Oxford Streets For People has organised a week of free walking tours to discover some of the city's hidden treasures.
The walks leave from Bonn Square and take between 45 minutes and 1hr 15 minutes.
The meeting point is at Bonn Square and will be manned between 12pm and 2pm.
This walk takes you past many of the city's pubs and tearooms – some of them off the beaten track. All the tearooms mentioned will provide an afternoon tea of sorts.
The walk
1. From Bonn Square walk to New Road and along it, passing the Malmaison Hotel and the Castle mound, to Tidmarsh Lane (on the left past the traffic signals). You will see the pub, recently named The Duke's Cut, formerly ‘Rosie O’Grady’s’.
2. Turn left along Tidmarsh Lane and with the former malthouse on your right (see how the windows reveal the low heights between floors), follow the lane round to the right, crossing Quaking Bridge. Look straight ahead along St Thomas Street and you will see The Brewery Gate pub, and beyond it the fine iron gates of the former Lion Brewery.
3. After crossing Quaking Bridge, turn immediately left into Paradise Street and continue, passing Woodin’s Way on the right and re-crossing the stream, until reaching Paradise Square, on the corner of which is to be found the Jolly Farmers – now a popular gay pub.
4. Continue along Paradise Street to the Castle Tavern at the corner. Turn right into Castle Street, cross the road at the traffic lights, and continue on Old Greyfriars Street, passing beneath the Westgate Centre buildings and on to Turn Again Lane, (to the left about 100 metres after passing under the Westgate building). Walk along Turn Again Lane and turn left immediately beyond number 10 into the passageway named Roger Bacon Lane. Continue along the narrow passageway until you come into the open space at the rear of St Ebbe’s Church. Here is The Thirst Lodge bar. (Alternative route from Paradise Street: Cross Castle Street, taking care, and walk up the ramp of the forbidding brick and concrete façade of the Westgate centre. Once inside, walk through the centre by turning right, then left, and walk to Sainsbury’s; walk down the ramp at the left of Sainsbury’s, returning to the open air in the pedestrian space at the rear of St Ebbe’s Church. Here is The Thirst Lodge bar).
5. Walk with St Ebbe’s Church on your right, to St Ebbe’s Street, where on the corner of its junction with Pembroke Street you will see the Royal Blenheim pub.
6. Walk along Pembroke Street. On your left is Modern Art Oxford, where tea and cakes can be enjoyed in the basement café, along with some excellent modern art. Entrance is free.
7. When you reach St Aldate’s Street at the eastern end of Pembroke Street you will find George and Danver's Ice Cream Parlour (not quite a tearoom but very nice ice cream). Turn left and walk uphill in St Aldate’s Street.
8. You will walk past the pubs named Old Tom and St Aldate's Tavern, to the left.
9. Cross St Aldate’s Street at this point, taking care, and walk along Blue Boar Street. In the Town Hall (on your left) tea and cakes can be enjoyed in The Gallery Café.
10. Continue along Blue Boar Street to its continuation as Bear Lane, where The Bear pub contains a fine collection of ties.
11. Retrace your steps for 50 metres and walk through Wheatsheaf Yard, between ‘Blue Boar Hairdressing’ and ‘The House’. The Wheatsheaf pub will be found in Wheatsheaf Yard, opposite the long established Gill’s hardware store.
12. On entering High Street from Wheatsheaf Yard, turn left and after about 20 metres you will find the passageway leading to the ancient Chequers pub.
13. Retrace your steps a few metres and cross High Street via the light-controlled pedestrian crossing outside The Mitre, on the corner of Turl Street – not just a pub, it serves cream teas.
14. Immediately left of The Mitre, enter the Covered Market (via avenue number 4 – the number 4 appears on the ‘Covered Market’ sign above the entrance) and walk through to the far end, passing Brown's café, one of the oldest market cafés , then turn right into Market Street and at its end cross Turl Street, walking along the passageway named Brasenose Lane. At its end bear left across Radcliffe Square to Catte Street and walk along Catte Street, turning right into New College Lane.
15. Pass under Hertford College’s ‘Bridge of Sighs’ and immediately turn left into the alleyway named St Helen’s Passage. Pass along this to The Turf Tavern. Walk through the site (turn left before the ‘Terrace Bar’ sign) and pass into Bath Place, which emerges in Holywell Street opposite the Holywell Music Room.
16. Turn left and walk along Holywell Street to its junction with Parks Road, where The King's Head pub will be found on the corner.
17. Walk ahead into Broad Street and pass Blackwell’s bookshop to your right, between the two parts of which is The White Horse pub.
18. Continue westwards along Broad Street to its junction with Cornmarket. In Broad Street, there are three cafes, being Café Crème, Mortons, and The Buttery. The Buttery will serve you a cream tea.
19. Turn left into Cornmarket and then right after about 50 metres into St Michael’s Street.
For a longer walk, turn right at The King's Head: 20. Turn right into Parks Road. Walk north along Parks Road, passing the junction with South Parks Road on your right, then turn left into Museum Road. Walk to its end then walk through the pedestrian passageway that continues, taking you under the arch and into St Giles beside the Lamb and Flag pub.
21. Cross St Giles taking care, to the Eagle and Child pub, popularly called the Bird and Babe, which is opposite the Lamb and Flag.
22. Walk south, passing the St Giles' Café, where tea and cakes can be enjoyed.
23. At the corner of St Giles and Beaumont Street you will be able to enjoy tea in the Ashmolean Museum café, and opposite, The Randolph Hotel will serve you a cream tea.
24. Continue south into Magdalen Street West, and turn right into Friar’s Entry, the passageway between the Debenhams and Jaeger stores. Here you will find the pub Far from the Madding Crowd on your left, and another pub (The Gloucester Arms) on your right. Also on your left is the beer garden of The Red Lion pub which is in Gloucester Street – turn left at the end of Friar’s Entry.
25. Walk past The Red Lion and at the end of Gloucester Street turn right into George Street, then left into New Inn Hall Street, and left again into St Michael’s Street.
Here the walk ends, leaving you plenty of choice for some well-earned refreshment.
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