A DERELICT city centre house was given an exotic makeover in May 1973 in the form of a new wine bar, pizzeria and coffee shop.

The St Michael's Street venue opened its doors boasting the three-in-one combination, with St Michael's Wine Bar and pizzeria in the basement and Lucky Jim's coffee shop on the ground floor - plus a sauna bath upstairs.

The project was the brainchild of former Oxford University undergraduate James Glendenning, who returned to the city after a ten-year break and was struck by the lack of 'casual' eating places.

He said: "There's a great demand for casual meeting places where people can eat convenience foods and have a cup of coffee or a glass of wine."

Customers could buy a bottle of wine for 90p and freshly-made pizzas for just 45p, rates which 'comfortably undercut' London prices.

The building is now the Three Goats Heads pub - and last time we checked, a bottle of wine cost slightly more than 90p.

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