Oxford Pub Reopens

Five pubs may be closing in the UK every day, but two pubs in Jericho are hoping to buck the trend this year.

The Old Bookbinders Arms in Victor Street, judged Oxford’s best pub by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) three years ago, closed its doors in Jericho on Friday. But just down the road, a couple from London are looking forward to opening their doors to the public next Monday.

The Harcourt Arms in Cranham Terrace closed last week when previous owner John Jackson retired due to ill health.

Now Paula Finch, 34, and Xavier Bouhayed, 36, are hoping to revive its fortunes, while drinkers are returning to the former Radcliffe Arms, now the Rickety Press.

Miss Finch said: “We have been looking for a pub to run for over a year and we fell in love with this area. We think the pub has got massive potential.

“The old boozer is perhaps not a profitable business anymore, but the model of pub coming out of London, like the gastro-pub, are.”

Jericho once boasted 24 pubs, but the only remaining ones are the Harcourt Arms and The Rickety Press, the Jericho Tavern in Walton Street, Jude the Obscure in Walton Street and the Victoria Arms in Walton Street.