Playful heritage meets a stellar location at this buzzy lifestyle hotel

By Cheryl Caira. Photography: Adam Lynk

The Store, housed in a former department store

History in every direction

From the bricks of the building to the rooftop views across to prestigious institutions – including the spires of ancient Magdalen and Balliol Colleges – a sojourn at this five-star hotel and former department store feels like accessing a slice of Oxford’s past, albeit packaged with a contemporary sheen. The beloved Boswells emporium closed in 2020, and traded as far back as 1738. Remembered for its bountiful rooms of toys, haberdashery and homeware, the old signage remains, and so does a convivial feeling of a meeting point long-favoured. The ground floor bar is a hotspot for locals chatting over coffee, drinks and small bites, including green chilli Oxford rarebit and the hotel’s unique Marmite sausage roll with spiced tamarind dip.

‘Untraditionally British’ cuisine on the menu

Designs on luxury

Made up of 101 rooms across seven floors, the clean-but-cosy aesthetic of the interiors is elevated by steel-framed Crittall windows spilling in plenty of light. The accommodation looking out over the historic centre and Broad Street offers plenty of people-watching opportunity, and a pondering of the authors and academics that once (and still) frequented the thoroughfare’s book shops. Plush velvet touches, art deco light fixtures, sink-into beds and warm textures are a draw to hunkering down in the room with a glass of something appropriate, with some of the design shapes echoing the cityscape. Spacious showers and bathtubs are accompanied by products from delightfully fragranced natural brand, Verden.

The Store’s urban spa

Serenity at the spa

Oskia always feels like a crème de la crème product range, so a treatment in the subterranean Spa at The Store is booking must for sublime indulgence. There are petit but perfectly formed lounging facilities – a thermal relaxation area, steam room and sauna – if touring the fabled footprints of Oxford’s greats has left you in the mood for a tranquil setting to lie back in. Any of the Oskia massages or facials should leave you feeling revived with happier skin, but The Store’s signature Dermalux LED facial is a real treat. Combining lymphatic massage and deep hydration with that magical red light to stimulate collagen production, you’ll leave with a definite healthy glow.

Ideal reading spots

Inventive cuisine

A nod to the old Victorian passage its kitchen now sits atop, the hotel’s Treadwell restaurant has incorporated the hubbub of ‘characters’ who once sold their wares in the area into its interiors, whether that be fish hawkers, shoemakers or needlewomen. Translated into jaunty murals covering the walls – created by artist and illustrator Samme Snow – it makes for a laid-back ambience with added sleekness brought by the booths and low lighting. The sustainably-sourced menu offerings vary in world influences but pack a flavour punch – take kimchi and cheese croquettes; Ruby Murray chicken pie and prawn and white crab tacos as an example. There’s a substantial and appealing grill selection, from ginger and chilli-dressed tuna to steak frites with miso onion butter.

Views from the panoramic rooftop

Cobblestone pathways

You’d be hard pushed to find a better location for access to both retail therapy and Oxford’s big-hitter attractions. Of course, there’s the opportunity to gaze at the hallowed halls that have produced Nobel Prize winners and prime ministers. The impressive and iconic Christ Church College with its Christopher-Wren designed Tom Tower is just a short walk away, as is the world-famous Ashmolean Museum. Mosey along to the Turf Tavern if you can find it – a former malt house dating back to 1340, located down the winding St Helen’s Passage.

Favourite corners

Tucked away on the hotel’s panoramic rooftop, you can either get snug at one of the intimate tables or venture onto the terrace and survey the ‘city of dreaming spires’ Victorian poet Matthew Arnold was so fond of. There are curated literary references throughout the tempting cocktail menu – including ‘Modern Education’, a quote from Oxford University-inspired Brideshead Revisited with mezcal, pineapple and a hit of lime, and ‘The 1738’, an homage to Boswells mixing up Glenmorangie, grapefruit and Ardbeg 10.

Rooms at The Store start from £285 per night including breakfast