Oxford hotel The Store - once Boswells - 'due for completion'

The former Boswells department store has now been demolished inside and the new building is starting to take shape.

Shoppers were shocked when Boswells in Cornmarket shut for good in 2020 and then Debenhams also closed.

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Reef, working with contractors Gilbert-Ash, is converting the former department store into a 101-bedroom boutique hotel and work is well under way.

Eleanor Alexander, a design director leading the project for Reef, said in 2021 she hoped the hotel would be ready to open in the spring or summer of 2023.

Gilbert-Ash said on its website that construction work would be completed by June while a poster on hoardings at the site says work could be finished by May.

A construction worker said at the site said the June estimate could be a little optimistic.

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"There is still a lot of work to be done inside," he said.

Another Gilbert-Ash worker on site said earlier: "The demolition was a nightmare but we have turned a corner and we are onto the build phase.

"It was a complicated job but we're now looking at an opening date in July or August - let's say August to be on the safe side.

"The store had been built in lots of different decades and had to be removed carefully.

"We still need to add another floor for the rooftop restaurant.

"It's going to be a fantastic four-star hotel."

Work by Gilbert-Ash includes the retention of the historic facades, part demolition, and the addition of a fifth floor which will include a rooftop bar and external space overlooking the rooftops.

Once open, The Store will give a big boost to the Broad Street end of Cornmarket.

Broad Street was pedestrianised by the county council last year, with the introduction of seating and plants and the removal of parking spaces.

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Boswells closed early in 2020 and Debenhams early in 2021, leaving John Lewis at the Westgate Centre as the city's only remaining department store.

The hotel roof terrace could be a major attraction, giving spectacular views of the dreaming spires in the city centre.

In the centre of Cornmarket, the £40m Jesus College revamp of Northgate House was completed last year.

It features new student accommodation, a health centre, a digital hub and new retail units facing Cornmarket.

Restaurant chain Cosy Club and HSBC Bank are planning to move in to some of the new units.

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This story was written by Andy Ffrench, he joined the team more than 20 years ago and now covers community news across Oxfordshire.

Get in touch with him by emailing: Andy.ffrench@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter @OxMailAndyF