The Store, Oxford: A proudly historic hotel in the heart of a historic city
Oxford is an English city for all seasons, with more than its fair share of proper pubs, postcard-pretty parks and history steeped into every stone
I feel like I have the keys to the city as I gaze out over the distinctive stone and spires from my fourth-floor terrace at The Store hotel. Below me, awe-struck tourists meander around students moving out on the last day of term. Along with familiarity, as a former student here myself, there’s a bit of remorse. I must have walked or cycled past this building, mere moments from the grand facades of Balliol, Trinity, Exeter and St John’s colleges, hundreds of times but had never set foot inside.
Boswells, a treasure trove of a department store, called this Broad Street site its home for nearly 100 years, although it first traded in 1738. Centuries-old is impressive by most standards, but not in Oxford; Christ Church Cathedral is, after all, nearly 900. Boswells closed in 2020. Maybe if more students like me had frequented the local institution, it wouldn’t have done.
Fortunately, the building now has a new lease of life. The Store hotel opened in 2024, with its name and a great deal more inspired by its former life and location. I wish they’d been able to call it Boswells to keep the name alive, although the old branding remains on the exterior. There’s an expansive lounge area on the ground floor for drinks – coffee or cocktails, as you wish – and across seven floors above, 101 rooms primed for affluent parents visiting their offspring and couples up from London for a weekend jaunt.
I’m staying with one of my best friends, Leanne, who I first met 22 years ago down the road from The Store, as fresh-faced freshers. One foot in our (unequivocally middle-aged) present and one in our student memories, our excitement is boosted by the first properly warm spring day. Oxford is beautiful even in the gloomy depths of winter; when the sun comes out, as English cities go, it’s surely worthy of a top three finish.
The most pressing business on our agenda: trying the world’s best London dry gin. The hotel’s own brand spirit (part of a range including tequila, rum, whisky and vodka) scooped the title at the 2025 World Gin Awards and it’s rightly proud of the fact. In fact, there’s half a dozen huge gold posters in the windows that declare it. The little bottle waiting in our room is flanked by tonic and grapefruit slices to ensure we get the flavour just right. Delicious.
Leanne and I debate for a while on our beautiful terrace about how many other (inferior) G&Ts we might have had together. I can’t possibly admit the verdict. The gin probably isn’t meant to be paired with chocolate but we can’t help ripping into the in-room Fatso bar, a bizarre and brilliant combination of cornflake, toast and marmalade.
Before the evening’s gastronomic indulgences, we explore the compact spa – be sure to book a (free) slot in its thermal area in advance. The Nohrd gym is smart, if that’s your vibe, but mine is more a hugely relaxing deep tissue massage before baking happily in the steam room and sauna. Treatments are in partnership with two lovely British brands; Oskia and Verden.
Of course, being in the centre of Oxford, there are supper choices aplenty – and drinks for that matter. But we stay loyal to The Store, for now, heading up to the rooftop for a glass of English sparkling wine before zipping back down to Treadwell’s. The restaurant takes its name from the adjacent street once known as Treadwell’s Passage – old black and white framed photos of Boswells compete with monochrome cartoon wall art by Samme Snow, which depicts some of the Passage’s notorious characters. I can handle that deliberate mix of old and new but am not quite so keen on the fake foliage.
Our waiter Julia is lovely and chatty, and the food is great, although I would have liked to see a few more vegetarian options. On a return visit I’d love to quiz the chef about the ‘untraditionally British’ elements of the menu; are the cippolini mushrooms what make the bangers and mash untraditional, we wonder? Would the Austrians feel okay with us claiming chicken schnitzel?
The lentil daal and smoked cheddar churro starters are both excellent; so too are the steak and risotto mains. Portions are generous so tread (excuse the pun) carefully if you’re going for three courses. We didn’t, and have to go for a walk – which may or may not have involved a drink in Leanne’s favourite Oxford boozer, the Lamb & Flag – before returning for an indulgent chocolate dessert. The pub reinforced that escapist feeling that, for me, pervades central Oxford; it’s rammed with troops of students celebrating and socialising, no one’s on their phone, and the air is thick with animated chat.
Post-feast, we fall into bed and half-heartedly attempt to connect a phone to the TV – hotels, must this be so hard? We’re pretty tech-competent but this is the third hotel in a row I’ve reviewed that can’t fix this issue. After a deep sleep, we’re woken by welcome sunlight trying to stream into our room. It’s calming and quite contemporary – six long windows, white walls and curtains, accents of black. Top marks for lack of unnecessary paper and plastic (apart from more fake plants). No bath, due to the old building infrastructure – common among even the city’s most expensive hotel suites. A few rooms at The Store do have baths though, so check when you book if it’s a must-have for you.
In Oxford, whether you know the city or not, the biggest joy it can give you is free. Put on comfortable shoes and, in almost all kinds of weather, walk. And walk and walk. Oxford city centre has this unusual quality, not just because its historic core still largely follows the Saxon street layout of medieval walls and river valleys, but also because the council has made driving in the city expensive and mostly very difficult.
You’ll pass one historic building after another and discover interesting details whether you look up or down. That’s what we do after a hearty breakfast. In 10 minutes we’re at University Parks for a stroll through fields and along the river before stopping at Blackwell’s on our way back; the best bookshop I’ve ever been to. Perhaps pick up a souvenir to remind you of this uniquely charming little city.
Rooms from £285 per night, visit thestoreoxford.com
