Cape Terrace

Situation
Entered via a narrow access road on the west side of High Street, Witney, almost opposite the Blanket Hall.

History
This long row of 22 stone cottages was built for workers in the blanket mills around 1865. Even though Witney became a very important centre for the production of blankets, the growth of large estates of brick terraced houses often associated with that kind of industrial development did not happen in a big way in the town [1]. This may have been because many workers lived in small cottages in Witney and the surrounding villages even into the 20th century.

The development of the woollen industry from numerous workshops all around Witney into a few large factories did lead to some small groups and rows of housing being built by the 1840s, but probably by speculators rather than the wool merchants or mill owners. These included terraces at Corn Street, some off the High Street and some at Newland [2]. Some stone terraces though were built for the workers in the 19th century and there were other housing schemes aimed at providing the blanket workers with suitable accommodation in the following century.

Blanket workers' housing can also be seen in Witney at 'The Crofts', parts of Lowell Place and in Mill Street [3].

Clare Sumner