35–36: Fantastea bubble tea shop
This timber-framed four-storey building dates from before 1600, but was refronted in the eighteenth century. It formed two separate narrow houses until c.1870. Together with its neighbours at 33 and 34 High Street to the west and 37 & 38 High Street to the east, it is now owned by The Queen's College.
It is a Grade II listed building (List Entry No. 1047279). It was in St Peter-in-the East parish until that parish was united with St Cross parish in 1957.
This engraving of 1755 shows it looking very different, with no bay windows and two gables.
In 1696 Thomas Brickland paid tax on four windows at this building.
In 1772 a survey of every house in the city was taken in consequence of the Mileways Act of 1771. According to H. E. Salter, Nos. 35 & 36 were then in the occupation of a Mr Day, and their frontage measured 7 yards 1 feet 2 inches.
Nos. 35 and 36 can be seen just to the right of the centre in the 1834 engraving below:
No. 35 (on the left)
At the time of the 1841 census Mrs Sarah Hill, described as a painter, lived here with her children Sarah, George, Lucy, and William, plus a lodger. She still lived here in 1851 with her three unmarried daughters (Sarah, Lucy, and Catherine) and her son Henry J. Hill, who was also her apprentice. She died at the age of 62 in 1855.
The house was unoccupied in 1861.
By the time of the 1871 census Miss Sarah Hill (55), the daughter of George & Sarah Hill, lived here with her nephews Charles George Hill (27), who was described as a decorator, Frederic Hill (24), who was described as an artist, and Edwin Hill (20) and her niece Mary Hill (23), plus their servant. . By the time of the 1881 census Charles George Hill (37), described as a decorative artist, lived here with his wife May and their four children, plus their general servant; they were still here in 1891 with five children.
No. 36 (on the right)
The 1841 census shows this building occupied by Mary & Lydia Greene, who had independent means, plus their servant. Miss Lydia Greene was still here at the time of the 1851, 1861, and 1871 censuses. She died here at the age of 89 in 1873.
By the time of the 1881 census this pair of narrow houses was combined into a single business premises downstairs, with George Hill, a painter and decorator, as the proprietor. Miss Sarah Hill (67) who had formerly lived next door, now lived upstairs here with her nephew Frederick Hill (31), who was a portrait painter, The Hills were still here in 1891.
Nos. 35 & 36 combined (since 1894)
The sanitary plumber and decorator John Peattie ran his business at both 35 & 36 High Street from 1894 to 1917.
No one was listed as living over No. 35 at the time of the 1901 census while the “cancer specialist” George Simms (72) lived over No. 36 with his wife Martha (35) and their two servants. Simms (who had started off as a bootmaker at 37 Broad Street and progressed to chiropody and then questionable medical treatment at 7 Ship Street) died in 1903.
At the time of the 1911 census no one was listed at No. 35, and only two servants were at home at No. 36.
In 1921 the Fellow & Tutor of The Queen's College Charles Henry Thompson (56) lived in eight rooms upstairs with his wife Emily and their two servants.
This was an antique shop from 1939 to 2005.
Occupiers of 35 & 36 High Street | ||
Date |
35 High Street |
36 High Street |
1834–1867 |
George Hill, Painter (to 1834) |
The Misses Mary & Lydia Greene (by 1841 to 1846) |
1871 |
George Benjamin Hill, Painter, glazier & decorator |
Miss Sarah Hill by 1871 |
1872–1893 |
||
1894–1917 |
Peattie & Axtell, Sanitary plumbers, decorators &c. | |
| 1918–1920 |
Edwin Stewart Craig MA,
| |
1921–1936 |
Charles Henry Thompson MA | |
1939–1943 |
Harold Foot, Antique dealer | |
1945–1976 |
C.
John, | |
1976–2005 |
Laurie Leigh, Antiques/Restorers of keyboard instruments |
|
2005–2012 |
Northlight |
|
2012–2013 |
Raffles (with a short period in the summer of 2012 when it was called Lexington) |
|
2013–2018 |
The Oxford Gallery |
|
2018– |
Fantastea bubble tea shop |
|
