Nos. 17–19: St John's College: accommodation and offices
Nos. 17, 18, and 19 (left to right in above photograph) were three separate houses until 1850.
At the time of the 1772 Survey of Oxford, Nos. 17, 18, and 19 were occupied respectively by Mrs Phillips, Mrs Gardiner, and Mrs Humfrey, and their frontages were measured as about 4, 7, and 6 yards.
In the 1850s it appears that the middle house lost its door, and from then until the 1920s the three houses appear to have been treated as one. From 1923 they were evidently divided into two: the two right-hand houses were given the number 17, and the left-hand house 19. Both are Grade II listed, refs. 1485/830 and 831 respectively. They date from the late eighteenth century.
At the time of the 1861 census, it appears that the whole group was occupied singly by Mrs Mary Harington, a clergyman's widow of 44, and her two daughters, plus a lady's maid, cook, and housemaid
In 1881 it was occupied by William Parratt, an organist, with his wife, five children, nurse, cook, and housemaid.
| Occupants of 17–19 St Giles' Street listed in censuses and directories | |||
| Date | 17 St Giles | 18 St Giles | 19 St Giles |
| 1841 | Harriet Bobart Independent |
Joseph Johnson |
Charlotte Hewlett Independent |
| 1846 | — | Thomas Joy | |
| 1851 | Miss Sarah Speakman Proprietor of houses |
Mrs Hannah Willsher Teacher of music |
Uninhabited |
| 1860s/ 1870s |
17 | ||
| Mrs Mary Harrington
(1861) Mrs Sargent (1866) Mrs W.G. Yarde (1867–76) |
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| 1880–2 | W. Parratt, B.M. | ||
| 1884–9 | Rev. Robert Ewing, M.A. Senior Tutor of St John's College |
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| 1890–3 | Miss Rigaud | ||
| 1894–1919 | Miss Lightfoot | ||
| 17 | 19 | ||
| 1923 | Miss Lightfoot | Austin Lane Poole Fellow of St John's College, Assistant Tutor & Lecturer in Modern History |
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| 1927–9 | Godfrey Rolles Driver Fellow, Tutor in Classics & Librarian, Magdalen College |
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| 1930 | — | Christian James
Fordyce Fellow & Tutor in Classics, Jesus College |
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| 1932 | Edward Conyers Payne Larabee, MA | ||
| 1934 | Mrs R.H. Gretton, B.Litt., J.P. | ||
| 1935–6 | John Henry Constantine Whitehead Fellow & Tutor in Mathematics, Balliol College |
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| 1939–49 | Miss H.M. Gamlen | Alastair H.T. Robb-Smith Assistant Director of Pathology, Radcliffe Infirmary, & Nuffield Reader in Pathology |
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| 1952 | Rev Geoffrey Lampe Fellow & Tutor in Theology, St John's College |
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| 1954–8 | Brebis Bleaney Fellow & Tutor in Physics, St John's Mrs B.I. Bleaney Lecture in Physics, St Hugh's |
Miss H.M. Gamlen | |
| 1960–2 | W.G. Moore, M.A. | ||
| 1964–9 | Kenneth V. Parker Physiotherapist |
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| 1971 | E.I. Roberts Stanley Trapich |
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| 1972–3 | Queen Elizabeth
House (Institute of Commonwealth Studies) annexe |
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| 1975–1980s | Keith V. Thomas Fellow & Tutor in History, St John's College |
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| 1990–today | St John's College accommodation and offices | ||