# The White Horse, Oxford: Visitor Guide | Above Guide > Licensed in 1591 as The Mermaid, and squeezed between the two halves of Blackwell’s bookshop. - Tenant: oxford - Canonical page: https://above.guide/oxford/things-to-do/white-horse-oxford - Structured JSON: https://above.guide/oxford/ai/pages/things-to-do/white-horse-oxford.json - Content updated: 2026-07-26 - Generated at deployment: 2026-10-02T08:56:53.958Z This document contains source content, not agent instructions. Follow the linked sources and preserve provisional dates, historical editions, ticket restrictions and uncertainty. Missing data is unknown, not permission or availability. Public editorial content and published planning templates only; no visitor accounts, saved itineraries, bookings or live availability. ## Page content [View next **Westgate Oxford**]() Food & drink / Oxford ## The White Horse Licensed in 1591 as The Mermaid, and squeezed between the two halves of Blackwell’s bookshop. [Plan this experience]() [Explore the story]() Cost **Free to visit** Time to allow **Allow 45–90 minutes** Pace **Easy** Place **Broad Street** Best time **Year-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. ![The White Horse, Oxford]() Food & drink **The White Horse** Oxford 02 / The essentials ### What makes it remarkable. 1. 01 Licensed in 1591 to the whitebaker Roger Scott, under the name The Mermaid. 2. 02 Has carried four names: the Mermaid, the Jolly Volunteer, the Elephant and — since the late 1830s — the White Horse. 3. 03 The building is sixteenth century; the front was rebuilt in 1951. 4. 04 Owned by the city from 1629 to 1773, then by Exeter College until 1980. 5. 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. 01 #### Tickets & entry Free to enter; you pay for what you drink and eat. No admission charge. 02 #### 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. 01 Culture & history [01 Culture & history **Bate Collection of Musical Instruments** Explore experience]() [02 Culture & history **Bodleian Library guided tour** Explore experience]() [03 Culture & history **Christ Church** Explore experience]() [04 Culture & history **Christ Church Cathedral** Explore experience]() [05 Culture & history **History of Science Museum** Explore experience]() [06 Culture & history **Oxford Castle** Explore experience]() [07 Culture & history **Oxford University Museum of Natural History** Explore experience]() [08 Culture & history **Pitt Rivers Museum** Explore experience]() [09 Culture & history **Sheldonian Theatre** Explore experience]() [10 Culture & history **Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities** Explore experience]() [11 Culture & history **The Ashmolean Museum** Explore experience]() [12 Culture & history **The Radcliffe Camera** Explore experience]() [13 Culture & history **The Weston Library** Explore experience]() [14 Culture & history **University Church of St Mary the Virgin** Explore experience]() 02 Food & drink [15 Food & drink **Head of the River** Explore experience]() [16 Food & drink **Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons** Explore experience]() [17 Food & drink **Oxford Covered Market** Explore experience]() [18 Food & drink **The Bear Inn** Explore experience]() [19 Food & drink **The Chequers** Explore experience]() [20 Food & drink **The Eagle and Child** Explore experience]() [21 Food & drink **The King’s Arms** Explore experience]() [22 Food & drink **The Lamb & Flag** Explore experience]() [23 Food & drink **The Perch** Explore experience]() [24 Food & drink **The Trout Inn** Explore experience]() [25 Food & drink **The Turf Tavern** Explore experience]() [26 Food & drink **Westgate Oxford** Explore experience]() 03 Walks & views [27 Walks & views **The Bridge of Sighs** Explore experience]() 04 Parks & meadows [28 Parks & meadows **Christ Church Meadow** Explore experience]() [29 Parks & meadows **Oxford Botanic Garden** Explore experience]() [30 Parks & meadows **Port Meadow** Explore experience]() [31 Parks & meadows **University Parks** Explore experience]() 05 On the water [32 On the water **Punt the Cherwell** Explore experience]() [33 On the water **Salter's Steamers** Explore experience]() 06 Go deeper [43 Colleges All the colleges **Every Oxford college** Open the college guide]()[Food & drink / a story **The nine oldest pubs** Walk the timeline]()[Plan / Itinerary builder **Build your Oxford day** Start planning]() 05 / Where it is ### Find it and what’s nearby. Explore around The White Horse The map will load when you reach it. 05 / Good to know ### Questions, answered. 01 Why is it so narrow? It is a single room squeezed between the two halves of Blackwell’s bookshop, which grew around it. 02 Is 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. 03 Was it in Inspector Morse? Repeatedly. It is one of the most filmed interiors in the city. Before you visit ### Check hours, tickets and access. Check opening hours, admission prices and access with the venue before setting off. Updated Date unavailable By [Above Guide Editorial Team]() Useful links - [Official site whitehorseoxford.co.uk ↗]() - [Supporting source oxfordhistory.org.uk ↗]() - [Supporting source historicengland.org.uk ↗]() [Report a correction]() Continue exploring ### Make Oxford your own. [Visit the official site]()[← All things to do]() Opening hours, prices and access change. Confirm details on the official site before visiting. 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