Most of this site originally belonged to Merton College and was attached to 100 Holywell Street to the west (which had an enormous frontage of 51 yards at the time of the 1771 Survey of Oxford). This Morris Garage building of 1910, however, was deemed to be in Long Wall Street, but it did not acquire the number 21 in directories until as late as 1967.
The drawing below by Jean-Claude Nattes (d.1839) shows some of the buildings on this site in the early nineteenth century, when it was occupied by livery stables.
In 1902 William Morris (later Lord Nuffield) took over these disused livery stables.
He demolished them in 1909–10 and replaced them with the Morris Garage, designed by Tollit & Lee. Its neo-Georgian façade and other parts (shown above) survive today, and the building is Grade II listed (1407549).
This garage was described as “Oxford's new motor palace” when the City Engineer's plan for the site was published in the Oxford Journal Illustrated of 13 July 1910 (p. 6). The central doorway led to a covered garage and workshop
The Oxford Chronicle of 14 October 1910 (p. 9) reported that a new garage with a floor space of 4,400 square feet facing St Cross Road was being built by Mr W. R. Morris, and that it would contain repairing shops, private lock-ups for cars, and an extensive showroom.
Right: Rain hopper at the former Morris
Garage, inscribed with the date 1910
The prototype of the Morris Oxford car was assembled on this site in 1912.
In Kelly's Directory for 1914–1915 (right) The Morris Garages were listed under Long Wall Street without a number, sandwiched between the private house at No. 20 and the wall letter box to the right of the entrance.
When production moved to Cowley in 1914, this building remained in use as company offices and as a service and distribution centre, and Lord Nuffield himself had an office on the first floor.
Photographs: The garages in 1913, with hire cars outside and in 1925
The drawing below, taken from an advertisement in the Oxford Mail in 1928, shows the building when it was known as the Longwall Service Depot:
In 1930 (left) the building was listed under Long Wall Street as The Morris Garages Ltd; Car Service depot. The building still had no number, and was still listed straight after the private house at No. 20.
By 1938 the building was listed as the Morris Garages Ltd Service depot and hire department, still without a number
From 1941 to 1964 it was just listed as the firm's Service Department.
The Morris Motors archive 1926–1952 is held by Warwick University.
From 1966 to 1976 the old Morris Garages here were listed in Kelly's Directory as being occupied by a self-drive hire department. A firm of chartered accountants moved into some of the offices in 1967 and these were given the number 21 for the first time.
In 1977 the whole building was threatened with demolition, but the frontage, side elevation, and roof structure were retained when in 1980 it was developed as student accommodation for New College by John Fryman of the Oxford Architects Partnership. It is now entered from the south, behind the central archway. In 2016 planning permission was granted to New College to erect a single-storey building in the Morris yard for students with disabilities and make further alterations (16/03209/FUL).
In 2018 this garage was named as one of the top ten most important sites that have shaped England's trade and industry.
New College submitted on 11 February 2026 to erect a statue in the Morris Garage quadrangle of
The photograph below shows the rear of the Morris garages from inside New College, with a statue of Cecil Kimber lifting the bonnet of an MG sports car (planning application 26/00336/FUL).
The plaque under this statue reads:
6TH JUNE 2026
HERE IN THE MORRIS GARAGE IN 1925
THE MG WAS INVENTED BY CECIL KIMBER. THIS SCULPTURE
COMMEMORATES THE CENTENARY AND CELEBRATES
OXFORD'S ENGINEERING AND INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE.
IT DEPICTS THE VERY FIRST MG, “OLD NUMBER ONE”.
BEING OVERTAKEN BY THE ICONIC RACING CAR,
“THE K3 MAGNETTE”.
PAUL DAY, SCULPT.
This site in the nineteenth century
In the nineteenth century this land was occupied by a printing office and livery stables:
- Livery stables The coach proprietor Christopher Waddell ran these stables by 25 June 1834, when he and his wife Sarah had their son Christopher junior baptised at Holywell Church. The 1841 census shows that his family lived in the adjoining house at 100 Holywell Street.
- The printing office of Jackson’s Oxford Journal From 1850 to c.1898 Jackson’s Oxford Journal announced that it was printed at 100 Holywell Street. This was the home of Jonathan Lowndes and his son, and it appears that the printing took place here next door.
The OS map extract below shows the site in 1876:
See the site in 1900 side-by-side with today
The letter box of 1878 attached to the Morris Garages
Jackson’s Oxford Journal of 26 January 1878 reported the installation of the letter box (right) in the wall of the land attached to 100 Holywell Street :
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
It would indeed have been a great convenience to the newspaper’s printing office, then behind the wall.
This letter box was reinstated on the front of the Morris Garages as they would also have generated a volume of post, and it is still in use today.
See also Steven Teague and Ben M. Ford, “A Nineteenth-Century Livery Stable and the Morris Garage Workshop: Investigations at the Morris Building, Longwall Street, Oxford” (Oxoniensia, Vol. 88 (2023)
Site of 21 Long Wall Street in directories (listed under Holywell Street until 1914) |
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1772 |
Frontage: 51 yds 0 ft 0 in |
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By 1834–1850 |
Christopher Waddell, coach master |
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1850–1894 |
Oxford Journal Printing Office |
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1894–1896 |
William Franklin Livery Stables |
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1899 |
H. J. Fletcher Livery Stables |
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1905 |
E. Simmonds & Son, fruit salesmen |
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PRESENT BUILDING |
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1911–1976 PRESENT BUILDING |
The Morris Garages The Morris Garages Ltd. The Morris Garages Ltd |
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At 21 Long Wall Street today |
New College annexe |
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