53, 54, & 55 Holywell Street are three adjoining houses with the entrance to Bath Place on the west. They were owned by Merton College until the early 1970s, but since then have been part of the north quadrangle of Hertford College (with No. 53 being part of Staircase 1, and Nos. 54 & 55 being Staircases 2 and 3).
The three houses are jointly Grade II listed (1335887) and are described as follows:
Nos 53 to 55 (consec) SP 5106 NE 6/257 14.3.69. II GV 2.
Houses. One building. Probably originally C17 but much altered and modernised. Three-storeyed ashlar with cellars and a moulded band at each floor in which are double sash windows in modern stone mullioned frames. At the West side is a roughcast gable with a modern three-light casement window; behind the parapet at this end is visible a gabled dormer of an earlier house. The East gable end is roughcast. At the back on South the building is faced in modern red brick.
No. 53
Prior to the renumbering of Holywell Street in 1836, this house was numbered 32 Holywell Street, as the roman numeral XXXII is engraved on the lintel:
Mr Monro ran a dancing school here from 1770. He inserted the following advertisement in Jackson's Oxford Journal on 24 March 1770:
Mr. MONRO, Dancing-Master, Late Apprentice to Mr. Cooke of London,
THINKS it necessary to acquaint his Friends, and the Publick in general, That he has removed from New Inn Hall Lane to his House in Holywell, facing the Musick Room; where he continues his School as usual. He likewise gives private Lectures on Dancing every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mr Monro continued to hold an annual concert in the Holywell Music Room opposite until 1788. He died in the following year, and a sale of his household furniture here was advertised on 26 September 1789.
Confusingly, John Carter announced in Jackson's Oxford Journal on 1 June 1782 that he had taken over a house opposite the Music Room, with a very commodious large room behind (“late a dancing school”) which he intended to open after the Whitsun holidays as a school concentrating on preparing youths for a merchants' accounting house. Again on 2 May 1789 the Revd Mr Carter's school was advertised as being opposite the Music Room.
The following advertisement from Jackson’s Oxford Journal of 17 October 1807 records an interesting exhibition being held at “No. 32 Holywell Street [old numbering, now 53], opposite the Music Room”:
On 10 July 1830 Mrs G. Cox advertised the new term of her Ladies's Seminary was about to start at 32 (now 54) Holywell Street. Her husband who lived here announced on 10 January 1835 that he was removing his own Classical and Commercial Day School for boys to the High Street. An advertisement announcing the start of the new term here appeared on 10 January 1835, and it was now described as Mrs Cox's Boarding and Day School for Young Ladies”. On 11 July 1835 Mr Cox announced that his wife's day school would reopen for the new term on 20 July. This turned out to be Mrs Cox's last term.
On 9 January 1836 the Misses Nutt and Chillingworth announced in Jackson's Oxford Journal that they were removing their school from Walton Place to Mrs Cox's premises here. They gave the old number of the house (32), but Holywell Street was renumbered just after they moved in, so when they advertised the start of term of their ladies' seminary six months later on 16 July 1836 they gave their address as 53 Holywell Street.
In 1861 this house was occupied by the widowed schoolmistress Sarah King. It .was advertised for sale in a forthcoming auction in Jackson’s Oxford Journal on 25 April 1863:
Lot 7. — No. 53, Holywell-street (opposite the Music Room), a substantial-built PRIVATE RESIDENCE, containing three sitting rooms, four bed rooms, two attics, water closet, kitchen, scullery, cellar, wash-house, and garden at the back, with other conveniences, in the occupation of Mrs. King, at a rental of £33 per annum.
The Property is held by lease under Merton College, for a term of 40 years, from the 25th March, 1856, subject to a reserved rent of one capon and three gallons of wheat.
This was a university lodging house for most of the period from c.1880 to 1945.
No. 54
By 1841 this house was occupied by Richard Sims, the butler of Wadham College, and his wife Mary. He was described as having been a faithful servant of Wadham College for nearly 50 years when he died here at the age of 70 on 3 December 1854. His widow Mary died in 1857.
The house was then run as a lodging house by Mrs Elizabeth Sims, who is likely to have been a relation. She was the widow of William Sims, probably the man of that name who lived in Holywell and had been matriculated at the University as a clerk on 27 March 1847. Her son George Frederick Sims, described as the eldest son of William Sims, gentleman, was matriculated at the University of Oxford by St John’s College at the age of 21 on 2 November 1872: he obtained his B.Mus. degree in 1877, and by 1881 he was the organist at SS Philip & James’s Church. Elizabeth Sims died here at the age of 72 on 14 March 1895.
No. 55
The following auction notice for this house that appeared in Jackson's Oxford Journal on 27 May 1848 shows that this house then had a back entrance in St Helen's Passage off New College Lane:
A very excellent DWELLING HOUSE and PREMISES, No. 55, Holywell-street, Oxford; containing a good entrance passage, front parlour, sitting room, kitchen, good paved yard, garden, &c. &c. on the ground floor; large cellar in the basement; handsome drawing room, divided by folding doors, and fitted with marble chimney pieces, and a good bed room, on the first floor; three bed chambers on the second floor, and large attic over; the whole fitted up with closets and other conveniences, having a back entrance from St Helen's, in excellent repair, and well calculated for the residence of a genteel family, now in the occupation of Mr. Reinagle.
The above property is held by lease under Merton College, Oxford, for a term of 40 years, of which 36 are unexpired.—Land Tax, 1l. 10s. 2d.; Quit Rent, about 3s. 2d.
The house was advertised to let on 31 August 1878:
No. 55, HOLYWELL STREET, OXFORD.
TO be LET, with immediate possession,—The above large and commodious house, well suited and admirably adapted for a University Lodging House; containing dining room, breakfast room, hall, kitchen, and scullery, on ground floor; large drawing room, with folding doors. and two bed rooms, on first floor; three bed rooms on second floor, and two attics, front and back staircase, and two w.c.'s, large Garden, and outhouse.
On 30 July 1881 it was advertised as part of a peremptory sale at a “nominal rent, similar to a peppercorn, from Merton College”:
A very convenient RESIDENCE, being No. 55, Holywell-street, containing twelve rooms, let at the low rent of £65 per annum; held for 10 years from April, 1856, at a nominal rent.
Since 1974
In 1974 a planning application by Hertford College to construct a new quadrangle (74/00737/LA_H) was approved . This included the restoration of the five houses at 51–55 Holywell Street and they are now part of that college.
53–55 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. 53
John Gillett (30), a college servant, lived here with Jane (25), William (4), Charles (2), and Mary (one month). They had one female servant and one student lodger.No. 54
Richard Sims (50), a college servant, lived here with Mary Ann (50) and William (15), who was a cook. They had one female servant and one student lodger.No. 55
Alexander Reinagle (40), a teacher of music, lived here with five independent people.
1851
No. 53
Matthew Maisey (30), a college servant, lived here with his wife Mary (23) and his widowed father Thomas (63), who had formerly been a groom. The Curate of Ducklington lodged with them.No. 54
Richard Sims (65), now described as the Butler of Wadham College, lived here with his wife Mary (60). They had an undergraduate lodger and one servant.No. 55
Henry Godfrey (51), a servant at University College, lived here with his wife Sarah (48) and their daughter Ann (8). They had a retired clergyman lodging with them, and one servant.
1861
No. 53
Sarah King (35), a widowed schoolmistress, lived here with her daughter Elizabeth (14), her brother Henry Houghton (40), and two lodgers (a college servant and a housekeeper).No. 54
Elizabeth Sims (38), a widowed lodging-house keeper, lived here with her children Elizabeth (12), William and George (both 9), and her two lodgers (an undergraduate and a B.A.).No. 55
Sarah Godfrey (58), head of the household and a housekeeper, lived here with her daughter Ann (18) and their servant.
1871
No. 53
Thomas Bacon (52), a tailor, lived here with his wife Helen (52).No. 54
Elizabeth Sims (48), now described as “Post Office”, still lived here with her daughter Elizabeth (22) and her sons (both aged 19): William Richard Sims was an assistant librarian, and George Frederick Sims was an organist.No. 55
Frederick Enever (30), an accountant, lived here with his wife Anne (26) and their daughter Frances (2). They had a lodger and a servant.
1881
No. 53
George Paske (38), a lodging-house keeper, lived here with his wife Jane (37) and his children Louisa (5) and George (2). They had one servant.No. 54
Elizabeth Sims (57), a widow, lived here with her two unmarried sons: William (29) was an assistant librarian and organist, and George (29) had an Oxford degree in Music and taught the subject. They had one servant.No. 55
Sophia Healey (37), a widowed lodging-house keeper, lived here with her children Jessie (8) and Arthur (6). They had one general servant.
1891
No. 53
Thomas Yates (32), a butler, lived here with his wife Mary Jane (38) and their daughter Blanch (17), who worked as a general servant. They had an undergraduate lodger, George Theobald (22), who is listed separately in the census.No. 54
Elizabeth Sims (67), described as a widow living on her own means, was still here with her two sons: William (39) was a librarian, and George was an organist and teacher of music. They had one servant.No. 55
Caroline Prickett (57), an unmarried lodging-house keeper, lived here with two servants (a general servant and a house boy).
1901
No. 53
Listed as not in occupationNo. 54
Godfrey Price (39), a brewer’s traveller, lived here with his wife Mary (39), who kept a lodging house here, and his children Violet (12) and Godfrey (8).No. 55
Elizabeth Dix (58), a widowed lodging-house keeper, lived here with her daughters Elizabeth (30) and Ellen (34), who were respectively a dressmaker and her mother’s helper.
1911
No. 53
Eric Robert Thomas (29), a plumber & decorator and employer, lived here with his wife Alice (30), his father-in-law Charles Robins (60), who was a piano-tuner, his cousin Miss Millicent Thicke (28), who was a fever nurse, and one servant.No. 54
John Jenkins (60), a lodging-house keeper, lived here with his wife Louisa (58) and their daughter Emily (32), who was an elementary school teacher. One medical student was boarding with them.No. 55
Myra Owen (43), a widowed lodging-house keeper, lived here with her sons John (12) and Raymond (11), and one servant.
1921
No. 53
The widow Clara Roote (66) ran a lodging house here and lived on the premises with her widowed daughter Louisa Burton (41) who kept house and Louisa's daughter Daisy (15) who still attended the Central School in Oxford. The Donnison family and one student were staying with them.No. 54
The widowed boarding-house keeper Louisa Jenkins (72) lived here with her unmarried daughter Emily (45), who performed house duties. A medical student and two chemistry students were boarding with her.No. 55
Myra Owen (52) was still the lodging-house keeper here and lived on the premises with her son John (22), who was now a motor salesman for Hartwell's Garage on New Road, and their servant. They had five visitors/boarders staying with them on census night.
1939 Register
No. 53
The lodging-house keeper Clara Roote was still listed here with her assistant and one lodger.No. 54
The lodging-house keeper Emily Jenkins is the only person listed here.
Occupants of 53–55 Holywell Street listed in directories etc. |
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No. 55 (left) |
No. 54 (centre) |
No. 53 (right) |
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1772 |
Mr Walsh
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Mr Monro Frontage: 5 yds 0 ft 0 in |
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c.1815 |
Joseph Reinagle (1762–1825)
Alexander Robert Reinagle (1799–1877), son of the above, teacher of music and organist of St Peter-in-the East from 1823 to 1853 |
No listing |
No listing |
1830–1835 |
Mrs Cox's Seminary for Young Ladies |
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1839 |
Nutt & Chillingworth |
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1841–1846 |
Mr Richard Sims His widow Mrs Mary Sims (died 1857)
Mrs Elizabeth Sims + George Frederick Sims, B.Mus. |
John Gillett |
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1851 |
Henry Godfrey Mrs Godfrey by 1861 Mrs Enever F. Enever by 1875 |
Matthew Maisey |
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1861 |
Mrs King |
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1866 |
Thomas Bacon |
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1871–1875 |
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1876 |
Vacant |
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1881 |
Sophia Healey |
George Paske |
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1884–1887 |
Miss Prickett |
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1889 |
Thomas Yates |
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1894 |
Arthur Percival Brown
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1896–1899 |
Mrs Elizabeth Dix |
Godfrey William Jones Price |
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1901 |
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1905 |
Mrs Myra Owen |
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1911 |
John Jenkins Mrs Louisa Jenkins by 1921 to 1933 Mrs Emily Jenkins |
Eric Robert Thomas |
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1914–1938 |
Mrs Clara Roote |
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1940–1943 |
Mrs S. H. Frost |
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1945 |
Miss M. Binnie |
Mrs L. Burton |
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1947–1949 |
Miss E. A. Dubber |
Miss S. Morley |
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1952 |
Christopher R. Tolkien |
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1954 |
Robert Hodgson |
Mrs C. Plumer (with Robert Hodgson in 1954) |
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1956 |
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1958 |
Miss Burton |
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1960 |
J. A. Godwin |
Mrs C. Plumer (by 1966) Also with Truexpress varityping & small offset printing in 1962 |
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1962 |
Rear-Admiral Derick H. F. Hetherington, C.B. (retired) |
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1964–1966 |
St John’s College annexe |
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1967 |
No listing |
William H. Moloney |
Brian R. Abrams |
1970 |
No listing |
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1972–1976 |
No listing: being restored |
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Today |
Hertford College annexe |
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