Boswells of Oxford

Boswells of Oxford was the largest independent family-run department store in Oxford, England. The store first traded in 1738 and was the second oldest family-owned department store in the world. It closed in 2020. The company did not use an apostrophe in its name, although others sometimes mistakenly do so. Founded by Francis Boswell, the store was originally located at 50 Cornmarket Street. Boswells started up in business manufacturing and selling luggage and trunks, and it is believed their wares were taken on Captain Cook's trip to explore the Southern Hemisphere. The business remained in the Boswell family until 1890, when there was no one left for direct succession. The ownership then passed to Arthur Pearson, the owner of the Oxford Drug Company. Ownership of both Boswells and the Oxford Drug Company remained in the Pearson family and, unusually for a department store, Boswells contained a pharmacy. The store building, Boswell House, with the address 1–4 Broad Street, was constructed in 1929, with its main entrance opposite Balliol College and close to the spot (marked with a cross in the middle of the road) where the Oxford Martyrs were burnt at the stake in the 16th century; the building incorporated the Martyrs' Bastion from the former Oxford city wall. It replaced small shops on the site of Treadwell Passage, an alley which had been notorious in the 19th century. In

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