A company has abandoned its plans to paint a pub called the White House pub black following complaints from conservationists and residents in Oxford.

In May, social enterprise and craft brewery Tap Social Movement pulled out of running The White House in Abingdon Road after three years, handing over to another independent Oxford-based operator, Dodo Pub Co, which has leased it from Brasenose College.

The pub closed on June 16 and will remain closed until early September for refurbishment work.

READ MORE: Change shocking Oxford pub name

Dodo has already caused controversy by announced it will change the name of the pub from the White House to The Slow & Steady.

Now it has emerged that Dodo planned to paint the outside of the pub black but abandoned the proposal after Oxford Preservation Trust and residents objected.

The pub will remain mostly painted white, according to amended plans submitted to the city council.

An artist impression of the pub painted black An artist impression of the pub painted black (Image: Dodo Pubs)Planning consultants acting for Dodo said in the amended plans: "Careful consideration to the chosen colour was taken and due to the historic ties of the name, it was decided that any change of colour would cause a level of harm to the historical significance of the building.

"Therefore, the clients will look to keep the main colour white, but are seeking Listed Building Consent to repaint the render using School House White by Farrow & Ball, to remove any current visible damage, update the overall aesthetics and preserve the appearance of a prominent historical building."

Oxford Preservation Trust said it had no objection to plans to install a pizza oven but it did object to painting the external elevations black.

The trust said: "The external envelope of the public house is the most striking feature, with a white facade pre-dating its current iteration to the earlier White House.

"It is the belief of the trust that changing the external appearance of the White House so drastically would significantly harm the heritage significance of the site, subtracting from the visual contribution it makes to the street scene, and ignoring the rich local history."

(Image: Tap Social) Dave Richardson, of the Oxford branch of CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale), said earlier he was not a fan of the name Slow & Steady and urged Dodo to change the name to something more in keeping with the area like The Folly.

After the pub company ditched plans to paint the pub black, Mr Richardson said: "We admire anyone who takes on a pub in these difficult times, but the change of name is clearly unpopular and could backfire whenever the pub is busy and service may be slow, if not steady.

“As for painting it black, we call on the planning authorities to reject that as it’s totally out of keeping with the area and the road named after the pub.

“Pubs are part of our heritage whether you use them or not, and need protection.”

(Image: Dave Richardson) One resident told city council planners on the public planning portal she was looking forward to the installation of the new pizza oven.

She wrote: "The pizza oven will be brilliant for local families who want to come to the pub after school as well as for regulars."

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About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning. 

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