Something of an institution, the pub, one of a handful claiming to be the oldest in Oxford, has been on this site since 1607, the king in question being James l. It’s owned by Wadham College, whose students live on the upper floors. There are six rooms, including a dining room at the front; the pub is usually very busy, but the quieter and most atmospheric areas are the panelled back bar and the “office”, with its real fire and leather sofas, behind. Until 1973 a small bar with the entrance in Holywell Street was for men only. The only outside seating is a number of picnic tables on the pavement at the front.