Dubbed Oxford’s “most famous pub” due to its literary associations, the pub was a staple in Oxford pub culture until its closure ahead of the Coronavirus lockdown in March 2020.
The Eagle and Child, located at 49 St. Giles, is back up for sale after plans to convert the establishment into a hotel and restaurant fell through. The site is owned by St. John’s College, who also own the nearby pub the Lamb and Flag, located at 12 St. Giles.
The pub was under offer as a mixed pub and hotel business. Prospective work to the Grade II listed building would have seen extensive renovations to the upper levels of the property and an extension of the ground floor.
Since the deal fell through, the project has once again been suspended, with reports indicating a reversion back towards initial plans to reopen the venue as a ground and basement pub, with the upper levels being used by St. John’s College.
Earlier in the year, The Eagle and Child had been subject to much speculation surrounding its future amid claims that it had been “left to rot” by St. John’s. Dave Richardson, a spokesperson for the Oxford branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), called upon the pub’s owners to consider reopening the drinking establishment amid the pending reopening of the Lamb and Flag.
The pub has many well-known literary associations, most famously due to its links to the writing circle “The Inklings”; a group including none other than C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkein, and Hugo Dyson. Within popular culture, the pub is also featured in Colin Dexter’s The Secret of Annexe 3 novel, in which Inspector Morse and Sergeant Lewis visit the site as part of an investigation.