FIVE pubs may be closing in the UK every day, but two pubs in Jericho are hoping to buck the trend this year.

The Old Bookbinders Arms in Victor Street, judged Oxford’s best pub by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) three years ago, closed its doors in Jericho on Friday. But just down the road, a couple from London are looking forward to opening their doors to the public next Monday.

The Harcourt Arms in Cranham Terrace closed last week when previous owner John Jackson retired due to ill health.

Now Paula Finch, 34, and Xavier Bouhayed, 36, are hoping to revive its fortunes, while drinkers are returning to the former Radcliffe Arms, now the Rickety Press.

Miss Finch said: “We have been looking for a pub to run for over a year and we fell in love with this area. We think the pub has got massive potential.

“So we’ve given it a lift and a revamp, tried to keep it homely.”

Miss Finch said: “John was such a character in Jericho, so we have tried to be very sympathetic to him and how he ran his pub.”

The pub will introduce a French menu, open the garden and offer “creative activities” for youngsters.

Miss Finch said: “We have been keeping an eye on trends coming out of London.

“In any business there is a risk, but if you don’t take it, you’ll never know if it could have been successful. We have invested a lot of capital in the business, and we are so excited and will be trying to make it work.”

Last month, the former Radcliffe Arms in Cranham Street was opened under the new name The Rickety Press.

The pub, which dates back to the 1860s, had stood empty since it closed in July last year. Some feared it would close for good.

It was taken over by the landlords of the Rusty Bicycle in Magdalen Road, Chris Manners, 25, and Leo Johnson, 24. It has undergone an internal revamp and is offering a new menu and beers.

Mr Johnson said: “It is going pretty well so far, bank holiday was fantastic and we were completely packed on Friday and Saturday.

“Everyone who walks through the doors is regaling us about how all the pubs closed and they were sad to see the Raddy go too.

“They thought it was just part of the inevitable demise of Jericho.”

He added: “I just think people’s tastes and what they want in a pub has changed somewhat.

“The old boozer is perhaps not a profitable business anymore, but the model of pub coming out of London, like the gastro-pub, are.”

Jericho once boasted 24 pubs, but the only remaining ones are the Harcourt Arms and The Rickety Press, the Jericho Tavern in Walton Street, Jude the Obscure in Walton Street and the Victoria Arms in Walton Street.