of a Mrs Young and had a frontage of 6 yards 1 foot 10 inches.

The present building on this site was probably erected in c.1812. It appears that the first occupant was the confectioner James Wickens, who declined his High Street business in favour of John Goolding in February 1819. Certainly at the time of the 1841 census the confectioner John Goolding lived here over the shop with his wife Mary and their five children, plus two female servants and a lodger. He died here at the age of 47 in January 1843 and was buried in All Saints' churchyard. His wife Mary took over the business, but on 15 June 1850 it was announced that she was leaving Oxford and there would be an auction of her prints and other effects.

On 12 October 1850 the tailor and robe maker Henry Stuart announced in Jackson's Oxford Journal that he had moved his business here at No. 116 from 16 Cornmarket Street. The 1851 census shows him living here over his shop with his wife Jane and daughter Mary, plus two servants. (One of the servants, an 18-year-old errand boy called Eli Buckingham, can be found as an umbrella manufacturer at 114 High Street from 1882.)

At the time of the 1861 census the tailor George Seager (56) lived here with his wife Mary Ann and their two daughters, plus a boarder and two servants. On 2 April 1870 Jackson’s Oxford Journal reported that the Hon. Mr Fitzpatrick, a student of Brasenose College who lodged with the Seagers, kept a seven-foot-long boa constrictor here which attacked Miss Seager, whose life was saved by her sister and mother and another lodger, Mr Fanning of Trinity College.

From 1862 to 1872 the tobacconist Henry Bickerton had the shop here. At the time of the 1871 census the Seagers upstairs were away and only their niece Harriet Seager (26) was listed here with their servant.

On 24 February 1872 an auction of this freehold house was advertised as follows in Jackson's Oxford Journal:

The valuable PREMISES, No. 116 High-street, now in the occupation of Mrs. Seager and Mr. Bickerton. The House comprises on the ground floor a large front shop, side entrance, sitting rooms and eight bed rooms; and in the basement is an extensive cellarage. The whole is admirably situated and adapted for business and letting lodgings.

Oxford University Press took over this shop in 1872, and were to remain here for about 150 years until 2020, expanding into the adjoining shop in 1997. The upstairs premises were let out as follows:

• 1881, 1891,  & 1901 censuses: The Pembroke College cook George Wastie Leach lived here with his wife and sister and three servants (a waiter, kitchenmaid, and scullery or house maid)
• 1911 census: the nine rooms upstairs were occupied by the college cook Albert Reginald Turner Payne (35) and his wife Lucy (27), who ran a lodging house here.

117 High Street

There are former tenth- and eleventh-century cellars under this property.

In 1419 an earlier property on this site and on that of Nos. 118 next door to the west and everything except the front shop at No. 119 was known as Redcock's: it was bought by Oxford City Council in that year.

For details of the leaseholders of this shop from 1580 to 1841, see H. E. Salter, Oxford City Properties (Oxford Historical Society, 1926), pp. 129–30.

At the time of the 1772 Survey of Oxford, No. 117 was occupied by a Mr Turner and had a frontage of 4 yards 0 feet 6 inches.

This house must have been rebuilt in c.1810. On 1 May 1813 the lease of the new (present) house on this site was sold to Francis Freeborn, probably the Magdalen College cook of that name who had lived in the High Street since at least 1806. He occupied it for a very short time and Jackson's Oxford Journal of 3 September 1814 published the following advertisement:

Most desirable GENTEEL RESIDENCE,
in the city of oxford,
TO BE SOLD BY AUCTION, By Mr. giles,

On Tuesday the 20th day of September inst, between the hours of Five and Seven in the evening, at Mr. Davis's, the Chequer Inn, in Oxford, under such conditions of sale as will be then produced, – A truly valuable and desirable leasehold dwelling house and premises, with immediate possession, situate exactly opposite All Saints' Church, in the High-street, in the City of Oxford, now in the occupation of Mr. Freeborn, the proprietor.

The premises in front comprise a neat parlour, good kitchen, passage entrance, capital arched cellaring, 2 handsome and pleasant drawing rooms, and 3 airy and comfortable bed chambers, with convenient closets, on the first and second floors; also detached servants' offices across the yard, consisting of a good kitchen, wash-house, with a very comfortable sleeping rooms over the same; pleasant garden, with green house, court yard, pump of excellent water, and every other convenience to render the whole complete.

The premises have, within these few years, been newly erected, in a very substantial manner, and are in excellent repair. They are held by lease under the City of Oxford for a term of 40 years, which was renewed in November last….

On 21 November 1827 the city council sold the lease to the brewer James Wickham, who was already living here. He died at the age of 55 in April 1830, and his widow Etty in April 1834. The following advertisement appeared in Jackson's Oxford Journal on 17 May 1834:

VALUABLE PREMISES,
IN A MOST ELIGIBLE SITUATION,
Opposite All Saints Church, High Street, OXFORD
Having a depth from front to back of 153 feet.
TO BE SOLD BY AUCTION,
By Mr. T. MALLAM

At the Sun Inn, Corn Market, Oxford, on Wednesday the 21st day of May, 1834, at Seven o'clock,—All that excellent DWELLING HOUSE and PREMISES, in the High-street, Oxford, lately occupied by Mrs Wickens, deceased: containing a passage entrance, two good parlours, detached kitchen, larder, and back kitchen, with two large yards, and neat pleasure garden, with summer-house; two capital dining rooms, three principal bed chambers, fitted up with large closets, and two servants' ditto; two large cellars, excellent water, and other conveniences; the whole in good repair.
    The situation of these Premises for any kind of profession or trade are undeniable; and possession may be had at Midsummer next.—This Property is held under the Corporation of Oxford, for a term of 40 years, from Lady Day, 1827.

On 24 June 1834 the lease of No. 117 was alienated to the carver & gilder James Wyatt, and this was renewed on 30 December 1841. He and Abel Quarterman/Quartermaine were both said to be the occupants, but in fact at the time of the 1841 census Wyatt was living at No. 115, and only the breeches-maker Abel Quarterman lived here over his shop at No. 117 with his wife Elizabeth (the daughter of Richard Gadney) and their five children, plus two lodgers and two female servants. He went bankrupt in 1847, and his stock-in-trade and household furniture, linen, and china were auctioned. The following notice published in Jackson's Oxford Journal 5 June that year shows how the living quarters were furnished and the kind of stock he held:

By 1851 the London cigar dealer Melchior Lopez had opened a shop here, but he appears to have put in a manager, as the 1851 census shows Henry Horneman, (23), described as a cigar dealer, living upstairs at No. 117 with another young man called William Clay. Soon after this census the cigar business relocated to 3 Turl Street.

On 21 February 1852 the house was advertised to let, and Henry Le Grand, a restaurateur, moved here from St Aldate’s Street. The advertisement below appeared in Billing's Directory of 1854:

The upstairs premises were unoccupied at the time of the 1861 census, but in 1871 they were let out to Harry Richardson Lucas (36), an attorney's clerk, who lived here with his wife and five children plus two servants. He and his family still lived here at the time of the 1881 census and Lucas was now described as a clerk in the Oxford Diocesan Registry.

No one is listed as living here in the 1891 census

The 1901 census shows Fred William Albert Bennett (25), a laundry clerk and lodging-house keeper, living over this shop with his wife Lilian and two servants, plus two undergraduate boarders.

At the time of the 1911 census the eight rooms upstairs were occupied by the upholsterer Ernest Goodall (52) and his wife Harriet (52), who with her 17-year-old daughter Marjorie ran a lodging house here.

The 11921 census shows the artist George Frederick Nicholls (62) living in five rooms over this shop with his wife Mary.

The tailor Frederick G. Mullins occupied No. 117 (and No. 119 two doors to the west) from 1912 to the 1930s. An advertisement from 1929 reads:

Here in these little ‘Old World’ Shops Nos. 117–119 in the famous High Street, nearly opposite ‘The Mitre’ Hotel, can be seen beautiful silks in wonderful shades for Gentlemen’s Neckwear; these can be made into ties to your own designs and colourings in one hour. Do not leave this old City without seeing them, you will not be asked to buy. Prices 1/6, 2/6, 3/6, 4/6.

In c.1970 A-Plan Insurance moved into No. 117 (and also into No. 118 on the west side, and these two shops were temporarily combined into one).

On 16 September 1988, the City of Oxford Council accepted an offer of £2,350,000 from Lincoln College for the freehold interest in Nos 117–-119 High Street

A-Plan moved to 107 High Street in c.1993, and in February that year planning permission was granted to Lincoln College to change the use of the ground floor from offices to retail, and the use of the top three floors from offices to college residential (91/00601/NFH).

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No. 116 & 117: jointly occupied since 1995

In 1995 Oxford University Press next door obtained planning permission to expand their bookshop at No. 116 to include No. 117 next door on the right (95/00525/NFH. This shop occupied both premises until it closed down in 2020.

In February 2023 Lincoln College was granted permission to change the rear ground floor of the shops and the basement for their own library use (22/03009/LBC). Amathus Wine & Spirit Merchants are now preparing to move into the remaining commercial part of the building at the front.

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* On 13 February 1819 James Wickens, a confectioner in the High Street, announced in Jackson's Oxford Journal that he had declined business in favour of John Goolding.