100 Holywell Street is an early seventeenth-century house with a remodelled eighteenth-century range to the east. It was altered in 1970. It is owned by Merton College, who were Lords of the Manor of Holywell.
It is a Grade II Listed Building (1047242), with the following description:
No 100 SP 5106 SE 9/226 12.1.54. II GV 2.
House. RCHM 220. Early Cl7 with a remodelled C18 range on the East. 2-storeyed stone, with cellars, and partly rebuilt on North front. The West range has a stone gable and a stone slate roof: in the lst floor and in the gable are remains of an original three-light stone cavetto-moulded mullioned windows with square heads. There is a stone moulded string at the first floor and below the gable. The East range has a Welsh slate roof, a moulded string at the first floor and modern red brick stacks; there are modern sash windows; that in the ground floor is C18 and has three lights. Interior: RCHM page 182a. Includes some C18 panelling. Altered 1970.
This house originally had a very long frontage of 51 yards, as it included land to the south-east.
The 1772 Survey of Oxford shows a Mr Pepall living here. This could be Robert Pepall (1724–1812), the butler of Merton College, but it seems more likely that he was the other Mr Pepall at No. 93 and the eminent retired builder called John Pepall who died on 2 March 1798 and was buried at St Cross Church lived here .
By 1839 the coach master Christopher Waddell lived here and ran livery stables on the adjoining land.
In the nineteenth century the land of this house to the east was occupied by livery stables and the Jackson’s Oxford Journal printing office. The 1876 OS map (extract below) shows this land, as well as the large back garden of this house, which extended westwards behind the much smaller gardens of 96–99 Holywell Street.
In about 1850 Jonathan Lowndes moved here from No. 98 and this became the printing office of Jackson's Oxford Journal. He died here on 26 January 1867. The 1876 map (below) shows 100 Holywell Street in 1876:
On 26 January 1878 Jackson's Oxford Journal reported as follows on the new wall letter box on the wall of 100 Holywell Street to the west (which survives on the former Morris garage).
NEW POST OFFICE LETTER BOX.—The Post office authorities have this week placed a letter box in the wall of the house, No. 100, Holywell-street, which is situate at the junction of that street with Long Wall-street, and the road leading to the Church. The new box will be a great convenience in the locality, and the hours of clearing are 9.30 a.m., 2.20, 5.30, 7.15, and 9.0 p.m. on week days, and 2 p.m. on Sundays.
The road sign on this house dates from the mid-nineteenth century, as it has a hyphen.
The house continued to be occupied by people connected with Jackson's Oxford Journal until 1928, although the printing office moved out in 1894 and the newspaper was sold in 1899 to the Oxford Times Company.
Below: 100 Holywell Street photographed from the west by Henry Taunt (Historic England CC72/01914):
In 1910 William Morris built his garage on the site of the former livery stables/printing works to the south-east of 100 Holywell Street, and thenceforth this land was considered to be part of Long Wall rather than Holywell Street.
This house (as well as Nos. 96, 97, 98, & 99 to west) is owned by Merton College. A planning application by that college (23/01539/LBC) was approved in November 2023 to convert this house into two flats. The Heritage Statement under the Documents tab gives an 85-page history and description of the house.
100 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
Christopher Waddell (45), a coach master with adjoining livery stables, lived here with Sarah (45) who was probably his wife, and Sophia (15), Rose (14), Charlotte (12), Cornelia (10), Agnes (6), and Philip (3) who were probably his children. An independent lady, a governess, and three female servants lived with the family.
1851
Jonathan Lowndes (61), described as the printer & publisher of the Oxford Journal and employing five men and five boys, lived here with his wife Hannah (59) and their children Jonathan (33), who was a clerk at the Oxford Journal office, Cecilia (27), Helen (24), Edwin (22), who was a banker’s clerk, and Anna (16). They had one servant.
1861
Jonathan Lowndes, (now a widower of 71 and described as the Superintendent of the Printing Office of Jackson’s Oxford Journal and the employer of six men and two boys, still lived here with his unmarried daughters Cecilia (37), who was a governess, and Anne (26). They had one servant.
1871
Jonathan William Lowndes (54), the eldest son of Jonathan Lowndes, was now the publisher of Jackson’s Oxford Journal. He lived here with his wife Elizabeth (46) and their children Mary (16), Willoughby (11), and Florence (5), plus their married governess, whose own five-year-old child was paying a visit. They had three girls aged 16, 15, and 14 boarding with them, and employed a cook and nursemaid.
1881
Thomas F. Plowman (36), a newspaper editor, lived here with his wife Ann and his children Florence (8) and Joseph (6). The family had a female servant and a 13-year-old nursemaid.
1891
Hugh Hall (42), a barrister at law, lived here with his wife Elinor (28) and their son Hugh (9). They had three servants (a cook, a nurse, and a housemaid).
1901
Hugh Hall (52), now described as a barrister and journalist, still lived here with his wife Eleanor (38) and his widowed mother-in-law Mary Hopkins (60). They had three servants (a cook and two housemaids).
1911
This ten-roomed house was occupied on census night by just the family cook, who had a friend who was a shop assistant visiting.
1921
The barrister and Oxford Times journalist Hugh Hall (72) and his wife Elinor (58) were still living here with three student boarders.
1939 Register
The Professor of Classical Archaeology John D. Beazley was listed here with his wife Marie, plus a retired insurance clerk and a domestic servant.
Occupants of 100 Holywell Street listed in directories etc. |
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1772 |
Mr Pepall: House and yard
[includes land now considered part of Longwall Street occupied by the former Morris Garage] |
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1839–1846 |
Christopher J. Waddell |
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1850–1876 |
Oxford Journal Printing Office: + Holywell Gardens: F. T. Higgs in 1871 |
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1881–1883 |
Thomas Plowman |
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1884–1928 |
Hugh Hall, M.A., D.C.L., J.P. |
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1930–1967 |
Sir John Davidson Beazley, M.A., F.B.A., D.Litt. |
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1970–1972 |
No listing |
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1973–1976 |
Mark Everitt |
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Today |
Merton College house |
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