History in old postcards: Holyoake Terrace
The postcard above shows the London Road looking east in about 1905, with Holyoake Terrace on the right.
In 1905 the shop to the east of Holyoake Road (then known as Western Road) looks much as it does today, but the present shop buildings beyond are still just terraced houses with small front gardens. London Road was primarily a residential area at this time, because the villages of Old Headington, New Headington, and Quarry all had their own high streets and shops.
Holyoake Terrace was built by the Co-op for its Headington employees in 1907 and named after George Jacob Holyoake, an important man in the Co-op movement, who had died the previous year.
The terrace was demolished in 1938–9 to make way for Holyoake Hall, at first a dance hall and then a snooker hall. Originally all the shops at ground level were occupied by the Co-op.
