A former pub in Oxford which has become derelict is now up for sale for £375,000.

Since closing 13 years ago, the Crown & Thistle in Old Road, Headington, has fallen into disrepair.

The building is boarded up but Fleurets is now marketing the freehold of the property, and advertising it as a "refurbishment opportunity".

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The advert says there are two bars and a beer terrace, and a flat above.

In January, plans to turn the former pub into flats were rejected for a second time.

Medallion, the freehold owners of the pub, wanted to convert it into homes for up to nine people.

(Image: Oxford Mail) Its planning application was rejected by Oxford City Council.

The council decided Medallion had not made “reasonable efforts” to market the pub before submitting the plans.

It also claimed there were too few pubs in the area “to meet the needs of the local community”.

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The building has been left to decay since it stopped trading in 2011.

A report by council officers pointed earlier to “significant damp, damage and debris throughout the building, as well as there being a large hole in the floor”.

They said windows are broken, the garden is overgrown, and there is structural damage to parts of the building.

A previous bid to convert the building into flats was made in 2022 but was also rejected by the council.

The same year it was approved by the city council as a heritage asset.

In its latest decision on January 10, the council said the building should be restored and reopened as a pub.

City council leader Susan Brown said more could be done to market the Crown & Thistle as a pub.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, city council leader Susan Brown said at the time: “If the owners actually marketed it as a pub then I believe interest would be shown.

“There is not one single pub left in Churchill ward.

“This was the community pub and it would be fantastic to have it back.

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“Unfortunately the building has suffered years of neglect.”

In the mid-18th century, the Crown & Thistle served one of the main routes between Oxford and London.

It was the home of the Quarry Pig Club in the early 20th century.

After a series of short-term landlords, the pub was run by the Lee family for 82 years from 1891 to 1976.

When Morrell’s brewery in Oxford closed, the pub was taken over by Greene King, before it closed for good in 2011.

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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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