What will the exhibition look like?

Without your support we cannot ensure that a new exhibition about Oxford's pubs and breweries becomes a reality. We have fantastic rewards to thank you for your help. Keeping the stories of Oxford's lost pubs and breweries alive is down to you!

The pubs, inns and taverns of Oxford have played a significant role in the city's history. The setting of riots and turmoil, they have also provided inspirational watering holes for literary greats like J.R.R. Tolkien. Exploring the history of pubs and brewing reveals a city that, today, is spirited, pioneering and socially-aware. Here is a section of the pubs and breweries exhibition plan which your donation will help to make a reality.

Clockwise, starting with the Morrells beer towel (at 12 o'clock):

Allied Arms pub sign from Rose Hill

This pub was originally named the ‘King of Prussia' it was changed to the ‘Allied Arms' during WWI. Supposedly the pub sign, which at one stage showed Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin, kept getting knocked down! In the 1970s it was named ‘The Ox', and reverted back to the ‘King of Prussia' in the 1990s. The King of Prussia in Rose Hill closed down in 2005.

Morrells Brewery hop cart & Morrells brewery hop weighing scales

The amount of hops added to a brew impacts the taste, as well as the type, of beer.

Eagle from the Eagle Steam brewery

It's hard to conceive of the many breweries that once existed in Oxford - Eagle Steam Brewery, in Park End Street, was owned by Weaving & Sons. Established in 1871, it was later acquired by Hall's. Made from iron, this magnificent bird was a gate standard for the Eagle Steam Brewery.

Morrells brewery barrels

Beer was the everyday drink for all classes. Breweries became connected and even owned many of the city's pubs. Morrells was owned and managed by six generations of the same family, making it the oldest family-owned business in Oxford. While the exact date of its beginnings is unknown, brothers Mark and James took over an existing brewery established by Richard Tawney in the first half of the 18th century. The brewery owned some 130 pubs before being sold in 1998.

Spittoon from Elm Tree, Cowley Road (now Big Society)

Customers would spit chewing tobacco into this iron dish.

Morrells 'Celebration Ale' beer label and beer bottles

Morrells' 'Celebration Ale' were created in 1977 to mark the Queen's Jubilee.

We need your support to make this ambition a reality - donate now to help us tell the stories of Oxford's pubs and breweries. Or share this with friends and family members!