The King's Arms has stood on the corner of Parks Road and Holywell Street since 1607, gazing across at the Bodleian. It is the sort of pub that has absorbed centuries of Oxford life without ever feeling like a museum. Walk in, order a drink, and you'll see why generations keep coming back.
There is something quietly reassuring about the King's Arms. It sits at one of the most storied crossroads in Oxford, opposite the Clarendon Building and a short walk from the Sheldonian, yet it never plays on any of that. The rooms are broad and well lit, the ceilings higher than you might expect from a building of this age. Students spread textbooks across the tables, tutors hold court in the corners, and visitors wander in after a morning in the Bodleian gift shop without quite knowing how they got there. The food is decent pub fare (pies, burgers, a reliable fish and chips) and the beer list runs deeper than most places this central.
We like it best on a quieter weekday, when you can claim a table by the window and watch the parade of cyclists and gowned undergraduates outside. It pairs well with a morning at the Pitt Rivers Museum or a walk through the University Parks, both just around the corner. From the cottage the drive is about 35 minutes; park at one of the city's park-and-rides and take the bus in, because central Oxford and cars are not friends. The King's Arms is the kind of place that rewards you for simply sitting still for a while.
“If I'm spending a day in Oxford, this is where I end up. No fuss, proper pints, and you're sitting opposite the Bodleian. Hard to improve on that.”
All of this on the doorstep, and your own thatched cottage to come home to. Sleeps seven, less than a mile from Soho Farmhouse.