Thursday, September 1, 2011

Oxford


A rich mix

There are perhaps a few people who have been reading this blog for several years, and some of them may remember that I once posted about Frank Cooper’s grocery shop on The High in Oxford, the original home of Cooper’s Oxford Marmalade. The marmalade, which Cooper made first in the 1870s, became so popular that by the beginning of the 20th century it was necessary to build a dedicated factory to meet the demand.

Cooper’s marmalade factory was built in 1902 to designs by Herbert Quinton. It’s in that late-19th-century hybrid mode which is not too far from Queen Anne and is often referred to by architectural historians as ‘Free Style’. Red brick and Bath stone masonry; big windows, carefully treated; neat details like the little Tuscan columns that divide some of the windows – this is the mix of features that typifies Free Style, and which makes this building catch the eye.


The central carriage entrance is especially ornate. The carved ornament above the entrance, the banded masonry on either side, the whacky bulges above them, not to mention the fancy iron gates all add up to something special. And up at the top of the building, the curvy (echoing the curvy tops of the second-floor windows) is a nice touch too, concealing the roof and, with its ball finials, adding some interest to the skyline.

It’s quite a rich spread of a building, then. But also, one imagines, quite practical – those big windows make for a light and well ventilated interior. Part of it is now used as The Jam Factory, a combined arts centre, restaurant, and bar, and its light, spacious interiors seem well suited to this role too.

10 comments:

worm said...

I must admit, the first thing I thought when I saw this building was 'fire station' - I think it looks very similar to the greycoats one you posted a while back...

http://englishbuildings.blogspot.com/2011/07/greycoat-place-london.html

bazza said...

How very 21st century; Frank Cooper's marmalade works is now 'The Jam Factory'. You do always manage to show the best of English buildings and it's always a treat!
Click here for Bazza’s Blog ‘To Discover Ice’

Philip Wilkinson said...

Worm: Yes, very similar. This was very much the style used by many architects of the period to give medium-sized buildings like fire stations and factories a touch of pizzazz.

Philip Wilkinson said...

Bazza: Thank you. I can imagine the discussions that accompanied the use of 'Jam'. Well, it does have performative connotations (!) that marmalade lacks...

bazza said...

PS: Have you ever written about Voewood House in Norfolk?

Philip Wilkinson said...

No. I've not been to Voewood House, which sounds and looks amazing. In fact I don't know this part of Norfolk very well, and will one day remedy this.

Peter Ashley said...

Oh that Frank Cooper's was still made here in Oxford, instead of on some bland industrial estate somewhere, just another item in a 'brand portfolio'.

Gareth Williams said...

Following up on Worm's comment, doesn't this look remarkably similar to the Old Fire Station on Gloucester Green in Oxford? Are they of the same vintage?

Philip Wilkinson said...

Peter: Yes. Those were the days.

Philip Wilkinson said...

Gareth: Absolutely. The Old Fire Station is a few years earlier - 1890s I think - but the style is very much the same.