63 and 64 Holywell Street date from c.1800, and are owned by New College. They form a Grade II Listed Building (1104929), with the following description:
Nos 63 & 64 SP 5106 NE 6/246 12.1.54. II GV 2.
House. C18-19 three-storeyed roughcast timber-framing with cellars, a slight modillioned eaves cornice and a central modern brick stack. The ground floor has two C19 sash windows with shutters and two doorways in moulded early Cl9 frames with continuous band above. The first and second floors have C18-19 sash windows in moulded wood frames. For plan and section see Fig. 8 and p. 132 Antiq Jnl 27 (1947). Internal alterations 1964.
No. 63 (right): From 1861 to the late 1870s, this was the home of Catherine Lloyd, the daughter of Charles Lloyd, the former Bishop of Oxford: there is more information about her here on the page about her family grave in St Sepulchre's Cemetery. While she was living here she saw the start of the destruction of the houses by New College from No. 70 eastwards. She then moved to No. 96, and saw the further destruction of more houses to the west, starting with the house next door to her at No. 95. She was appalled at what was being done: see “Outrage in Holywell Street”.
Sale of Nos. 63 and 64: On 5 May 1877 the following notice appeared in Jackson’s Oxford Journal, advertising the forthcoming auction of this pair of houses:
Messrs J. R. MALLAM and Son have received instructions to SELL by AUCTION, — The valuable LEASEHOLD HOUSES, being Nos. 63 and 64 Holywell-street, Oxford; each containing kitchen, scullery, &c. , in the basement; two sitting rooms on the ground floor, sitting room and bed room on the first floor, two bed rooms and attic above, with small gardens, &c., behind. The Property is held under Merton College, Oxford, for the unexpired Lease of 13 years.
63–64 Holywell Street in the censuses
1841
The 1841 census for Holywell does not give house numbers, but it is possible to deduce where people listed that year lived by examining directory entries between 1839 and 1842 and later censuses
No. 63
Ann Coker (30), a milliner, lived here with Elizabeth Ealey (20), Sarah Thompson (20), and one female servant.No. 64
George Hanks (25), a college servant, lived here with Elizabeth Hanks (40), independent, two people who appear to be lodgers, and one female servant.
1851
No. 63
Ann Coker (48), a milliner, still lived here, with her assistant Elizabeth Oxley (34), two student lodgers, and a servant.No. 64
George Hanks (35), a college servant, still lived here with his sister Elizabeth (52) and his aunt Eleanor Cooper, both of whom were annuitants. All three were unmarried. They had an undergraduate lodger.
1861
No. 63
Catherine Lloyd (30), an unmarried fundholder, lived here with two female servants.No. 64
George J. Hanks (48), a college servant, still lived here, and now had one house servant of his own.
1871
No. 63
Catherine Lloyd (46) still lived here, now with her sister Marianne Wodehouse (45). They had two servants (a cook and a housemaid).No. 64
George Hanks (58), an unmarried college servant, still lived here alone with his servant.
1881
No. 63
Elizabeth Barnett (47), a married lodging-house keeper, lived here with her daughter Adelaide (2).No. 64
Clara Miller (45), a widowed lodging-house keeper, lived here with her daughters Ruth (21) and Rose (19), who were both artists, her sons Albert (17) and Arthur (15), who were photographer’s apprentices, and her younger children Percy (11) and Lydia (6), who were at school.
A second household is listed at No. 64: Thomas White (51), a games trainer, and his wife Mary (48).
1891
No. 63
Thomas Price Stone (37), a college servant, lived here with his wife Ella (35) and their children Ethel (12), Annie (11), and Neale (4). They had one servant.No. 64
Elizabeth Beesley (38), the wife of the head of the household, lived here with her daughter Edith (17), who was a stationer's assistant, and her niece Constance Hunt (6). They had one servant.
1901
No. 63
James Bennett (41), a college butler, lived here with his wife Lizzie (38), who was a lodging-house keeper, and their children Florence (15), Bessie (12), Annie (11), George (7), and Lizzie (6). They had a student lodger aged 35, and one general servant.No. 64
Kate Styles (35), a widowed lodging-house keeper, lived here with her children Alice (15), Laura (12), and Cyril (8).
1911
No. 63
Mrs Amy Eleanor Willcox (43), a widowed university lodging-house keeper, lived here with her son Claude (15), who was a junior municipal clerk, and her unmarried sister Alice Wyatt (39).No. 64
Joseph Freeman (69), a widowed lodging-house keeper, lived here with his niece Bessie Freeman (25), who assisted in the lodging house.
1921
No. 63 (wrongly numbered 53 in the census)
The widowed lodging-house keeper Amy Eleanor Willcox (53) was still here with her son Claude (26), who was a clerk in the surveyor's department of Oxfordshire County Council, and Claude's wife Josephine (25). An undergraduate of Oriel College boarded in a separate part of the houseNo. 64
Miss Elizabeth Freeman (39) was now the lodging-house keeper here, and three people were boarding with her.
1939 Register
No. 63
The widow Amy Eleanor Willcox was listed here with Claude & Josephine Willcox (probably her son and daughter-in-law).No. 64
The college servant William Henry Hathaway was listed here with his wife Evelyn and their daughter.
Occupants of 63–64 Holywell Street listed in directories etc. |
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| No. 64 (left) | No. 63 (right) | ||
1772 |
Mr Trinder |
Mr Kensel |
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1841–1851 |
George James Hanks |
Ann Coker |
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1856–1857 |
Oxford Middle School |
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1861–1876 |
Miss Catherine Lloyd |
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1881 |
Mrs Clara Miller |
Mrs Elizabeth Barnett |
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1884–1889 |
G. K. Beesley |
Thomas Price Stone |
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1894–1896 |
Mrs Kate Styles |
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1899–1901 |
James Bennett |
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1905 |
Alan Adamson |
Mrs Amy Eleanor Willcox
Claude W. L. Willcox (from 1949) |
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1911–1928 |
Joseph Freeman |
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1930 |
Harry Alfred Allnutt |
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1933 |
William Henry Peters |
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1935–1947 |
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1949 |
William Henry Hathaway |
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1952–1960 |
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1962 |
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1964 |
John J. Butler |
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1966–1973 |
No listing |
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1976 |
No listing |
No listing |
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Today |
New College annexe |
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