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Food & drink / Oxford
The White Horse
Licensed in 1591 as The Mermaid, and squeezed between the two halves of Blackwell’s bookshop.
CostFree to visit
Time to allowAllow 45–90 minutes
PaceEasy
PlaceBroad Street
Best timeYear-round
01 / Why it matters
More than a stop on a list.
A single narrow room wedged into Blackwell’s, licensed under four different names since 1591 and a fixture of every Inspector Morse location tour.
The White Horse is one room wide, pressed between Blackwell’s main shop and its smaller one, directly opposite the Sheldonian. The building is sixteenth century; the stuccoed timber front is probably Georgian, and was rebuilt in 1951, when a painted wall was uncovered on the first floor. Its licence goes back to 1591, when the whitebaker Roger Scott was granted one — for a pub called The Mermaid. It became the White Mermaid, then The Jolly Volunteer, then The Elephant when the Elephant next door closed in 1820, and has only been the White Horse consistently since the late 1830s. It belonged to the city from 1629 to 1773 and then to Exeter College until 1980. It is Grade II listed, and appears repeatedly in Inspector Morse — as does most of Broad Street.
02 / The essentials
What makes it remarkable.
- 01
Licensed in 1591 to the whitebaker Roger Scott, under the name The Mermaid.
- 02
Has carried four names: the Mermaid, the Jolly Volunteer, the Elephant and — since the late 1830s — the White Horse.
- 03
The building is sixteenth century; the front was rebuilt in 1951.
- 04
Owned by the city from 1629 to 1773, then by Exeter College until 1980.
- 05
Grade II listed, and a recurring Inspector Morse location.
03 / The place
The building in context.
A story written in stone since 1591.
- Built
- Earliest supported date: 1591
- 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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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.
01Why is it so narrow?
It is a single room squeezed between the two halves of Blackwell’s bookshop, which grew around it.
02Is 1591 the pub’s date?
It is the date of the licence, granted for a pub then called The Mermaid. The name White Horse only settles in the late 1830s.
03Was it in Inspector Morse?
Repeatedly. It is one of the most filmed interiors in the city.