Since the pandemic, drinkers have been dreaming of a pint inside the Eagle and Child.
The famous pub in St Giles in Oxford, renowned for its links with fantasy writers JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis, closed in March 2020 and has not reopened since.
Now new owners, American science company the Ellison Institute, is moving ahead with plans to revamp it, and expects to welcome customers again in 2027.
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In October last year, the institute, established in Los Angeles by billionaire Larry Ellison, announced plans for a new laboratory campus at Oxford Science Park. At the same time it bought the Eagle and Child.
Now new images of what the pub could look like when it reopens have been revealed.
The public consultation took place in the Garden Quad Reception Room of St John’s College, and included photos and plans of the existing buildings, and the owners' vision of how they will look in the future.
The pub was where the Inklings, a literary group who included J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, met regularly from 1939 to 1962.
They met in a room at the back of the pub called the Rabbit Room, apparently because a landlady once kept rabbits there.
Plans show that two parlours at the front of the pub will be kept and a third one reinstated as it was in 1863. The new bar will be in the same position, at the entrance to the Rabbit Room.
Dave Richardson, a spokesman for the Oxford branch of real ale group CAMRA, told Oxford Drinker magazine: "It is heartening to see that EIT will honour its word and restore this famous building as a traditional pub with its historic features intact.
"I am particularly pleased to see that the front parlours, which I think of as alcoves, will be restored. This was always my first choice of seating when I went in but others were often there before me."
Mr Richardson added the plans also include opening up the garden and a "more sympathetic modern extension" at the rear, replacing the old conservatory.
"Adapting the long, narrow building was always going to be a challenge," Mr Richardson added.
He said: "Overcrowding and queuing at the bar were a major problem, and I can remember going in at times but giving up on trying to get a drink.
"I hope EIT will consider appointing a small independent operator to run the pub, and not hand it over to one of the bland corporate chains.
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"Look at how successful the Lamb & Flag, just across the road, has been in independent hands. Appointing an independent operator, not a chain, would best carry on the legacy of the Inklings."
The pub was Grade II listed in the 1950s, so the work needs listed building consent.
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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.
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