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The Eagle & Child, Oxford
Oxford
OX1 3LU
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Tris C left this review about The Eagle & Child
Sold by St. John's College to the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT), founded by tech billionaire (and former world's richest person) Larry Ellison, founder of Oracle with a refurbishment to be carried out by Foster + Partners, architects behind London's Gherkin and Berlin's Reichstag; I kid you not.
On 19th December 2023
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 1991 recommendations about 1957 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Eagle & Child
A place that feels like it has lost its way a bit. The front bar is still a delight but the rear area is beginning to feel quite shabby. A pretty dull range on the pumps, my Old Hooky was reflective of the pub itself, an NBSS 2.5 job. It’s always going to be on the crawl list ‘because’ but the magic isn’t there at the moment.
January 2014
This pub has improved steadily since my inaugural visit almost six years ago. My latest trip found a decent set of ales on the pumps and my Stewarts Zymic was in good nick, served by friendly staff. The only remaining table was out back in the conservatory which was freezing cold, not helped by the teeny plug-in radiator being shoved behind a load of stuff which served to stifle the warm air flow. It’s worth putting on the crawl list, but I wouldn’t go for session unless I bagged a seat in the snugs (virtually impossible). It is what it is. Rated 7
July 2011
The pub is now owned by Nicholsons, which explains the better beer range and quality this trip – the Moor and Black Beauty Porter were both on form. As mentioned elsewhere, your experience of this pub will depend heavily on where you get a seat. Things are improving a from the under-performing laziness a few years back though. Rated 7
March 2008
Ancient pub known locally as the 'Bird and Baby', upon entering you hit the classic front bar – dark wood panelling, snug drinking areas etc. It’s inevitably tiny but is nice to sit in if you're lucky enough to find a space. The bar is in this area, serving a very mainstream selection of ale, three including Brakspear, Pride and a guest; condition is hit and miss. There is a more modern Everest double-glazing catalogue conservatory area out the back - incongruous, but it does at least offer some extra seats. The toilets in that area stink and are terrible in the summer, which makes the back room smell nauseously of urine and grease. Worth a stop on an Oxford crawl for the heritage factor (did I manage not to mention J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis?) but currently that’s about it – could and should do much better. Rated 5
On 1st June 2019
- rating: 6
[User has posted 5099 recommendations about 5082 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Ian Mapp left this review about The Eagle & Child
10:15 on a sunday night and a choice of this or the Lamb and Flag over the road.
Both shut bang on 10:30.
You can feel the history of this place dripping off the walls but the beer quality was dreadful. Old Hooky had to be sent back - dull, cloudy and rank. It was changed with minimal fuss (held to light, which failed to penetrate) and swapped for a brighter oxford gold.
Visit blogged at http://bit.ly/2tFIpRz
On 27th July 2017
- rating: 5
[User has posted 277 recommendations about 276 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Eagle & Child
Visited only once back in late 1993 and now a PuG crawl return after nearly a quarter of a century. Little has changed - perhaps a wash and brush here and there - but since the double whammy of increased interest in both drinking/smoking buddies J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis this pub is now, unsurprisingly, somewhat hobbit-forming, attracting the massed hoards from all corners of the planet, delivered to the [wardrobe?]door by the coachload.
Time to avoid the masses - ideally evening onwards - this pub is quirky and pleasant enough, bordering on interesting.
Nothing special on the ale front (I can't remember what I had). Worth a trip just to say you've been, but barely worthy of a detour.
On 5th September 2016
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1991 recommendations about 1957 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Eagle & Child
Our first attempt to visit this pub had to be ditched, as a group of people were just entering as we arrived. No problem, as we came back mid afternoon when the pub had really quietened down. The pub is long and narrow and space is quite limited. We went for the Inveralmond Frisco Steamy, which was decent and had good flavour. This has been a public house since 1650 and I found the two booths either side of the entrance most interesting.
On 28th July 2016
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
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Bucking Fastard left this review about The Eagle & Child
Choose your entry time with care,if a coach load of Nania fans have just entered give it a swerve.However when quiet ,this is an interior worthy of inspection with two forward booths either side of the entrance corridor ,each with seating for around 8.The bar is small with some room for vertical drinking,but keep going along the Rabbitt Room for more seating which eventually leads to a former garden ,which has now been covered over with a glass conservatory,a sweaty area on a hot day.Here is a locked door marked Nania,broom cupboard rather than leading to a parallel universe.
Nicholsons lease the pub from St Johns College ,just four handpumps serving on my trip Nicholsons Pale Ale,Brakspear Bitter,Exmoor Gold and Inveralmond Fiasco Steamy (pretty good) .The barman was amusing,taciturn in the face of tourist hoards but friendly enough to us pub crawlers.
Worth a look ,I wouldn't base myself here for a session but not as bad as I feared given it's fame,and history.
On 23rd July 2016
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2730 recommendations about 2730 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Eagle and Child
As with the Lamb and Flag over the road, this historic pub is owned by the nearby St John's College and has some impressive literary credentials. The pub has a long, narrow interior, although it seems to lose character the further back you go. You enter into a corridor with a couple of very cosy snugs on either side, each with enough room for a couple of tables. A little further on, through an open doorway, the servery emerges on the right hand side in a compact bar area with minimal furnishing to avoid congestion at what can become a busy area in peak times. This area gives way to the most famous part of the pub - the Rabbit Room - formerly a private lounge in which the likes of JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis would regularly meet and where Lewis first distributed his proofs for 'The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe'. Sadly, the room was opened out in the early 1960's to allow for an extension to be built to the rear, at which point the aspiring authors defected to the Lamb and Flag. Nowadays the room is a big pull for tourists who can admire a few bits of memorabilia related to the 'Inklings', which are dotted around the walls. There are a couple of tables in the room and a nice fireplace on the end wall, but getting a seat is tricky and most punters end up moving through to the stone floored corridor running to the back of the pub which has tables and chairs down one side and a drinking ledge along the opposite wall, before emerging into a modern, double gabled conservatory, decorated with prints from local artists, an old street plan of Oxford and a collection of spirit bottles. A door at the far end had a sign on it saying 'Narnia', but having never been a fan of those books, I didn't bother to see where it led.
St John's now lease the pub to the Nicholson's chain, which at least ensures a decent beer range is likely. The small bar only has room for four handpulls and these were dispensing Fullers London Pride, Nicholson's Pale Ale, Brakspear Oxford Gold and Orkney Dark Island. I tried the latter which was very enjoyable and went down well with the seafood platter, which we ordered with a bit of trepidation, although it turned out to be excellent.
I think I prefer the Lamb and Flag over this place, but this is still an interesting pub that Nicholson's seem to be doing a good job with. Probably best avoided during peak tourist season, but there weren't too many around on my rainy February visit, allowing us a good look around one of the city's most famous pubs.
On 28th February 2014
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about The Eagle and Child
Decided to search this one out primarily for its history but also after discovering that it is now owned by Nicholsons, which usually means a decent ale choice.
The Eagle and Child is situated to the north side of Oxford within a short stroll of Cornmarket Street, Oxford University and St Johns College.
Cannot really add anything to the reviews below except to say that it is worth a visit due to its history and the literary connections of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and fellow writers who met here and dubbed themselves 'The Inklings'. They nicknamed the pub 'The Bird and Baby' and it’s been a public house since 1650, and takes its name from the crest of the Earls of Derby. During the Civil War, the building was used as the playhouse for Royalist soldiers.
As previously mentioned it is a long, narrow pub with two very nice period snug rooms to the front and if possible you should try and get a seat in one of these. There is a drinking area in front of the bar section and a lighter conservatory area at the back which is nowhere in keeping with the rest of the pub and does give you the impression it was just bolted on to maximise table space.
The serving area is quite small but the bar staff were working hard, especially as I visited on a busy Sunday lunchtime. The bar has four handpumps and my Pride of Oxford from the local Oxfordshire Ales Brewery was a well-kept pint. Unfortunately we didn’t get the booths at the front and had to sit in the conservatory at the back. But we were kept well entertained by a strange bunch all badged up on a ‘return of the ring’ Tolkien tour which gave me hope that there are bigger saddos out there than us pub tickers..
On 4th October 2012
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2116 recommendations about 1995 pubs]
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Moby Duck left this review about The Eagle and Child
A long narrow pub with several snug areas with seating as you work your way to the rear which appears to get progressively more modern as you go.The front of the pub close to the bar would be my choice of were to drink ,but being a small room you may not have that choice.Four handpulls which on my visit were dispensing,Roosters Yankee,Nicholsons Pale Ale(St Austell)Mad Goose Purity and St Peters Mild,a pretty decent selection of which I went for the Yankee,which seemed fitting as Oxford was full of our American cousins, the beer itself was in good shape.I will have no problem revisiting here again.
On 11th August 2012
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1875 recommendations about 1848 pubs]
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Oggwyn Great left this review about The Eagle and Child
Front rooms are great , a couple of little snugs , small bar with 4 ales then it all goes wrong , narrow corridor with seating leads to a larger modern room with no charm . Beer ok nothing to get exited about , Historic pub should be a lot better
On 14th March 2010
- rating: 6
[User has posted 797 recommendations about 683 pubs]