Until the early part of the 20th century, Oxford was predominantly a university city, and employment was geared largely towards servicing that role.

Economic growth had been relatively slow and Oxford avoided the industrialisation which was a feature of so many other cities. The transformation of the area, however, came about when William Morris opened the Cowley car works in 1912. This gave Oxford an industry with a national market and encouraged migration into Oxford from other parts of Britain on a scale not seen before. The population expanded from 62,000 people in 1911 to 96,000 by 1939.

During this period of booming growth, the first non-student South Asian presence established itself in Oxford. In 1937, an Indian law student from London, who had successfully opened the first Indian owned restaurant there, opened a second one - the Taj Mahal - on Turl Street, Oxford, which was staffed by Indian seamen who had settled in England. The Taj Mahal soon gained considerable popularity among the university students.

In addition to these South Asians employed in the restaurant, there were also a few other pioneering settlers who had been door-to-door pedlars in South Wales, Glasgow and Newcastle, and had come to Oxford before 1950.

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