Restoration plans for a public house where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien used to meet and socialise together have received approval.
A press release by the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT), owned by U.S. billionaire Larry Ellison, confirmed the plans for The Eagle and Child pub, known locally as “the Bird and the Baby” in the city of Oxford, England. It has been empty since 2020.
It means the grade II listed pub, built about 1840 and often frequented by the Inklings Group from the University of Oxford, which included Lewis and Tolkien, will be reopened in due course.
"Many a golden session in front of a blazing fire, with a pint close to hand," Lewis once said about the meetings of the Inklings in the pub.
The Inklings were a group of Oxford academics who met in the “Rabbit Room” at the rear of the pub in the 1930s to 1940s for social interaction and to encourage each others’ works.
It is believed that both Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and Lewis's Out of the Silent Planet, and proofs for The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe were first read aloud and critiqued by their peers at the pub.
Following a prior refurbishment in 1962, the Inklings relocated their meetings to the Lamb and Flag pub in Oxford.
For the refurbishment of The Eagle and Child, EIT appointed Foster + Partners to lead the restoration, “continuing the building’s legacy as a place where ideas, debate and creativity thrive,” according to the EIT press release.
“The design preserves the unique character of The Eagle and Child and respects its many layers of history,” said Gerard Evenden, Head of Studio, Foster + Partners.
“Our sensitive interventions will create an all-day meeting place by introducing an adjacent café and inspirational workspaces for EIT across the upper levels. The scheme is stitched together by a newly landscaped garden and restored passageway between the café and the pub – new social spaces that transition effortlessly from day to night.”
The revitalised plan aims to reestablish the pub as a “vibrant social and intellectual hub.” It will include a new dining space, bakery and outdoor garden, as well as collaborative meeting areas for Ellison Scholars, staff and fellows on the upper levels.
Heritage architects Donald Insall Associates is supporting the work, taking a conservation-led approach to restore and preserve as much of the original building as possible.
Some lighter interventions planned will bolster the pub’s two historic parlour rooms and the famous “Rabbit Room” – where the Inklings group once gathered. Original features being reinstated include the third parlour room to enhance social spaces.
At the rear, a new dining room will reconnect the pub to its garden, transforming it into an all-day destination. The neighbouring 50 and 51 St. Giles’ Street will become a café that serves coffee and baked goods.
The floors above the pub and café will provide informal meeting and study spaces for Ellison scholars, staff and fellows.
“This will create a modern setting for research, discussion and collaboration - continuing The Eagle & Child’s role as a space for people and ideas to come together,” according to the EIT.
