The Star pub in East Oxford gets new 'French cinema' sign

The new sign outside the Star pub is based on the famous scene in the 1902 film ‘A Trip to the Moon’ when an angry-faced moon is struck in the eye with a rocket.

But landlords Gus and Anna Rogers have put their own spin on the Georges Méliès classic.

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Left to right, sculptor Jim Kempton, bar manager Harry Gilbert, and landlord Gus Rogers in front of the new sign (Image: Ed Nix)

Their new sign hanging outside the pub in Rectory Road shows a star with a bottle of beer in the eye instead.

Mr Rogers said: “The pub frontage was looking a little bit worse for wear so we decided to give it a makeover.

“As much as we loved the old sign and the memories it provoked we wanted to replace it with something big and striking, similar to the Headington shark and the old UPP facade.”

Jim Kempton, a principal sculptor at Madame Tussauds, designed the new sign (Image: Ed Nix)

The couple, who reopened the pub in 2020, called upon their friend Jim Kempton, a principal sculptor at Madame Tussauds, for the design.

Mr Kempton 3D scanned both of their faces, which are used as references for the faces on either side of the sign.

“In the end we decided to steer away from a total likeness but if you look closely you can just about tell,” said Mr Rogers.

“The design was turned into a reality by Jay and Narika from JSM models in Mildenhall near Hungerford. We are thrilled with how it has turned out.”