Which group of writers met at The Eagle and Child pub with J.R.R. Tolkien?

The group of writers who met with J.R.R. Tolkien at The Eagle and Child pub was The Inklings.

The Inklings were an informal literary discussion group associated with Oxford. Members and regular participants included Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, along with writers such as Charles Williams and Owen Barfield. The group discussed works in progress, read drafts aloud, and debated literature, mythology, and Christian ideas.

The Eagle and Child, a pub on St Giles’ Street in Oxford, became one of the group’s best-known meeting places. Members also met in rooms at Oxford colleges and in private homes, so the pub was important but not their only setting.

The Inklings were never a formal society with an official membership list or published manifesto. Their influence came from sustained friendship and criticism. Tolkien read parts of The Lord of the Rings to the group, while Lewis was among the early listeners to Tolkien’s developing work.