What nickname did C.S. Lewis give the Oxford pub where the Inklings often met?

C.S. Lewis gave the Oxford pub where the Inklings often met the nickname “the Bird and Baby.”

The pub’s official name is the Eagle and Child. Its sign depicts an eagle and a child, which led Lewis and his friends to use the affectionate nickname “the Bird and Baby.” The pub stands on St Giles’ Street in Oxford and became associated with the Inklings during the group’s active years.

The Inklings were an informal literary circle that included Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, and other writers and academics. They commonly met in a private upstairs room at the pub after discussions elsewhere. Members read aloud from works in progress and exchanged criticism, making the gathering an important part of Oxford’s literary culture.

The nickname is sometimes mistaken for the pub’s official name, but “the Eagle and Child” is the formal name. The association with the Inklings also does not mean every meeting occurred there; Lewis’s college rooms and other locations were used. The pub’s literary reputation comes from the friendships and conversations connected with the group, rather than from a formal organization headquartered there.