All things to doView nextThe King’s Arms→Explore the story
Food & drink / Oxford
The Eagle and Child
The Inklings’ Rabbit Room, where Tolkien and Lewis read to each other. Closed since 2020 and under restoration.
CostFree to visit
Time to allowAllow 45–90 minutes
PaceEasy
PlaceSt Giles
Best timeYear-round
01 / Why it matters
More than a stop on a list.
The most famous literary pub in England — and currently shut, so it is a doorway to stand outside rather than a pint to drink.
There has been a pub on this St Giles site since 1650, though the name is first recorded in 1684. It belonged to University College from the sixteenth century and later to St John’s. Its fame rests on the back room. From the 1930s until 1962 the Inklings met in the Rabbit Room — C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Charles Williams and others — reading work in progress aloud to one another. It was here in June 1950 that Lewis handed round the proofs of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. When the pub was modernised in 1962 the group moved across St Giles to the Lamb & Flag. Be warned before you plan around it: the Eagle and Child has been closed since March 2020. The Ellison Institute of Technology bought it from St John’s College in 2023 and it is being restored, so for now it is a plaque and a frontage rather than a pub.
02 / The essentials
What makes it remarkable.
- 01
A pub on the site since 1650; the name is first recorded in 1684.
- 02
The Inklings met in the back Rabbit Room from the 1930s until 1962.
- 03
C. S. Lewis distributed proofs of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe here in June 1950.
- 04
The group moved to the Lamb & Flag across St Giles when the pub was modernised in 1962.
- 05
Grade II listed. Closed since March 2020; bought by the Ellison Institute of Technology in 2023 for restoration.
03 / The place
The building in context.
A story written in stone since 1650.
- Built
- Earliest supported date: 1650
- Style
- Historic Oxford public house
04 / Before you go
Plan it well.
Enjoy it properly.
Practical detail, separated from the story so you can scan what matters when you are ready to visit.
Tickets & entry
Free to enter; you pay for what you drink and eat. No admission charge.
Opening hours
Ordinary pub hours, which change with the season, the day and the licensee — check the pub’s own page before making a special journey. Most Oxford pubs serve food at lunchtime and in the evening rather than all day.
Continue exploring / Oxford
What will you
do next?
Compare the practical essentials first, then open the experiences that earn a place in your plans.
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43CollegesAll the collegesEvery Oxford collegeOpen the college guide →Food & drink / a storyThe nine oldest pubsWalk the timeline →
Plan / Itinerary builderBuild your Oxford dayStart planning →05 / Where it is
Find it
on the map.
Drawing routeThe itinerary still works without the map.
05 / Good to know
Questions,
answered.
01Can I go in?
Not at present. It has been closed since March 2020 and is being restored by its new owner, so it is a frontage rather than a working pub.
02What was the Rabbit Room?
The small back room where the Inklings met to read work aloud. A wooden plaque commemorates them.
03Where did the Inklings go?
Across St Giles to the Lamb & Flag, after this pub was modernised in 1962. That one is open.