Visiting the Eagle and Child Pub

The Eagle and Child Pub is where J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis (as well as some other people) used to have meetings of a literary group known as The Inklings. The Inklings were a group of men, mostly professors from the Oxford University, who were writers in their spare time. They met to discuss books, often their own, and they did this to help their members grow as writers.

A few weeks ago I got the opportunity to visit this Pub. I first saw it from about a block away. When I first set eyes on this yellowish building, and the sign on the wall, I was severely disappointed. There was no banner, no sign, no elvish writing on the wall proclaiming, “FAVORITE HANG OUT PLACE OF AMAZING WRITER J.R.R. TOLKIEN!”. But when I think about it now, I realize that Tolkien would be disgusted if the place was trading off his name like that.

I got to the door and let my Papa take a zillion and a half pictures of me next to the sign. It was about this time that my camera ran out of batteries. However, my family being extreme tourists, I was immediately offered, not one, but three cameras that my family members just happened to have.

I took a deep breath and walked in. My first reaction was just YES!! This is it! Everything was made of dark wood. It smelled like smoke and old leather. The atmosphere was very grandfatherish. At the bar, with just two small booths surrounding it, I could see Tolkien and Lewis sitting pipe in hand, discussing each other’s works, wrestling with questions such as why Lewis’ Susan would grow up and be ashamed of Narnia, and whether the sons of Fëanor truly had a right to the Silmarils.

The walls had many black and white photographs of The Inklings sitting at the same table that the picture was hung above. Over the mantle of the fireplace hangs a framed letter to the bartender of the Eagle and Child, penned by Tolkien and signed by all the Inklings.

Walking out of that place an hour or so later, I felt so inspired, to think that I had walked on the same floor that Tolkien had walked on, sat at the same booth carved into the same wall he had leaned against, that I could not get out of my head, the image of six or so old men meeting on a Tuesday morning to discuss their writings, and affection for Norse mythology.

“Lo! We have heard in old days of the wisdom of the cunning-minded Inklings; how those wise ones sat together in their deliberations, skilfully reciting learning and song-craft, earnestly meditating. That was true joy!” (J.R.R. Tolkien)

by TolkienFreek, July 2005