Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
PUBS WITH A
pedigree
Every college town the world over has a
fair number of bars, but few can boast
local watering holes with such atmo-
sphere and history as Oxford.
A short block from the High, overlook-
ing the north side of Christ Church, the
Bear Inn
, 6 Alfred Street (
&
01865/
728164
), is an Oxford landmark, built in
the 13th century and mentioned time and
again in English literature. The Bear brings
together a wide variety of people in a
relaxed way. You might talk with a rajah
from India, a university don, or a titled
gentleman who's the latest in a line of
owners that goes back more than 700
years. Former owners of the Bear devel-
oped an astonishing habit: Clipping neck-
ties. Around the lounge bar you'll see the
remains of thousands of ties, which have
been labeled with their owners' names.
Even older than the Bear is the
Turf
Tavern
, 7 Bath Place (off Holywell
St.;
&
01865/243235;
www.theturf
tavern.co.uk), on a very narrow pas-
sageway near the Bodleian Library. The
pub is reached via St. Helen's Passage,
which stretches between Holywell
Street and New College Lane. (You'll
probably get lost, but any student
worth his or her beer can direct you.)
Thomas Hardy used the place as the
setting for
Jude the Obscure,
and it was
“the local” of the future U.S. president
Bill Clinton during his student days
at Oxford. In warm weather, you can
choose a table in any of the three
separate gardens that radiate outward
from the pub's central core. For winter-
time warmth, braziers are lighted in the
courtyard, and a potent mulled wine is
served. The pub is owned by Suffolk's
Greene King, which means meaty
Abbot Ales, IPA, and Speckled Hen,
as well as a range of wines.
Just outside town, hidden away
some 2
1
⁄
2
miles north of Oxford, the
Trout Inn
, 195 Godstow Rd.,
Wolvercote (
&
01865/510930;
www.
thetroutoxford.co.uk), is a private world
where you can get ale and beer and
excellent pub fare. Have your drink in
one of the historic rooms, with their set-
tles (wooden benches), brass, and old
prints, or go outside in sunny weather to
sit on a stone wall. On the grounds are
peacocks, ducks, swans, and herons that
live in and around the river and an adja-
cent weir pool; they'll join you if you're
handing out crumbs. The Smoking
Room, the original 12th-century part,
complements the inn's relatively “new”
16th-century bars. Hot meals are served
all day in the restaurant, with daily spe-
cials including salads in summer and
grills in winter. On your way there and
back, look for the view of Oxford from
the bridge. To get here, take bus no.
6A, 6B, or 6C to Wolvercote, and then
walk southwest along Godstow Road
(toward Wytham) a half-mile. Hours
are Monday to Saturday 11am to 11pm,
Sunday 11am to 10:30pm.
5
bar, jazz and folk venue with an expansive array of cocktail choices (the food is rather
mediocre). There is no cover. Hours are Sunday to Thursday 11am to midnight, Fri-
day and Saturday 11am to 2am.
O2 Academy Oxford,
190 Cowley Rd. (
&
0844/4772000;
www.o2academy
oxford.co.uk), is the best live indie-music venue in the city; tickets range from £5 to
£25 (cash only on the door). Shows usually start at 6pm Tuesday to Saturday, and also
at 2:30pm on Saturday.
The
Jericho Tavern,
56 Walton St. (
&
01865/311775;
tickets at www.wegot
tickets.com), comprises two levels. Downstairs, patrons consume the suds inside,
