6 Alfred Street
City Centre
Oxford
Oxfordshire
OX1 4EH
01865 728164
The Bear is in the centre of Oxford close to the High Street but is tucked away down narrow lanes. The pub is famous for its astonishing collection of 7000 ties displayed on the walls and ceiling of the the wood-panelled back bar. These have been donated by (mostly) willing customers and display the names of clubs, colleges and other institutions from across the world.
The front of the pub houses a small public bar and even smaller snug. It is now owned by Fullers Brewery of London and sells their beers plus a few guests. Traditional pub grub is served and there is a weekly jazz night on Tuesdays and other live music on Wednesdays.
The pub claims a date of 1242, and the original Bear was one of Oxford’s largest taverns in its medieval heyday. By the 1700s it was a substantial coaching inn, with space in the stables for 30 horses. The current building, dating from 1606, was behind the old Bear and was a tavern called the Jolly Trooper. It changed its name to the Bear in 1801 after the old building was demolished.
Several notable people have visited the Bear, with possibly the most famous being film stars Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor who popped by in 1963. The pub featured in an episode of Morse, ‘Absolute Conviction’, where Morse investigates the murder of a convicted fraudster.
Now (2015) even more famous for having the tie end of a Hairy Biker, Si King!