THE Campaign for Real Ale will celebrate the revival of the 'Great British Pub' when the Oxford branch stages its annual awards night.
Re-opening of long-closed hostelries and opening of new pubs indicate that the tide of pub closures might have turned, but CAMRA feels there is no room for complacency.
The Plough at 38 on Cornmarket Street and Teardrop bar in the Covered Market both opened just over a year ago. Re-openings of mothballed pubs in 2019 included the former Somerset on Marston Road (now the Up in Arms) and, in October, the Holly Bush on Osney Island – both having been closed for several years.
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A pub that closed last September, the White House in Abingdon Road, has been taken over by local brewery Tap Social which plans to reopen it in the summer.
Tap Social will also operate the Market Tap, a bar in the former Hedges butchers unit in the Covered Market, due to open this summer.
Oxford CAMRA spokesman Dave Richardson said: “These are all very positive developments, reflecting the trend nationwide with the Office for National Statistics saying there was a net increase in 2019 for the first time since 2010.
“Oxford people are falling back in love with the Great British Pub but there are many successful models these days – from micro-pubs converted from shops or market stalls, to big pubs such as Wetherspoon. In between there are lots of new ideas for reviving pubs, often with the emphasis on locally brewed beers and innovative food.
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“There are positive developments around the county too. Witney saw the opening of its first micro-pub, Oxbrew, in 2018, and that is already a contender for one of our Pubs of the Year. Carterton, Banbury and Wallingford already had micro-pubs.
Oxford CAMRA will hand out awards to its City, and Town and Country Pubs of the Year, and also recognise the three local beers that came out top in a 'blind tasting' by experts at the Beer and Cider Festival at the Town Hall in October.
The invitation-only awards night takes place on Wednesday at St Aldate’s Tavern at 6.30pm.
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