The Lighthouse, Oxford

A first in here the other night and a welcome change from our experience in the Oxford Retreat over the road. This was originally built as the Navigation End, rebuilt as the Queen's Arms to become a branch of Rosie O'Grady's by the mid-'90s, later the Duke's Cut and recently the Lighthouse. The pub is situated in Oxford's rather dreary Park End area overlooking a municipal car park with a long side wing with a beer garden looking out over the river. Internally there's much stripped pine, a boarded floor and large oversized industrial lights. Furniture comprises some high stools and tables with raised brown leatherette banquettes and tables. The side wing has more conventional furniture and appears to be geared more towards dining. There's something of a seafaring theme going on here with a picture of a squid on the wall and mirrors fashioned from ship portholes. There's even the Beach Boys playing on the gramophone! Ales: Wychwood's Hobgoblin and Brakspear's Oxford Gold which was fine but at £4.10 a pint is expensive for Oxford and certainly for Park End. A better choice of ales at a more sensible price would gain a few extra marks but in short I'd some up this place up thus: Nautical but nice.

Official site of The Lighthouse - www.thelighthouseoxford.com

Official site of The Lighthouse - www.thelighthouseoxford.com

Quite nicely done out inside but given the beers on offer ,Oxford Gold and Hobgoblin it didn't really do it for me here.

Refurbed into a comtemporary bar,to the right of the entrance is a room with a good looking curved window set in stone,much wooden cladding throughout the interior ,and two further sections to the left of the bar.Popular with younger drinkers ,the real ale options were only Brakspears Oxford Gold (boring but drinkable) and Hobgoblin.More a cocktail kind of place,the barman was friendly enough and showed us the menu.We sloped off in search of better real ale.