Building recording was undertaken broadly in line with Level 2, as defined by Historic England (2016) in Understanding Historic Buildings: a Guide to Good Recording Practice. A Level 2 record is a descriptive record made in circumstances similar 'to Level 1 but when more information is needed. It may be made of a building which is judged not to require a more detailed record, or it may serve to gather data for a wider project. Both the exterior and interior of the building will be seen, described and photographed. The examination of the building will produce an analysis of its development and use and the record will include the conclusions reached, but it will not discuss in detail the evidence on which this analysis is based. A plan and sometimes other drawings may be made, but the drawn record will normally not be comprehensive and may be tailored to the scope of a wider project.' The main recording comprised an initial, rapid photographic survey and an intermittent watching brief with visits to the site during works that have exposed historic fabric. The site recording took place between 23/01/2024 and 04/07/2024. The building recording consisted of three main elements: a photographic record, a drawn record and a written record. The photographic record was made using a digital camera with up to 24- megapixel capability and stored in jpeg format. It included general views of the exterior and interior together with specific details. Flash was used where necessary. The drawn record was based on measured drawings provided by the client. These were verified and annotated to explain, describe and interpret the building in terms of its construction, development and use. The written record is intended to supplement and support the other recording methods and provide an additional descriptive analysis of the building regarding its design, setting, construction, development, history and use. The digital archive will be deposited with the Archaeology Data Service and a copy of the report will be sent to the Oxfordshire HER. OA has undertaken historic building recording at Nos 19-21 St John Street, Oxford, during the refurbishment and upgrading of these properties. These buildings, which are listed at Grade II, are part of the St John's College graduate student accommodation. The primary goal of the recording was to document historic features that might be lost or revealed during the refurbishment, which aimed to improve energy efficiency through insulation upgrades, heat pump installations, and secondary glazing. The site's historical background reveals its development from a rural area on the outskirts of Oxford to part of a significant housing development during the first half of the 19th century. Originally constructed in the early 1830s, the properties at Nos 19-21 were built to meet the rising housing demand driven by the city's population growth. The study also delved into the buildings' various occupants over the centuries, including notable figures such as future mayors and academics from the university. The 1841 census shows that at that date No. 20 formed a school and housed 27 occupants including a school master, his family, three servants and 20 children boarders. The buildings form part of a terrace of townhouses with a simplified classical design and ashlar front which gives it a similar character to buildings from Georgian Bath. However, Bath's heyday was in the late 18th century, several decades before St John Street was laid out, and their design would have been relatively conservative for its date. They are at the very end of one architectural tradition and are distinctly different to the variety of Victorian styles that were about to emerge. The layout and form of the buildings is similar to many other townhouses of this period, including others in Oxford which OA has investigated. One particular example was No.
Bernadetta Rzadek (Wed,) studied this question.