A CITY centre tavern will reopen as a pub, its landlord has vowed.

The popular St Aldate’s Tavern has been shut for two months after its last licensee Tommy Murray left when a short-term lease came to an end.

But the historic building has a leaking roof and has lacked investment in recent years.

Landlord Merton College told the Oxford Mail that whoever took it on would need to refurbish the building.

Yesterday the college confirmed it wanted to keep the property as a pub.

A source in the estates bursar’s office said: “It will be another public house in due course, but they have major renovation to do.

“Every pub has got a restaurant these days, and I am sure it will do food to bring people in, but it is going to remain a pub or bar.”

Drinkers fear the city centre pub’s history will come to an end if becomes a restaurant.

Regular Peter Ladbrook, 66, from Cowley, said: “A lot of the good old drinking Pubs are now only interested in selling food.

Whether the St Aldate’s Tavern will become another one I do not know.

“It was one of the only real drinking pubs left, along with the Gloucester Arms. The rest are all foody places.”

The pub was originally owned by Courage and called The Bulldog until the 1990s.

It was refitted and run by Wychwood as The Hobgoblin, then sold to small pub company Pubs ‘n’ Bars, which went into administration in 2009.

Mr Murray and his business partner then secured a short-term lease to run the pub.

Oxford Campaign for Real Ale pub preservation officer Tony Goulding said: “We really do not want to lose the pub. It is in a prime site.

“It was always primarily a drinking pub, and when somewhere like that closes, it is hard work to get it back again.

“We would like to see it renovated as a pub, but it is going to take a six-figure sum to bring the building up to quality.”