Photos: Diliff, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Andrew Gray, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Rhododendrites, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo credits
Photos: Diliff, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Andrew Gray, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Rhododendrites, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The Eagle and Child, where Tolkien met Lewis
Your local guide
Nathaniel Webb
View profile
Highlights
- A pub named from a coat of arms
- A window into a famous meeting room
- Writers who met here for years
- Fact separated from popular legend
- Literary history in one small building
About this tour
This session tells the story of the pub where J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and a small group of writers met regularly for years, seen from the street and through the window of the room they used. It covers the pub's unusual name and separates the well-documented facts about the meetings from the stories that have grown up around them since. It is a literary history session built around one small, easy-to-miss building.
We start with the frontage and its name, then move to the window for a look into the room itself. Questions about the writers and what was actually discussed come up steadily, and I answer honestly when something is more legend than record. I close with a note on other Oxford sites connected to the same group.
It suits literature enthusiasts and anyone curious about how a small pub became part of literary history. It also suits viewers who enjoy separating documented fact from popular exaggeration.
Included
- Live video walk with a local guide
- Questions to your guide all the way
- A short list of places to visit later
Not included
- Internet connection
- Travel to the city
Itinerary
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Welcome and sound check 5 min
The guide joins the video call, checks the picture and sound with you, and gives you a quick sense of Oxford before heading out.
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Pub frontage 21 min
The camera holds on the pub's street frontage, and I explain how it earned its unusual name from a local aristocratic family's coat of arms.
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Rabbit Room window 21 min
Through the window of the room known as the Rabbit Room, you see where a group of writers met weekly for years, and I explain what is actually documented about those meetings against what has since been exaggerated.
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Your questions 9 min
Time to ask anything about Oxford: prices, safety, food, or whatever you are curious about.
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A short list to keep 4 min
Before you go, the guide sums up with a few things worth remembering: a dish to try: Ploughman's lunch and Osney Island, worth a slower look.
Good to know
- A stable wifi or mobile connection makes the picture smoother than a shaky one.
- Any phone, tablet or laptop with a camera works. You watch, the guide does the walking.
- Times are shown in London time, so check the time where you are before you book.
- The session is not recorded, and recording it yourself is not allowed. Feel free to take your own notes.
- Ask questions any time, out loud or in the chat. The guide will pause to answer.
- Sessions run in small groups, up to 8 people, so there is room for everyone to ask something.
Questions about this tour
What will the session cover?
The guide walks through Oxford, showing you Pub frontage and Rabbit Room window live on camera, plus whatever else you would like to see.
What happens if my connection drops?
Rejoin with the same link within a few minutes and the guide will catch you up on anything you missed.
Can I ask the guide questions during the session, or is it a fixed script?
Anything, any time. Sessions leave room for your own questions throughout, not just at the end.
Do I need to know the history already?
No background needed. The guide explains everything as it comes up.
How it works
- You get one join link after booking.
- Join from any device: phone, tablet or laptop.
- We connect on a video call outside the pub, since I can show the frontage and the side room through the window without disturbing customers inside.
Times shown in London time (GMT)
Cancellation
Flexible
- Cancel up to 24 hours before the start: full refund.
- Cancel less than 24 hours before the start, or no-show: no refund.
- If the guide cancels or the date does not reach its minimum group: full refund.
- Cancel in My Account → Bookings; the refund is calculated from the start time in the tour's local time.
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Next: Sat 31 Oct · 8 seats left From 23,00 €
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