A SORELY missed local will be open again under a new name by April, managers have announced.

The Somerset Arms in Marston Road will be reborn as The Up in Arms following the completion of a takeover by Oxford pub company Dodo.

Re-named in homage to the community’s three-year campaign to save their local, the pub is now undergoing a renovation before its grand opening.

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Modelled on sister pubs The Rusty Bicycle in east Oxford and Jericho’s Rickety Press, the new pub will offer a range of beer and other drinks as well as pizzas, burgers, cakes and fresh coffee.

Oxford Mail:

Burgers and chips at the Rusty Bicycle.

Leo Johnson, one of the founding members of Dodo Pub Co, said: “We’re happy to give the community what they want.

"We were drawn to the local residents’ passion for their pub and can understand how much this place means to the community.

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"The Up in Arms will not be short on Dodo vibe - the popular pizzas, the inviting décor and down-to-earth staff will all be there to greet our new customers. Like its siblings, it’ll be a place for the people that surround it, we are looking forward to a fantastic new chapter for us and The Up in Arms.”

The pub had once been set to become a Muslim cultural centre before its owners agreed to keep it as a pub.

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It is listed on Oxford City Council's Oxford Heritage Asset Register in 2018, which protects the features and places that bring character to the city.