Welcome to the website on our plans to give a new lease of life to Cantay House, 36-39 Park End St, Oxford OX1 1JD.
Elwood Fund Management, having purchased the property on behalf of their Client in 2023, are bringing forward plans to renovate and modernise Cantay House. The property, located on one of the gateway routes between the Railway Station and city centre, is currently not in optimal condition. Our plans centre around a sympathetic restoration of the external fabric of the building and transformation of the upper levels to grade A office space, to help address the city’s chronic shortage.
At ground floor level, as well as a new entrance lobby to the offices above, a flexible range of uses are being explored (bar/music venue, café, shops, restaurant) to help revitalise continual economic activity on Park End Street.
We are hoping to submit a planning application to Oxford City Council before the end of 2024.
Prior to submitting our plans we would like to hear the views of local people. Please take a few minutes to review our proposals to refurbish and modernise this historic building and provide us with your feedback.
Cantay House History
Cantay House is a three-storey mixed use building constructed around 1901. It is located on Park End Street in Oxford and was built as the Archer Cowley and Company’s furniture packing and storage warehouse.
The building was designed by local architect H.J. Tollit and built for local coal merchant and removal and depositories firm Archer, Cowley & Co.
The warehouse building had 3,800 sq ft (350 m2) of storage space and was segregated into sections by armoured, fireproof doors that would close automatically in the event of fire. The building incorporated ground-floor shops with the big plate glass windows that are still visible in order to draw in potential customers, attract attention and provide an income from shop rents.
Archer Cowley and Company Limited was bought by Cantay in 1971. Under Cantay, the packing hall and garage (now occupied by the downstairs rooms of Conference Centre Oxford) became a thriving household furniture operation together with a successful antique packing and shipping service.
In 1987, Cantay House succumbed to the combined pressure of westward expansion of the city centre and the advance of container storage for household goods by converting the packing halls into sale rooms for Phillips (Bonhams) and the international auctioneers. The remaining spaces hosted offices, recreation sites, and retailers, including the antiquarian bookshop Waterfields.
In 2007, Cantay Investments Ltd converted the ground and section of the first floor to a conference centre. The original garage at the rear transformed into the main conference room and the remaining first and second floor became offices and a nightclub.
The Need to Modernise and Renovate
The building was constructed in 1901 and is now showing its age and in need of refurbishment.
- Patchwork improvements over the years have resulted in different entrance styles, inconsistent designs to the front façade, and unsightly additions to the rear of the building.
- The existing internal layout of the building is inflexible and does not cater to the needs of modern office working.
- The building currently does not perform well in energy efficiencies due to low thermal retention.
- The main front facade on the ground floor lacks prominence and does little to contribute to the aesthetic of the street.
- The building has tired signage and outdated entrance porches that detract from the character of the area.
- The rear of the building is an amalgamation of extensions and numerous escape stairs which clutter the facade and create an uninviting space.
There is real potential in renovating and modernising the building, attracting new workers and uses into the area, and delivering benefits for the wider community.
Our plans aim to support Oxford City Council ambitions for the wider Oxford West End area:
“The West End and its up-and-coming developments will play a key part in growing Oxford as a liveable and equitable city that can benefit all communities; a city which celebrates innovation and creativity, and where all its citizens have a stake and no one is left behind. The West End is designated as an Area of Change in Oxford’s Local Plan, and a priority project for Oxford, Oxfordshire and the Oxford-Cambridge Arc, as set out in the Local Industrial Strategy. Underpinned by the upcoming development of Oxford Railway Station, the West End offers a once in a lifetime chance to create a new urban neighbourhood for Oxford. The area can expand and showcase the city’s ‘innovation ecosystem’, and its world-changing ideas, inventions and companies. It can be a place that can combine workspaces and fantastic amenities, with new residential neighbourhoods that support existing and new communities alike.”
Retaining, renovating, and modernising Cantay House, giving this historical building a new twist and lease of life, will play a key part in the wider regeneration of the West End.
What Are We Proposing?
We are proposing to renovate and modernise Cantay House to deliver high quality new office space, and new retail space to reignite activity on Park End Street. This will allow us to secure the future of this historic building and redevelop it in the most sustainable way.
As part of the modernisation programme, we will:
Create a new 600m2 live music venue and bar / café on the ground floor.
Convert the centre of the ground floor to create a central entrance and reception area for new office spaces.
Deliver two new commercial spaces (that could accommodate a bar /music venue/ café).
Construct a new central core to the building which will include lifts, stairs, and bathroom facilities.
Deliver a landscaped courtyard, new bike storage, and bin facilities at the rear of the building which would utilise unused parking spaces and improve Park End Place.
A new roof terrace to the rear of building providing external recreational space.
Deliver clearly defined and consistently designed new entrances along Park End Street to improve the street-level aesthetic whilst keeping the existing character of the wider street.
Refurbish the original windows and shopfronts on the historic Park End Street frontage. Unoriginal windows to the rear of the building will be replaced with high performance double-glazed units to tie in more consistently with the buildings historic glazing.
Remove clutter like redundant external staircases, signage, balconies, and railings in the rear.
Clean and decorate the existing renders of the façade to enhance the identify of the building.
A New Music Venue For Oxford
While we have not been unable to keep the Atik Club at Cantay House, we do recognise the important contribution music venues make to the vibrancy of the city and the legendary status our building has to city’s club and music scene.
With this in mind we are a proposing a new modern flexible live music space within Cantay House.
The ground floor space will provide a 600m2 live music venue, bar and café. The space will offer flexibility to accommodate different types of live events, as well as hosting a full time café / bar that can operate independently of the venue. The venue will have a capacity of up to 800 people.
Our Programme
Our intention is to submit a planning application for our programme by the end of 2024. We are currently consulting local residents, businesses, and community organisations. We have been in conversation with Oxford City Council and will continue our discussions with them over the coming weeks and months.
Tell Us Your Views
Thank you to everyone who submitted comments to our consultation. We are finalising our plans and are aiming to submit a planning application by the end of 2024.
Questions and Answers
Atik night club, previously owned by Rekom Group (now renamed Neos Hospitality), has been closing many of its clubs in the UK due to falling revenues. This is a trend across the nightclub sector. With such an uncertain future around nightclubs the re-provision of a club is not part of our future plans and Atik closed at the end of June 2024.
There are significant changes to the night-time economy which means an uncertain future around the nightclub sector. The night-time economy in cities across the UK is changing with demand for clubs declining. We are looking at other uses that have a longer term, more sustainable future.
Yes, as part of our plans we will provide a new bar and café that can operate independently of the new live music venue.
There are significant changes to the night-time economy which means an uncertain future around the nightclub sector. We are looking for uses that have a longer-term sustainable future. The re-provision of a bar and new purposed built live music venue wil make an important contribution to the vibrancy of the city’s night time economy and address the current shortfall in live music venues.
Oxford has a shortage of high-quality office space in the city centre. Many businesses are looking to relocate to city centre locations which are more accessible for their employees and offer easy access to city centre life.
Cantay House has its origins as Cantay Depositories, a furniture warehouse first built in 1901 for Archer, Cowley & Co. Our plan is to fully restore the building bringing its fine architecture back to life.
About Elwood Funds Management
Elwood Fund Management is an independent real estate business that manages a portfolio of assets across the UK on behalf of their Clients. Find out more here.
If you have any questions please get in touch at info@cantayhouse.co.uk