The Eagle And Child

Oh to have been a fly on the wall when Tolkien and CS Lewis were enjoying a pint in here!

Inklings, C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, and a group of NEH seminarians. Good times.

As it were. ;) It was a treat to go here after the 1992 centenary conference for a chat and a drink, and while I won’t pretend some of Tolkien’s talent rubbed off on me, I’d like to think I got some of the atmosphere that made him most comfortable - good friends, good drink and good conversation.

today three of my girlfriends and i went to lunch at the eagle and child. it was pretty neat! we saw the rabbit room where the inklings met and we had chicker fillets. two of my friends of course had fish and chips. it was a lovely experience. i think we’ll definitely be going back sometime soon.

Oh to have been here earlier. But to its credit, our unofficial, ex-dean of a tourguide referenced it as one of the only pubs in Oxford that still retains something of its pre-tourism existence.

It’s called the “bird and baby” by some. The Inklings (JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, Owen Barfield, Dorothy Sayers, Charles Williams) used to meet here to have a pint, smoke, and discuss literature and have wild, friendly arguments about various intellectual topics. I had a pint in the back room and wished I had been there 40 years earlier…