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The Swan & Castle (JD Wetherspoon), Oxford
Oxford
OX1 1AY
Pub Type
J D WetherspoonReviews (Current Rating Average: 6 of 10) see review guidelines
Steve C left this review about The Swan & Castle (JD Wetherspoon)
The Swan & Castle is a Wetherspoons located in a rectangular unit with a bar counter and adjoining kitchen that create an open plan L-shaped seating area. Two banks of five hand pumps are supported with the usual suspects being available plus Milestone’s Rich Ruby and Cairngorm’s IPA. The Milestone started off malty and then became very bland. I found this to be a below average Spoons with the only real draw being the cheaper pricing.
On 31st October 2023
- rating: 5
[User has posted 5251 recommendations about 5219 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Swan & Castle (JD Wetherspoon)
This is a modern building dating from 2009 which originally seems to have been a Lloyd’s, the name derived from its proximity to Oxford’s castle and former prison complex, and the late Swan, demolished in 1968 to make way for the ugly Oxford City Council offices just up the road.
It's as described below (see photos), fairly large and airy due to the expanse of plate glass windows. Otherwise, the description matches other ‘spoons, minus the sticky, uncleared tables. Customers were mainly townies, many boasting about their preferred methods used to ‘take out’ their adversaries, some descriptions with an accompanying visual demonstration; otherwise the usual ‘spoons suspects and a few students, escaping the parents at Christmas time.
The ale selection was probably the poorest I’ve experienced in a ‘spoons, with just Doom, GK IPA and Abbot at £1.40 a half, though at least in decent condition.
I only came here out of necessity as all the ‘normal’ pubs in Oxford were closed for the Christmas/New Year week, but if you’re in need of the services for which ‘spoons are renowned, the nearby Four Candles is a far better bet.
Rated 3.5.
On 8th January 2023
- rating: 4
[User has posted 1985 recommendations about 1951 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Swan & Castle (JD Wetherspoon)
Modern 'spoons with a partly sub-divided overall 'staple'-shaped bar, all fairly formulaic but it benefits from windows on two-and-a-bit sides so isn't too gloomy within. Moderately interesting selection of seven real ales from the two banks of five handpumps, such as my Green Jack Waxwing (£2.49).
On 29th September 2019
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about The Swan & Castle (JD Wetherspoon)
I was hoping to get here from the Royal Blenheim by cutting through the Westgate shopping centre but it's now just a building site with the Sainsbury's clinging defiantly on. I was surprised to see that it was once a Lloyds as I could see no evidence of that and even the JDW Directory (a shambolic booklet to say the least) doesn't say it's a Lloyds.
It's set in a modern office block or something so is uninspiring as a building but apart from that I thought it was fine.
The two banks of five hand pumps had two available soon, the IPA version of the JDW Trio Of Doom, North Cotswold Hung Drawn 'N' Portered, Hook Norton Nerdherder, Ringwood 49er, Ascot Anastasia Stout and Prescott Chequered Flag. I went for the North Cotswold Porter (£2.75) which was excellent.
I thought this was a good Spoons and given that the beers in the other one were mostly boring bitters I preferred the choice here. I thought both were good Spoons especially considering the dross you find in most city centres and the standard guest price of £2.59 in both is reasonable being the same as the George in Wanstead.
On 27th June 2016
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
E TA left this review about The Swan & Castle (JD Wetherspoon)
A rather dull 'Spoons in the heart of Oxford City centre, handy for the bus stop and the cheap shops, but generally avoided by the student body. It has the standard mute gaming machines, cheap furniture and free WiFI, the food is straight out of the box, and the clientele are the JDW usuals. The staff were predictably inefficient – five people behind the bar, but only one serving; the rest studiously avoided eye contact. The bar is quite open and airy, the outside seating area at the back reasonably pleasant when the Sun shines, but for some reason the smokers preferred to lurk in the alley. There were 6 ales and one cider on draft. I had a pint of North Cotswold Moretown Mild, a fairly decent pint but near the end of its life. I'd come back to use the CAMRA vouchers and include in a crawl, but it isn't somewhere to eat or spend quality time as there are so many good pubs in the area.
On 14th August 2015
- rating: 5
[User has posted 3285 recommendations about 3250 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Swan & Castle (JD Wetherspoon)
Popped in towards the end of an epic Oxford crawl for a meal and a soft drink. Interior remains pretty much the same as before. Food was fair, bit stingy on the chips though I thought.
July 2011
Super-new open plan modern Lloyds No 1 in a modern block that replaced the Bar Ha Ha which stood here previously. The interior is up-market but lacking any real charm, with tables and chairs rammed into almost every inch of floorspace. The large plate glass front windows at least allow for some brightness. The ale selection wasn’t that great and my Oxfordshire Ales Pride of Oxford was anything but. I doubt I’d bother with this one again as the Four Candles is a better bet for the JDW vouchers. Rated 5
On 10th May 2014
- rating: 5
[User has posted 5099 recommendations about 5082 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Peter Rydings left this review about The Swan & Castle (JD Wetherspoon)
Its a spoons like i have said there either good or bad this is a good one plenty of hand pulls on had a good pint of Great Gey Owl sat out and enjoyed the sun
On 18th July 2013
- rating: 10
[User has posted 948 recommendations about 917 pubs]