At which Oxford pub did C.S. Lewis’s Inklings group often meet?

C.S. Lewis’s Inklings group often met at Oxford’s Eagle and Child pub.

The Eagle and Child, located on St Giles’ Street in Oxford, became associated with the Inklings, an informal literary discussion group that included C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, and Owen Barfield among others. Lewis and his friends commonly met there on Tuesday mornings during the group’s active years.

The pub was known by the nickname “the Bird and Baby,” derived from its sign. The Inklings were not a formally organized society with membership rules; they were writers and academics who read drafts aloud, discussed ideas, and criticized one another’s work. Their gatherings helped create an important literary network in Oxford.

The nearby Lamb and Flag is also associated with Oxford literary history, which can lead to confusion. The Eagle and Child is the pub most specifically identified with Lewis’s Inklings meetings.