Gee'S Restaurant

Gee’s Restaurant is a former plant shop, dating from 1897. It was built as a glazed conservatory with a timber and metal frame, designed by an architect whose identity is currently unknown, and constructed by R.D. Tucker of South Tottenham. The building was extended to the rear later in 1897 by Simms and Sons.

The conservatory is built primarily of glass on a brick plinth, with brick and slate additions to the rear. The plan is rectangular and the front of the building faces the street.

The façade features a canted end to the street, topped with scrolled wrought iron cresting bearing the initials “G” or “GEE.” The slender framing incorporates large plate glass wall panels and tripartite top-lights. The building sits on a brick plinth, and has a glazed roof with lead rolls to the canted hip. A wrought iron weather vane sits at the apex. The main entrance is through double doors under a wooden pediment. A glazed pediment is above the doors on the right side. A more recent main entrance is through a pedimented doorway set at an angle to the left side, leading into a single-storey rear brick addition.

Original decorative wrought iron railings, gates, and an archway to the front boundary wall are considered essential to the building’s special interest.

The restaurant occupies a site within the North Oxford suburb, which developed from around 1860 on land owned by St. John’s College. St. John’s College maintained tight control over the development of the area, ensuring the quality of design and the provision of front walls, railings, and rear gardens. Gee’s was built as a plant shop for John Gee, a local nurseryman from Blackhall Farm, to serve this new North Oxford suburb. Initial plans are dated 1897, and show the glass window panels originally had single cross glazing bars. Brick additions to the rear were added shortly after, and greenhouses that were previously located at the rear of the site no longer exist.

The building is notable for its survival in an urban context and is significant because of its original context as a nursery supporting the well-landscaped North Oxford suburb. It maintains a strong street presence and a distinctive, functional interior, with its use as a restaurant retaining the open feel.