Oxford pub once frequented by JRR Tolkien to shut after 450 years

The Lamb and Flag, which has served students, scholars and literary greats since 1566, has become a cultural casualty of the Covid-19 pandemic

It is owned by St John’s College, one of 45 colleges and private halls that make up the University of Oxford

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The Lamb and Flag has been hit badly by the pandemic. Photo: Reuters

Published: 10:03pm, 25 Jan 2021Updated: 10:03pm, 25 Jan 2021

A historic UK pub in the centre of Oxford that has served students, scholars and literary greats for over 450 years is to shut down, a cultural casualty of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Lamb and Flag, once frequented by the likes of Lord of the Rings author JRR Tolkien and his friend CS Lewis, who wrote The Chronicles of Narnia, has suffered a disastrous loss of revenues since the start of the pandemic.

The pub first opened in 1566 and was moved to its present location on St Giles, a broad thoroughfare in the city centre, in 1613. It is owned by St John’s College, one of 45 colleges and private halls that make up the University of Oxford.

“The Lamb and Flag, like many other businesses in the hospitality industry, has been hard hit by the pandemic,” said Steve Elston, deputy bursar of St John’s, in a statement announcing the pub would close on January 31. “The trading figures of the last 12 months have meant that the pub is not currently financially viable.”

England was in lockdown for most of March, April, May and June last year, then again in November, and has been in its third national lockdown since January 5. University life has been severely disrupted even outside of official lockdowns.

Since 1997, St John’s College has used profits generated by the pub to fund scholarships for graduate students. Photo: Reuters

Dave Richardson of the Oxford branch of the Campaign for Real Ale said the Lamb and Flag was one of the city’s most traditional pubs and it would be a tragedy to see it disappear.