Beer, Sausages and Marmalade – 19th Century Food in Oxford

On September 14th Liz Woolley gave a talk to us on “Beer, Sausages and Marmalade – 19th Century Food in Oxford”. She began by mentioning the main providers of food and drink supplies – namely Brewers, Butchers, Corn Dealers and Bakers, Grocers and Provision Merchants.

Brewing had taken place in Oxford from Medieval times, but the demand for beer and other food items increased substantially in the 19th Century as the population grew and tourism created more demand. There were four main brewing families – the Tawneys, the Halls, the
Treachers and the Morrells. They were all related by marriage and were men of wealth and influence in the city. Hanleys, who operated from Pembroke Street on the site of the present Modern Art building, were later taken over by Halls. Their water was supplied by four wells on the premises and their offices were in Queen Street, on the site of the BHS store. The Pembroke
Street building was designed by the architect H G W Drinkwater who carried out a number of other commissions for Breweries and industrial buildings in Oxford.

In addition to the breweries there were two associated malthouses. Edward Tawney owned Fox’s Malthouse and in 1790 he built 1 Fisher Row and also a large property next door as an almshouse for 6 men and 6 women. Philanthropy seemed to go hand in hand with many of the influential businesses in the city. Edward Tawney also ran the brewery in St Thomas Street, which later became Morrells Lion Brewery. Fortunately the redevelopment of the site
allowed for the Brewery chimney and water wheel to remain. In addition to the main breweries there were many smaller operations including colleges and the Radcliffe Infirmary. We were told that patients were allowed a ration of 1½ pints per day!

In 1883 there were 319 outlets for alcohol to serve a population of 42,000. Butchery was another important provider of food, and in the 19th century the Cattle Market was a very important feature of city life. It was situated in what is now Gloucester Green, and was supplied from a wide area. Farmers brought their cattle by road or rail. One feature of this trade was the
appearance of the Oxford Sausage, which was a very spicy blend of pork, veal, lemon, herbs and spices, not encased in the normal sausage skin. A Poet Laureate actually called a collection of poems “The Oxford Sausage”. It quite quickly became famous, thanks to clever publicity that referred to the ‘celebrated’ Oxford Sausage, and claimed Royal connections (because
students related to the Royal Family bought them).

The Covered Market was another very important feature of Oxford life. It was supplied and run by local farmers. It was described as “the biggest market under one roof in England”. An important figure there was William H Alden, who had a farm off the Abingdon Road. His stall is still operating in the Covered Market in the 21st century. William Alden’s son, Leonard ran it until 1937, when he died in a road accident.

Another important activity in Oxford was the sale of Corn, hence the Cornmarket, and the Corn Exchange in George Street. One of the most famous, and notorious, was Isaac Grubb, a non-conformist corn merchant and baker. Unfortunately he became very unpopular among the population because he was suspected of selling bread at cheaper prices to the University Colleges than to the people at large. This led to riots in the city centre, which became so bad that the Army (Guards from Windsor) were called out. Eventually things quietened down, and the price of bread was lowered.This was followed by the appearance of Bakeries that had a tea room attached. One of the most popular of these was Boffins, in the High Street near the Carfax.

In the 19th Century food, especially groceries, began to be sold as packaged food, and this became very popular. Shops specialising in this became very successful. One of these was Underhills, that started life in the High Street, then branched into the Cornmarket, and St Clements in the ‘suburbs’. The Owner, Charles Underhill, became Mayor of Oxford in 1887, and his son, Sydney, was also elected Mayor.

Another establishment, Grimbly Hughes, was also very successful, lasting well into the 20th Century. James Hughes was Mayor of Oxford 6 times. The invention of Oxford Marmalade was credited to Sarah Cooper. In 1902 Frank Cooper moved the family business to the factory building opposite the Station in what is now Frideswide Square. The well-known façade is still
there, but without the famous sign advertising Oxford Marmalade. The product became celebrated both in this country and abroad. Frank Cooper created a tourist book on Oxford which contained many pages on Marmalade. Famously, Scott took large quantities of Cooper’s Marmalade to the South Pole and Kim Philby was also supplied by the KGB on his defection to the Soviet Union. However, not everyone was a fan. One customer wrote that she was ‘very disappointed’ with the product, and suggested ways in which it might be improved.

Local Oxfordshire talks – September 2017

Information provided by the OLHA (www.olha.org.uk)

4th – Chalgrove – Colin Oakes “The role of women in the First World War”. John Hampden Hall, High Street, 7:45pm.

4th – Weston on the Green – Julie Ann Godson “1066: Oxfordshire’s part in the Norman Conquest”. Memorial Village Hall, 7:30pm.

5th – Hook Norton – Antonia Catchpole “Early Development in Chipping Norton”. Baptist Church Hall, Netting Street, 7:30pm.

6th – Otmoor – Brian Gilmour “In the footsteps of the Argonauts: Archaeological adventures in ancient Colchis (Western Georgia)”. Islip Village Hall, 8:00pm.

6th – The Oxfordshire Museum – Liz Woolley “The Common Lodging-House in Victorian England”. Coach House, Oxfordshire Museum, Woodstock, 7:30pm.

11th – Chipping Norton – Amanda Ponsonby “The Sarsden Sheepwash”. Methodist Hall, West Street, 7:30pm.

11th – Radley – Peter Neal – “MG Cars in Abingdon”. Primary School, 7:30pm.

12th – Thame – Roger Mason “Votes for Women”. Barns Centre, Church Road, 7:30pm.

13th – Deddington – Jan Warner “Memories of Deddington in the 1940s and 1950s”. Windwill Centre, 7:30pm.

13th – Stanford in the Vale – Julie Ann Godson “1066: Oxfordshire’s part in the Norman Conquest”. Village Hall, 7:45 pm.

14th – Banbury – Steven Parissien “Compton Verney: Past, Present and Future”. Banbury Museum, 7:30pm.

14th – Wootton & Dry Sandford – Liz Woolley “Beer, sausages and marmalade: Food, politics and tourism in 19th-century Oxford”. Wootton Community Centre, 7:30pm.

18th – Adderbury – Stefan White “Skulduggery in the shrubbery: the sad, true and fascinating story of the Tradescants’’. Methodist Chapel schoolroom, Chapel Lane, 7:30pm.

18th – Goring Gap – Mark Stevens “Broadmoor revealed: The Victorian asylum – an introduction to Britain’s oldest secure hospital”. Goring Village Hall, 8:00pm.

18th – Kennington – Julie Ann Godson “Memories of the Vale: A lost way of life before the railways came to the countryside”. Methodist Church, Upper Road, 7:45pm.

19th – Witney – Kate Hornbrook “Place and field names in East Oxford”. Methodist Church, High Street, 7:30pm.

20th – Bloxham – Sarah Morris “The travels of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn in Oxfordshire”. Jubilee Park Hall, Barley Close, 7:30pm.

20th – Littlemore – Clare Sargent “The History of Radley College”. Giles Road Community Centre, 7:30pm.

21st – Eysham – Mark Davies “Daniel Harris: gaoler, builder, engineer and architect”. Church Hall, Thames Street, 7:30pm.

21st – Sibfords – Liz Woolley “Oxfordshire and the Spanish Civil War”. Sibford Village Hall, 8:00pm.

21st – Whitchurch & Goring Heath- Alan Copeland “Eccentric London part 2”. Goring Heath Parish Hall, 8:00pm.

21st – Wychwoods  – Julie Ann Godson “Memories of the Vale: rural life before the railways”. Milton Village Hall, 7:30pm.

25th – Oxford Town Hall – Katherine Hughes “From South Wales to Oxford”. Part of the Journeys to Oxford project. The Old Museum, Oxford Town Hall, 2:00pm.

25th – Oxfordshire Family History Society – Tim Healey “Sex, Drink and Death in 17th-century Oxfordshire”. Exeter Hall, Oxford Road, Kidlington, 8:00pm.

25th – Launton – Stephen Barker “The Battle of Cropredy Bridge”. Grange Farm Mews, Station Road, 7:45pm.

26th – Enstone – Carol Hardy “The Rothschilds: family, fortune and philanthropy”. Venue tbc, 7:30pm.

26th – Hanney – Jill Hind “The History of the Oxfordshire Water Supply”. War Memorial Hall, East Hanney, 8:00pm.

26th – Kidlington – Valerie Offord “Miss Jemima’s Excellent Adventure:The tale of the first Thomas Cook package tour”. Moorside Place, off The Moors, 7:50pm.

26th – Sutton Courtenay – Ken Welsh “Prehistoric, Roman and Saxon Discoveries at Bridge Farm, Sutton Courtenay”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.

27th – Dorchester – Ellie Reid “Dressing Up the Past: Historical Pageants in Early Twentieth Century Oxfordshire”. Dorchester Village Hall, 7:30pm.

28th – Aston – Liz Woolley “Beer, Sausages and Marmalade: Food, Politics and Tourism in 19th-century Oxford”. The Fellowship Centre, Cote Road, 7:30pm.

Summer Visit to Coleshill – 8th July 2017

Once again we had a beautiful day for our visit to Coleshill to see the site of the wartime training area for “Auxiliers”, whose function would have been to form a resistance force
in the event that the German invasion had succeeded.

We were met by Liza Dibble the NT Community Learning Officer, and given a short introduction to the estate. It is a largely agricultural area with 11 tenanted farms, three of which are organic dairies, with approximately 400 acres of woodland.

The first ideas for this unit were discussed as early as 1937 and by 1940, with Hitler threatening invasion with Operation Sealion the unit was set up. It was decided that people should be trained centrally and Coleshill was chosen as a suitable site. The house was then occupied by 2 elderly ladies and it was thought that the site could be easily concealed and kept secret while also having easy access to the rail network.

Trainees were hand-picked and known as ‘Auxiliers’. – Many were recruited from the farming and gamekeeping communities because of the skills they already possessed. Our first stop was at the guard house beside the road which still exists in its original form. This is open to the public and contains several information boards and also a recording of one of the original trainees recruited as a boy of 17 who when asked if he was ever afraid said “When you are 17
you are invincible”. The guard house was well protected by trees so would not have been visible from the air.

The Unit was commanded by Col. Mike Gubbins and many of the recruits were veterans of the First World War or too young to be called up for the Second. We saw a map of the expected lines of attack in the event of invasion, and the code name for the Defence Operation was to be “Cromwell”. Each patrol had their own base unknown to any other for security reasons. About 3000 men in total were recruited, spread over the country. By December 1944 when it became clear they would not be needed the units were stood down, with instructions to destroy their operational bases, but this was not always obeyed. They were never awarded medals or officially acknowledged.

We were given fascinating details of the equipment and instruction booklets issued to each man. Equipment included a garrotting wire and commando knife as well as a revolver and sniper rifle. They were also issued with very advanced radios, none of which now exist even at Bletchley Park. The pamphlets were given covers designed to conceal the true nature of their contents, which included instructions on self-defence, weapon handling and explosives. One booklet was entitled “Highworth Fertilizers”.

We also learned something of the original 17th century house which was destroyed by fire in 1952. A garden now marks the ground plan. The personnel involved in these units were all men, with the exception of 2 very skilled women radio operators known as “Secret Sweeties”.

The next stage of the visit involved a fairly lengthy walk through woodland to the site of the actual training base, which had been examined exhaustively by an archaeological team. This consisted of an underground bunker replicating the bases from which the men would operate. It was entered via a concealed shaft with a ladder, there was a lavatory area and a blast barrier to provide a limited protection in the event of a grenade attack. There were also the remains of bed bases which could have accommodated 8 men, and also a storage area. We entered and left via the escape tunnel which would have given access into the Ha-Ha by dislodging blocking stones. There was a ventilation shaft disguised in the form of a tree, which would also have removed smells.

We were also shown concrete bases of accommodation blocks used for the trainees who came down for long weekend sessions. And our guide pointed out a number of mysterious holes in the ground, which she said were known as “sites of indeterminate use”(ie no-one knew what they were for).

At the end of our walk back we were able to enjoy the glorious views over the fields and woodland to the White Horse in the far distance. We were also shown some very moving plaques on some of the trees commemorating men who had trained on the site and later lost their lives when they had moved on to other wartime service.

We were very much indebted to Liza for her very well-informed and enjoyable tour.

Janet Taylor