Oxford's Lamb & Flag pub reopens after major renovation

The Lamb & Flag has been operating at the Grade II-listed building on St Giles since the 17th Century

A historic pub that closed because of the coronavirus pandemic last year has reopened after a major renovation.

The Lamb & Flag in Oxford, which was frequented by famous authors JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis and Thomas Hardy, was taken over by a community group.

The pub had operated on St Giles since 1613 and is owned by St John's College.

The Inklings, named after the authors' group that met at the pub and other city sites in the 1930s and 1940s, reopened it on Thursday.

Previous members included CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien, and meetings were also held in The Eagle and Child pub, also in St Giles, and at Magdalen College.

CS Lewis (left) and JRR Tolkien frequented the historic pub

Work at the Lamb & Flag continued throughout Thursday afternoon, with electricians and plasterers finishing just before the 18:00 BST opening.

The new Inklings has about 300 members, including present-day Oxford authors.

"I think what we found is when you say the Lamb & Flag to anyone, everyone has a story to tell," the Grade II listed pub's manager Dylan Dudbridge-Hay said.

"I think that it's so entrenched in the history of Oxford and everybody's lives, from freshers to students to locals, everyone has got a memory of this fantastic pub and everyone just wanted to see it reopen and get back in."