32: Warden’s House, All Souls College
The Warden’s house was built in 1704–6 by Dr George Clark (1661–1736), Fellow and Benefactor, and was refronted in 1876–7 by David Robertson. It is a Grade II listed building (ref. 1485/350F).
In 1881 the then Warden of All Souls, Francis Knyvett Leighton, aged 74, spent census night in the house with his wife, married daughter, and sister. But also living in the house to wait on these four people were a housekeeper, nurse, three ladies’ maids, an upper housemaid, under housemaid, kitchenmaid, butler, and footman. With a ratio of two and a half servants per head, they must have lived in style.
He must have been about to retire at the time of the census, because later that same year William Anson took over the post. He was the first Warden who was not also a cleric, and at 39 was just over half the age of his predecessor. In Memories of Victorian Oxford Sir Charles Oman writes, "Sir William Anson … remained all his life a bachelor, his house being kept for him by detachments of his numerous body of sisters."
| The Wardens of All
Souls College shown in directories as living at 32 High Street 1846–1976 | |
| 1846 | Revd Lewis Sneyd, MA |
| 1866–1881 | Revd Francis Knyvett Leighton, DD |
| 1881–1914 | Sir William Reynell Anson, bart., DCL, JP |
| 1915–1932 | Francis William Pember, DCL |
| 1934–1945 | William George Stewart Adams, MA |
| 1947–1949 | Benedict Humphrey Sumner, MA, FBA |
| 1952 | Sir Hubert Douglas Henderson, MA |
| 1954–1976 | John Hanbury Angus Sparrow, OBE, MA |