Central Southern Region

Campaign for Real Ale

Campaign for Real Ale

Turf Tavern

St Helen's Passage
Oxford
OX1 3SU
Telephone(01865) 243235
Real AleReal FireQuiet PubFamily FriendlyGardenLunchtime MealsEvening MealsSmokingDog FriendlyWiFiMember Discount Scheme
Opening times: Mon–Sun 11:00-23:00
Regular beers: Greene King IPA, Timothy Taylor Landlord

See more about this pub on WhatPub, CAMRA's national pub guide.

One of the most famous pubs in Oxford, and yet one of the most difficult to find - stand under the Bridge of Sighs and you’ll see the sign. In all the guide books, so popular with tourists. It’s not actually as old as it looks (it dates from the end of the 18th century), nor is it as old as the city wall that bounds the garden to the south. There are several rooms and two bars and has recently had a Greene King 'Heritage' makeover. Outdoor seating is in the walled garden area and a small patio area outside the front door, heated by braziers in winter. Features in Thomas Hardy's novel 'Jude the Obscure' as 'an obscure and low-beamed tavern' which he renamed the Lamb & Flag. The pub claims that this is where former US President Bill Clinton famously "did not inhale".