The Eagle & Child, Oxford

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

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.