The Eagle and Child: The pub where literary fantasy novels were born
Established as a public house in Oxford in 1650, The Eagle and Child in Oxford has an intriguing history some have travelled across the globe to experience. It served as a playhouse to royalist soldiers stationed there in the 1640s and, most famously, has seen some literary greats pass through its doors.
A group of writers who were dubbed “The Inklings” would, as all great writers do, meet at the pub on Mondays and Tuesdays throughout the 1930s. Among them were C.S Lewis and J.R.R Tolkien, who wrote The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings series, respectively, and would trade early drafts of their famous works there.
They would huddle in the Rabbit Room for a moment of quiet in the otherwise bustling pub, eager to discuss the stories they were crafting. Tolkien, in particular, was known for being highly critical of his own work in these sessions, often revising the names of places and routes his characters took in the fantasy novels he worked on.
In 1948, he turned that critique outward after Lewis had just finished his draft of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, which he read aloud to Tolkien, who absolutely hated it.
Artistic differences aside, they were faced with a far more critical issue when the Rabbit Room became a free-for-all. Once renovations opened the secluded space at the back of the pub to the general public, the writers quickly moved on to a different watering hole, no longer able to have hushed conversations about their writing.
But their time spent there, mulling on their formidable creations over ale, is forever remembered with the pub’s memorabilia, which pays homage to their most famous literary patrons.
The pub has a framed letter on its walls, signed by all Inkling members in 1948, which read: “We, the undersigned, having just partaken of your ham, have drunk your health”. Despite being an integral part of literary history, The Eagle and Child closed during the first Covid lockdown and has never reopened.
Dave Richardson, a spokesman for CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale), told the Oxford Mail that the pub’s owner, St John’s College, was looking for new landlords in 2021, saying whoever took it on would need “deep pockets” to facilitate a reopen. But Richardson did add that the town can rely on St John’s to cherish the pub’s history.
Richardson mentioned its history would make it a wise investment, given book lovers and tourists alike come from all over the world to see it, with the Tolkien Society revisiting it for their annual reunion weekends.
“The Eagle and Child matters not only because it is a beloved pub,” he said, “But because it has achieved global fame because of the writers who used to meet there regularly.”
