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,The Excelsior 'greasy spoon' cafe was a Cowley Road institution which closed in 2014, as [http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/11371061.Closing_time_for_cafe_after_53_years_of_froth_and_stir/ reported by the Oxford Mail]. It first appeared in directories as the New Excelsior (J H Harrison) in 1954. Before that it was a café run by Mrs E Chiddington from 1939 and by Mrs M E Harding from 1947.
A series of black and white photos of the cafe's patrons was made by photographer Kirk Ellingham and some are available online: [http://kirkellingham.com/excelsiordaysavailable onlineavailable online]. The photos were exhibited at the Old Fire Station in August 2018.
A memorable [http://www.classiccafes.co.uk/excelsior_special.htm review by Robin Mackay] described the atmosphere (evidently predating the 2007 smoking ban):
