A £16m project to renovate a historic city centre pub and provide new rooms for an Oxford University college has now been officially completed.

Rooms for undergraduates above the former coaching inn The Mitre in High Street were badly in need of an upgrade and Lincoln College began the two-year building project in 2018.

The Mitre, which closed in the summer of 2019, was refurbished as part of the scheme, with 64 student rooms provided, some with ensuite bathrooms.

Oxford Mail:

Pubs have not been allowed to reopen yet as part of the government’s lockdown three restrictions and it is not yet known when The Mitre could welcome back drinkers.

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The renovation of the Mitre accommodation was one of the largest and most complex projects ever undertaken by the college.

The college worked with with TSH Architects and the project was completed last week on timetable and on budget despite the coronavirus pandemic.

The college acquired the property in 1475 and as Grade II* and Grade II listed buildings, much of the Mitre is of historical and architectural significance, but it is the pub that is the oldest part of the site.

Underneath the pub there lies a network of medieval vaulted cellars from the thirteenth or fourteenth century and it is one of the oldest in Oxford.

Other important historical features include the buildings' 16th and 17th century timber panelling, the stone fireplaces, and the decorative plasterwork.

Oxford Mail:

In 1969, the rooms above The Mitre were bought by the college and turned into student accommodation, along with a couple of rooms for Fellows, and an alumni guest room.

The overall cost of £16m has been funded through borrowing, and from a large number of very generous alumni donations.

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Bursar Alex Spain said: "The Turl Street Mitre will provide student accommodation in term-time and guest accommodation in the summer.

Oxford Mail:

"We are thankful to our alumni and friends of the college whose generosity in the funding of this major renovation has made it possible and to Benfield & Loxley, TSH Architects, Ridge and others who have performed so well in completing this project in difficult circumstances."

The pub is leased to the Marston's chain.

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